Software can shape hardware development as much as the other way around. A great example is ASIC miners. Once we have a protocol set in stone, hardware companies can start making gear.
True, but until Bitcoin gains more significant influence over the world of computer hardware and networking, we are at the whims of the rapidly changing world that cares little for us
All the bottlenecks are all solved by the internet getting faster and bandwidth increasing. These things are happening anyways so ABC is optimizing for a problem that may never come.
Will be interesting to see if they capitulate. Nobody is screaming for the changes they insist on including, they're only complaining that people object to it. Reminds me of Segwit.