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From: Matt Whitlock <bip@mattwhitlock.name>
To: Tamas Blummer <tamas@bitsofproof.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 04:47:26 -0400
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Cc: bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net
Subject: Re: [Bitcoin-development] Presenting a BIP for Shamir's Secret
	Sharing of Bitcoin private keys
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On Tuesday, 22 April 2014, at 10:43 am, Tamas Blummer wrote:
> It is not about taste, but the fact that BIPs are used by many chains. 
> Alts are useful for at least for experiments, and I think that the notion of main and testnet is superseeded by a wide choice of chains.

There aren't enough distinct bytes to allow for every altcoin. I believe what they do is their own business and is outside the scope of a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal.

If your argument were valid, then we would also have to apply it to private keys. Why do we bother specifying a separate encoding for Bitcoin testnet private keys? There are so many altcoins, after all.