Link: https://www.bugle.news/jimmy-song-partners-with-michael-saylor-on-bitcoin-core-dev-coding-bootcamp/

Written by @rodpalmer

Jimmy Song announced a major new initiative to train and support new developers to maintain and ossify Bitcoin Core. The initiative is part of a new partnership with fellow Bitcoin thought leader Michael Saylor aimed at protecting and cultivating NGU.

Song announced details of the six-week coding bootcamp, which includes learning Python, a three-day crash course on the fundamentals of cryptography, the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) process, and much more. "Everything taught at this coding bootcamp will be taught with compliance in mind," Song told the crowd at Bit Block Boom. "We will also emphasize the importance of ossification in terms of mitigating risk for OG investors as well as its role in supporting NGU!" He added.

The announcement comes just days after a social media spat between venture capitalist Matt Odell and the protectorate in-chief of Bitcoin's NGU technology, Michael Saylor, over support for core devs. Odell, who accused Saylor of not supporting core devs, may end up eating crow after this new announcement, but execution and impact are yet to be demonstrated by the new partnership.

Critics on Nostr pointed out that Bitcoin is built using the C++ programming language, while students of the new bootcamp will learn Python. Song addressed these criticisms by explaining that C++ is too hard to learn, even for him. Instead, the new core devs will learn a much easier and faster language, Python, and work towards building a new Python-based Bitcoin Core client that will be more compliant and strict than Knots, a client built and maintained by Luke Dashjr.

Song and Saylor believe that after six weeks, the new core devs will be sufficiently trained and skilled to understand the game theory, security concerns, and trade-offs regarding ossification. "It's quite easy to train new devs when the mission is to not add any more code at all," Saylor is quoted as telling Jimmy Song. Song agrees. "Some people think six weeks isn't enough time to go from non-technical to technical expert on such an important project as Bitcoin. However, Python is so easy to use that becoming an expert coder will be no problem at all. Even if it is a problem, they won't actually be doing any coding. So, it's a moot point.