So you lost a fortune by selling something that became even more valuable later. I see where your grudge is coming from...

TODAY i made a small transaction to an exchange to use fiat, as always, i used 1 sat/B. It took ONE HOUR to get confirmed.

How do you even DARE to say this is "extremely long time"? Do you think we are stupid or what? Give me a break. It was about 144 satoshis for a single hour, have you ever done bank wire transfers? Probably not, or else you are a liar.

Say what you want but Bitcoin is working as intended, and that is the reason it keeps growing in value, albeit slower and slower, exactly as designed, but still preserves its purchasing power after a decade. What you want in a coin is not "Satoshi's vision", it is YOUR vision. Go ahead, copy Bitcoin's code and execute it again, you then have your own blockchain Go make your altcoin, and hope you don't end up like BTG...

This is not true, the halvings have occurred exactly when they were expected to occur and this hasn't changed since the beginning. The high price also means nothing, since it just means that current bitcoin is fine as it is.

No, if you want "proof" go take a look at bitcoin's code and the few changes it has gotten over the years. The "bitcoin core" developers have been maintaining the code for node and wallet etc which is something you can see at the very top "News: Latest Bitcoin Core release: 0.19.0.1" etc.

I'm also earning my living thru the work online paid directly to my bitcoin wallet (no tokens and no online wallets, yuck). But i do not exchange it for fiat. The fiat in my country is the worst of the planet, when you live in hyperinflation (and access to foreign currencies is restricted) you do not want to keep any of that money (it loses a lot of value every day), but you still need it to purchase things to live.

So, only when the time comes to buy something, and for the approximate amount needed you exchange just that and leave the rest in the wallet as bitcoin savings. So its like a slower version of a payment processor, however the fees are much lower too. Oh the exchanged money in fiat is used electronically too, usually by debit card. Banknotes are very hard to come by, and when they do their purchasing power is minuscule anyway. So think of it like using bitcoin to fill your prepaid card in fiat. Except you get to choose who do you sell it to and for how much (not the payment processor).

The money that comes from, i don't know, people losing their gambling bets? is used to buy food and pay bills here.

Cashless criminal activity is not done like old fashioned physical theft, but for example by kidnapping. Here they call it express kidnapping. They aim to release you quickly. This was done here before hyperinflation, usually the victims were forced to empty their atm accounts. This is no longer possible because physical money lost its value and ATMs are 99% of the time empty anyway.

The criminals look at you, and check your lifestyle. Here simply owning a good enough car would make them tail you, see where you live etc. By knowing your daily routine they pick the best moment for the attack.

This is why it is so important to not look wealthy, even if you are. In the nice countries this might not be much of an issue, but it is in others. Very important when you travel. The cheapest looking Chinese smartphone is always better than an old iphone, it might even save your life.

So in short it simply changes their modus operandi. Some activities won't be feasible, but they will find new ways as long as the place is bad. Maybe its a little worse for crime, since it can leave more traces, but here are also smart crooks online etc.

The (bad) habits or activities themselves are not changed by the money itself. You can probably make an experiment leaving 1oz of gold or something of equivalent value (ie 1500 USD) and you will see all sort of people reacting the same. Maybe its a good idea for a hidden camera show...

Well i have seen it before, so that might be so. Even having the system secured and updated is not safe enough. Airgap might help your company server, but you are taking a giant risk. There are zero day exploits, there are "private" exploits now known by few discoverers but kept secret until needed. Usually those are not seen for widespread attacks, but can for targeted attacks. OP might have drawn someone's attention.

This is the fundamental problem of "security by obscurity". By hiding the code, is not like exploits don't exist, they do. And worst of it is they remain hidden for much longer than with open source.

It might be something simple like you say, but its always a good moment to call everyone's attention. Do not fool yourself thinking a well maintained Windows is ever good enough, it isn't. The thing didn't earn its bad fame for free. A better OS also needs maintaining, but its far easier to keep those secure than Windows ever will and this is a rock solid fact backed by decades of experience. Sure, you can make a living maintaining those (maybe thanks for being what it is), but that doesn't mean its any good. Internet is not run by Windows servers, they remain a minority for this very reason.

What an idiot. I guess we can guess who is paying him to make those lies. The nerve to say Bitcoin has no security, heh. I hope he moves all his fortune to the altcoin foundation or group that is probably paying him to make those lies, but knowing him, he probably doesn't even own any crypto anyway.

It seems you can pay him to make it say literally anything. It is a mystery why people keep paying attention to him.

What is with the silly name? This clearly sounds like an Augmented Reality app, not unlike Pokemon Go and the like running in a Google Glass like device (Smartglass?)

AR has been coming regardless, this is NOT your idea at all. Event he app that translate real life text when pointed with a smartphone is such an example.

