Non-technical person here. CSW talks about locking down the…

This means they're removing the irrelevant code bits that were added by core devs after they kicked Gavin out of the github repository. This is all in an effort to protect/restore the core design of BitCoin v0.1. Return to Genesis upgrade is Feb 4th 2020!

Thanks for the response!

How does this lock the protocol down though? When I think of the word lock, I think that the code will not be able to change anymore. I don't have a problem with that, but I'm curious about how it's actually done technically.

I have an Ok understanding but not technical. @343 @292 @24 are far more technically savvy. It basically boils down to the fallacy of miner decentralization/centralization. The core design v0.1 was always to eventually favor nodes as giant server farms.

It is locking down the economics of the protocol. The rules.

The system itself is economic in nature.

Lock the consensus rules down - this doesn't mean code doesn't change, it means the rules don't change.

Car example: Ford Model T and a Tesla Model S are the same protocol of “automobile,” designed to move people down the road in a basic way. The details can change, but the rules are the same.

Add wings, though, and its protocol is changed to “airplane.”

Bitcoin is the same. There is a ton of flexibility on how things get done, but the overall economics of the network must stay the same as they’re laid out in the white paper. Miners mine, Nodes are X, Scripts are executed like Y, etc...

Perfectly said! The rules are inherently necessary in creating the economic stimulus to prevent any unnecessary changes at the protocol level. If it ain’t broke, don’t try and fix it. BitCoin just works as Satoshi intended. Neckbeard devs can sod off.