Roughnecks, the mining group behind the only two blocks on Bitcoin’s new BIP-110 minority chain, has ceased mining under its name and urged others to stand down, as the breakaway network remains stalled just two blocks beyond its split from the Bitcoin main chain.
Roughnecks Ends Support for BIP-110 Minority Chain
The group announced it would stop mining on the BIP-110 rule set after being solely responsible for producing the minority chain’s first two blocks. With no additional blocks mined since, the forked network has effectively frozen, highlighting the lack of broader mining support needed to sustain an independent chain.
Fork Stalls Two Blocks Past the Split
The BIP-110 minority chain diverged from Bitcoin at the activation point for the new rules and advanced only two blocks before halting. In proof-of-work systems like Bitcoin, minority forks typically require a meaningful share of global hashrate to maintain regular block production and network security. Without that support, block intervals can stretch indefinitely, leaving the chain dormant.
Context: What a Minority Chain Means
Bitcoin Improvement Proposals (BIPs) define potential protocol changes. When a subset of miners adopts rules incompatible with the majority, a split can occur, creating a minority chain that follows the new rules while the main chain continues unaffected. The viability of such a fork depends on sustained miner participation and economic support from node operators, wallets, and exchanges. In the absence of these, minority chains often stall or are abandoned.
Outlook
With Roughnecks stepping back and no visible pickup in mining activity on the BIP-110 chain, the breakaway network remains in limbo. Unless additional hashrate and ecosystem backing emerge, the fork is unlikely to progress beyond its current state.