An In-Depth Interview With Electron Cash Developer Jonald Fyookball

This week news.Bitcoin.com spoke with Jonald Fyookball, the creator of the Bitcoin Cash (BCC) lite client, Electron Cash.

Fyookball is a prolific member of the BCC community and has written a lot of informative posts about the forked project. The pseudo-anonymous Electron Cash developer gives us some insight into his view of the current scaling debate between Core software supporters and Segwit2x supporters. Fyookball also discusses how he feels about the present state of the BCC network, how he thinks it will fare during the possible November hard fork, and other technical developments taking place between both protocols.

Also read: U.S. Regulators and Blockchain Advocates to Discuss ICO Implications on October 12

Electron Cash Maintainer Jonald Fyookball Is a Strong Believer in the Bitcoin Cash Movement

Bitcoin.com (BC): You created the Electron Cash client. Can you tell our readers why you decided to create this wallet?

Jonald Fyookball (JF): I was in contact with a few of the Bitcoiners who were involved in the August 1st User-Activated Hard Fork (UAHF). I really believed in this movement but also recognized the importance of having a lite wallet. I’ve always been a fan of the Electrum wallet, and that is the user experience I wanted to have with Bitcoin Cash. I’m glad we were able to make that happen.

BC: How did you get involved with the cryptocurrency scene?

JF: A friend of mine told me about Bitcoin in 2013, and I was fascinated. It was a gradual process. At first, I just posted a lot on the bitcointalk forum. Later I moved over to r/btc, and I got more and more involved as the scaling debate intensified.

BC: So far, do you think the Bitcoin Cash network is doing well?

JF: It had an amazing launch, and I’m glad we’re still commanding an impressive market cap.  The ecosystem is growing, but there’s a lot of work to do. It’s still very early.

BC: Do you see any issues right now with the Bitcoin Cash protocol or down the road that needs to be addressed?  

JF: The biggest issue (and opportunity) overall is merchant adoption. I realize that’s not exactly a protocol issue but the Bitcoin protocol is relatively mature.

I’m excited about the Gigablock testnet initiative because the science of on-chain scaling is being researched and I’m sure those issues will be addressed.

BC: How do you feel about the situation between Core supporters and Segwit2x supporters?

JF: It’s a crazy situation. There are a few well-meaning people that still support Core, but is Core so stubborn that they would rather quit the project than accept a tiny block size increase?  

Some people say “It’s not about the 2MB, it’s about control”. In their eyes, they see power being taken away from Core, but the other side of the story is that Core is so desperate to hang onto their own power, that they will do just about anything.

Do they really NEED to have a congested network with high fees?  This should tell you something.

It’s sad some of the things the trolls are doing, like making veiled threats of violence, or threatening Patriot Act prosecution or suing exchanges. That is despicable. Anyone engaging in that kind of behavior is sick and should be ashamed of themselves.

BC: Do you think there will be a hard fork this November?

JF: Yes I think there will be a hard fork upgrade with the “2x”. I think this will create a boom for BTC, which will take the spotlight. Usually, in a bull market, all coins benefit. It’s possible BCC takes a hit if the market sees it as less relevant. On the other hand, there’s a good chance we’ll see some major hashpower moving to Bitcoin Cash after the fork happens and who knows what that will lead to. Medium to long-term I think Bitcoin Cash will do just fine. BC: What’s your opinion of Segregated Witness (Segwit) and the Core development team’s idea of scaling?

JF: Core wants to turn Bitcoin into a settlement layer, or 2-layer system instead of peer-to-peer money. I’m sorry if I offend anyone, but that’s a horrible plan that leads us in the opposite direction from the financial sovereignty Bitcoin was supposed to offer.

I wish I could say something nice. I guess as far as the actual development, the SegWit code seems well planned and tested… and Pieter Wuille is someone that a lot of people (even big blockers) respect as an engineer.

Aside from the fact that SegWit was falsely advertised as a scaling solution, the soft fork rollout means that digital signatures are discardable, which weakens Bitcoin’s security model. So yeah, I’m not a fan of Segwit. I’m glad that Bitcoin Cash preserves Bitcoin without it.

BC: How do you feel about the Bitcoin Cash developers from Bitcoin ABC, Classic, XT, Unlimited, and Nchain as well?  

JF: I think the fact that there are so many independent teams is wonderful. There are so many bright people working in this space, but I don’t want to give examples because I know I’ll leave someone out. I truly appreciate all of them.

BC: Where do you see Bitcoin Cash in say the next 2-5 years?

JF: That is hard to say. Crypto moves at warp speed. I could see Bitcoin Cash being accepted at thousands and thousands of new merchants all over the world.

What do you think about the Electron Cash client and Jonald Fyookball’s opinions? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Images via Shutterstock, Pixabay, Electron Cash, and Bitcoincash.org.

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