Updated BIP for OP_CAT

Hi everyone,

We've recently made a number of updates to the OP_CAT BIP proposal including adding a rationale section, an expanded backwards compatibility section and an updated reference implementation.

It can be found as a PR to the bitcoin/bips repo here: https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/pull/1525 or as BINANA BIN-2024-0001: https://github.com/bitcoin-inquisition/binana/blob/master/2024/BIN-2024-0001.md

Thanks, Ethan

Hi Ethan,

Very good to see your OP_CAT design is now on the mailing list.

Inside the BIP text, you mention that a sufficiently large OP_CAT script can "support tree signatures with a thousand public keys." I think it would be more useful to put the theoretical limit there, as it is buried along with the rest of the data on tree signatures inside the reference link to Blockstream's web page, which could go stale for whatever reason.

On a further note, if there are enough practical uses for tree signatures, we could make it into a fully fledged BIP too, instead of just something cool that would make the Stacker News front page.

- Ali

On Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 7:21:22 PM UTC Ethan Heilman wrote:

Hi everyone,

We've recently made a number of updates to the OP_CAT BIP proposal including adding a rationale section, an expanded backwards compatibility section and an updated reference implementation.

It can be found as a PR to the bitcoin/bips repo here: https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/pull/1525 or as BINANA BIN-2024-0001: https://github.com/bitcoin-inquisition/binana/blob/master/2024/BIN-2024-0001.md

Thanks, Ethan

A number of people have privately sent me questions about the status of the BIP number for OP_CAT. I want to publicly clarify two points in regards to the OP_CAT BIP: i. The OP_CAT BIP authors, Armin and I, have formally requested a BIP number, ii. and no BIP number has yet been assigned (despite what is being said on twitter).

On Tue, Apr 16, 2024 at 3:03 PM Ethan Heilman <eth3rs@gmail•com> wrote:

>
> Hi everyone,
>
> We've recently made a number of updates to the OP_CAT BIP proposal including adding a rationale section, an expanded backwards compatibility section and an updated reference implementation.
>
> It can be found as a PR to the bitcoin/bips repo here:
> https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/pull/1525
> or as BINANA BIN-2024-0001:
> https://github.com/bitcoin-inquisition/binana/blob/master/2024/BIN-2024-0001.md
>
> Thanks,
> Ethan
>

Excellent point, I've updated the BIP to specify the theoretical maximum of public keys. See commit https://github.com/EthanHeilman/bips/commit/852502b9cf0568dc4c75d93aaaaee3d102002ec7

> On a further note, if there are enough practical uses for tree signatures, we could make it into a fully fledged BIP too

I'd love to see a tree signature BIP. You should make one.

On Wed, Apr 24, 2024 at 11:35 AM Ali Sherief <ali@notatether•com> wrote:

>
> Hi Ethan,
>
> Very good to see your OP_CAT design is now on the mailing list.
>
> Inside the BIP text, you mention that a sufficiently large OP_CAT script can "support tree signatures with a thousand public keys." I think it would be more useful to put the theoretical limit there, as it is buried along with the rest of the data on tree signatures inside the reference link to Blockstream's web page, which could go stale for whatever reason.
>
> On a further note, if there are enough practical uses for tree signatures, we could make it into a fully fledged BIP too, instead of just something cool that would make the Stacker News front page.
>
> - Ali
>
> On Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 7:21:22 PM UTC Ethan Heilman wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> We've recently made a number of updates to the OP_CAT BIP proposal including adding a rationale section, an expanded backwards compatibility section and an updated reference implementation.
>
> It can be found as a PR to the bitcoin/bips repo here:
> https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/pull/1525
> or as BINANA BIN-2024-0001:
> https://github.com/bitcoin-inquisition/binana/blob/master/2024/BIN-2024-0001.md
>
> Thanks,
> Ethan
>
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