BUIP076: Support Base32 address format in BUCash
Proposer: Gal Buki (@torusJKL)
Submitted on: 2017-11-17
Status: passed
Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash share the same address format. This had the effect that users have sent BTC or BCH to an address that was used on the other chain such that if the other party does not recognize that chain the coins are "lost".
In addition users have sent BCH to SegWit addresses making them unspendable on the BCH chain even if the owner had the private key.
Implement a new address format that would make the addresses distinguishable from each other such that users do not send funds to addresses from wallets that use the BTC chain.
Use the Base32 cashaddr format as proposed on the bitcoin-ml mailing list.
BUCash should develop the following:
- allow to use the new address format when sending a payment
- allow to use the new address format when signing and verifying a message
- allow to configure in the GUI if addresses should be displayed in the new or old format
- provide a command line argument to convert the old format to the new and vice versa
At the time of writing the BUIP the specification has not yet been finalized. The Bitcoin Unlimited lead developer is encouraged to participate in the discussion and represent BU in this matter.
Should there be no consensus on the specification than it is up to the Bitcoin Unlimited lead developer's discretion to choose between the proposed cashaddr solutions.