Casey Rodarmor, the creator and lead coder behind Bitcoin Ordinals, has put forward proposals to revise the protocol's numbering system in an effort to streamline the project's codebase.
Ordinals, since its inception, has assigned unique inscription numbers to every non-fungible token (NFT) created within the protocol. These numbers function similarly to serial numbers and have become an integral part of the digital art minted using the protocol. However, Rodarmor believes that maintaining a stable number of inscriptions will result in "cluttered code and limited development." Consequently, the protocol's lead coder has suggested making inscription numbering "permanently unstable," indicating that the numbering system, which assigns unique numbers to inscriptions within the Bitcoin network, will be deprioritized.
Rodarmor has stated that this move will simplify the protocol's codebase and facilitate future protocol modifications. He clarified that while the inscription numbers will change, they will not be completely abandoned. The new inscription numbers will remain close to the old ones but may vary by up to 1%. While many in the community support this change, some have raised concerns, particularly regarding users who pay substantial fees to obtain specific numbers and how they will be impacted by this numbering reorganization. Nonetheless, one community member pointed out that those concerned with inscription numbers can still sort their collections by timestamp.
Bitcoin serial numbers are artifacts that allow for the engraving of satoshis, the smallest denomination of Bitcoin. The protocol was launched in January 2023 and has since minted thousands of inscriptions on the BTC network. As of August 21, NFT-like protocols accounted for 84.9 % of all activity on the Bitcoin network.
