The Bitcoin Core vs. Knots debate is raging in 2025, centered on OP_RETURN limits. Core's v30 plans to expand them massively, sparking fears of spam, bloat, and legal risks like CSAM on the chain. Knots, maintained by Luke Dash Jr., keeps filters for a "clean" network and has surged to ~18% of nodes (from <1% last year), per recent reports from Bitfinex and CryptoRank. Posts on X show heated tribalism, with some calling Core devs out for ignoring consensus. It's like the block size wars 2.0—divisive but boosting client diversity. Knots might even flip Core as the go-to. Stay tuned; Bitcoin's censorship resistance is at stake. (248 chars)