[Obi_Juan_Kenobi]

Forking is absolutely central to cryptocurrency. In the end, these are just rule schemes for interacting and communicating about value. If no one chooses to participate in it, it has no value. If a sufficient majority would like the rules to change, then they can simply do so.

People focus on the algorithmic aspect of cryptocurrencies, but this is simply the weedy details that enable certain properties of interaction. Nothing terribly interesting has happened here since the initial idea of using proof of work to regulate authorship of a blockchain. It is the social aspect that has been interesting to follow. Alt coins, forks, and the enduring primacy of Bitcoin.