Ocean, a bitcoin mining pool, has been backing BIP-110 by default. Simple Mining, a company running machines through Ocean, has rejected the proposal. The split is possible because Ocean's pool software lets individual miners set their own policy — and Simple Mining used that option to say no.
How the software lets miners choose
Simple Mining runs its rigs through Ocean, but the pool's software doesn't force a single stance on protocol changes. Instead, it gives each miner the ability to pick a preference. Simple Mining took that route and opted out of BIP-110, even though the pool it mines through supports the proposal by default.
That's the key detail: Ocean's default support isn't binding. The pool built in room for individual choice, and Simple Mining exercised it.
The decision shows that a pool's public position doesn't necessarily reflect what every machine attached to it is doing. Ocean can back BIP-110 all it wants, but Simple Mining's rejection means at least one operator on the pool is moving in the opposite direction.
It also highlights a design choice. Ocean's software treats miners as independent actors rather than a single bloc. That design is now on display in a real disagreement.
What's unresolved
No change to Ocean's default has been announced. The pool still backs BIP-110, and Simple Mining still rejects it. Whether other Ocean users follow Simple Mining's lead isn't known. For now, the pool's default and at least one user's choice are simply out of step.
