If they fork the block chains, my understanding is that your old bitcoins will work alright in either network. People that stick to the old network won't accept any money from the new one, but nothing keeps them from spending their money in the new one. Thus the adopters of the new economy would be subsidizing the members of the old one.
[Edit] And now my own semi-rebuttal: sure enough, the people who move to the new economy can similarly spend their old credit in the old one. But considering that the original Bitcoin currency is deflationary in nature, they have less incentive to do so, at least immediately.
If they fork the block chains, my understanding is that your old bitcoins will work alright in either network. People that stick to the old network won't accept any money from the new one, but nothing keeps them from spending their money in the new one. Thus the adopters of the new economy would be subsidizing the members of the old one.
[Edit] And now my own semi-rebuttal: sure enough, the people who move to the new economy can similarly spend their old credit in the old one. But considering that the original Bitcoin currency is deflationary in nature, they have less incentive to do so, at least immediately.