Should we increase coinbase unlock time to discourage profit switching pools? #44

IMO, large profit switching pools are as dangerous to decentralization as ASICs.

One of the main advantages of these type of pools have is that miners could mine shitcoins and dump them quickly when they are profitable and get settled in a more established coin like BTC or XMR. Pool operators and miners couldn't care less about the network health of the minor coin. At times, they make up over 50% of the network hash and rapidly drive up difficulty before switching to another shitcoin with lower difficulty.

If their main strategy is mine and dump as fast as possible, would increasing coinbase unlock time discourage them from mining WOW? We could lock mining rewards for 1 week, 2 weeks, or even a month. Would doing this help "loyal" miners on smaller pools?

+1 for 1 or 2 weeks.

cool idea, +1 increasing coinbase unlock time

For reference,

Grin considered 1 month holding period: https://github.com/mimblewimble/grin/pull/1457

Bitcoin has 100 block maturity: https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/1991/what-is-the-block-maturation-time

Zooko called for 6 block maturity in ZCash: https://github.com/zcash/zcash/issues/953

Monero and Wownero currently has 60 block maturity.

I kinda think if we're gonna go for it, might as well go for it with gusto and set it at one month, but I would be fine with no change all the way to one month or longer.