Blockstream Releases Test Code for Proposed Bitcoin Tech Upgrade Schnorr

Schnorr signatures, a code change likely to be one of the biggest {arriving|approaching} upgrades to bitcoin, have now gone from a theoretical idea to real code {thanks to|due to} technology {new venture|start-up|startup company} Blockstream.

Announced Monday, Blockstream has added a technology known as "MuSig" to its test cryptographic {collection|catalogue|selection}, {rendering it|so that it is} possible for {designers|programmers|builders} to tinker with the Schnorr signature scheme and potentially find bugs.

{The|The fact that|Which the} code is being {opened up|exposed} up to the {general public|open public|general population} to test is {a fantastic|a thrilling|an exilerating} step because, if Schnorr is one day added to bitcoin, the new digital signature scheme could add privacy and bitcoin scalability improvements down the line. As such, {designers|programmers|builders} have been eyeing the technology for quite some time.

Blockstream mathematician {Toby|Claire|Tim} Poelstra wrote in the announcement blog post:

"We've been turning MuSig from an academic paper into usable code, and this week we merged that code into secp256k1-zkp, a fork of secp256k1, the high-assurance cryptographic library {employed by} Bitcoin Core. "

{It can|Is actually|Really} been a theoretical update for years, with cryptographers making mathematical progress {this past year|a year ago|recently} necessary to ensure the scheme's security. This will be {the very first time|the 1st time|initially} the code opened up for {screening|tests|assessment}.

"To address these concerns, we started an {effort|motivation|project} to design a new signature scheme, and a significant practical engineering {work|hard work|efforts} to implement it in a robust and antifragile way, " Poelstra added.

Most bitcoin developers think it's a positive update and some have already started {considering|thinking of|contemplating} what new technologies can be built on top of it. For instance, developers have theorized how it could help anonymize lightning {deals|orders|ventures}, considered to be {a far more|an even more|a much more} feasible and speedy {strategy|procedure|way} to payments on bitcoin.

"As the bitcoin community is exploring the use of Schnorr signatures in bitcoin really is {limitless|unlimited|countless} that our code will eventually be merged into the upstream library secp256k1 {employed by} bitcoin core and many other projects, {inch|inches|very well} Poelstra added.

To that end, he invites {designers|programmers|builders} to play around with the code, {which is often|that can be} found on GitHub {also to|and} give feedback.