The ugly side is that they could also inject ads into your real life experience. And of course all your location data are belong to them... Just like smartphones, we will have to wait for Free and Open Source OS alternatives that would work on the device.


Strangely enough, the Free and Open Source camera app called "Cheese" does the filters thing... Pretty sure some other smartphone camera apps can as well.

Its not due to popularity, its due to mis-design and conflicting interests within Microsoft. You would need to study their history to understand it. For every way you could "tweak windows", there is an infinite number of ways to tweak Linux. With the source code, anything is possible. Without it, you are always limited.

Yes Windows is miles behind in development, simple reason is that its just a company, with people, departments, planning and goals coming and going. A group develops one thing (like the kernel) another develops the UI, then 10 years later the people in charge of those is completely different and even those in charge are assigned to something different and or additional. Its not unlike a government, in a way. Of course i know you meant the opposite, but you are seriously wrong, you just don't know any better. Linux is community maintained, its literally comparing Bitcoin to the Hong Kong Dollar (a fiat from private banks).

You think the UI changes and later reversing changes was why? Classic UI, 9x UI, "Fisher Price" (XP) ui, blackish (7 ui), metro modern, later undone, later reintroduces in 10 with a twist? Microsoft literally alienated their own user base with each change. It took Microsoft until windows 10 to finally discover the concept of virtual desktops, introduced in the Amiga in the 80ies. Linux different UIs had them since the 90ies. Examples like that are all over the place, but i would write a book here if you get me started.

You Prefer Windows anytime? Since the very beginning? I doubt you ever used Windows 1.0, 2.0 or even 3.0. Incidentally i have a Microsoft Windows 3.0 box here, its blue and white. I used PCs before windows, and i clearly remember people preferring msdos apps and games. Windows was "interesting", but bloated and in the way, and buggy, so buggy. Often there was some killer app they would launch Windows for, but as soon as they were finished, they would close it. That is from the days Windows was just another "msdos" program to run and close afterwards like the rest.

Many Windows releases were seen as a step backwards, they added some "features" (often unwanted), new bugs, and much higher requirements. Sounds familiar? This hasn't changed since the 90ies. Of course you are biased since you probably didn't use computers before Windows and couldn't know better. You didn't know computers didn't suck, or that things crashing or getting infected or slow down into a crawl wasn't normal. Ever heard of the 3 Rs of Microsoft? Retry, Reboot, Reinstall...

Did you know IBM and Microsoft planned a great OS only to be ruined later by Microsoft while stabbing a knife in the back to their partner? Its descendant is what you use today and its nothing like the original, which was meant to be portable, robust and secure but Microsoft had a different agenda.

The current Windows is just a vehicle for the current Microsoft attempt at the data mining business. Shadowing Google, they wanted to get in the same business since their older model has clear signs of obsolescence. They did try smartphones and other "google things", but failed miserably. Microsoft was always about purchasing something from others and selling it as their own. but alas Gates and Ballmer are gone, not unlike Job and Woz from Apple (with similar results). Microsoft 10 is literally bait for people to give them their data, it was "given free to existing windows users" for a reason. Of course there is a plethora of third party software that does the very same, starting from Google Chrome. Microsoft just wanted IN, but acted too late as usual, and for example lost the smartphone segment which eclipsed their model entirely.

Running windows today after learning these things, is tantamount of masochism. Its like installing a sign in front of your house "Steal me please" (or similar "hurt me because i like it" phrase).

"The pay to get certified" thing exists in Linux as well, the likes of Red Hat will happily take your money so you can have some paper to flash employers with so that is irrelevant.

Of course i don't really just mean Linux, there are plenty of Free and Open Source projects that fit perfectly well, i just mention Linux to remain in topic with the OP, but OSes like the BSDs are perfectly valid alternatives. And you could say the same about Windows, all the proprietary junk out there, even Apple's, or Android (Both may use a free and open source kernel, but its surrounded by blobs. I wouldn't be surprised Microsoft joins them, as some rumors say).

Well 16 years is a good run. I wonder if you:

Tried running your specific job software under wine, or under a virtualbox using the smallest possible windows install?

If you limit the windows usage to just that software, it probably helps a bit down. Be very careful what you add to that windows, for example the recent article about Avast selling user browser's history etc.

Like any virtual machine, at the very least any possible damage could be contained to it (when there is no additional exploit to the VM). Ideally no windows would be best but you already know that.

If your job software does not need internet, that also helps. Configure things in a way that windows never connects outside.

Alternative is to use a separate physical computer for windows, and in that case it should also be restricted to the bare minimum.

About 1 BTC would do for me lol, but that is only because of the "magic" of hyperinflation. Should this garbage economy ever recovers (probably only after the government "somehow" collapses) i guess about 10 BTC would do, of course no luxuries, simply basic needs which is how the vast majority survives here anyway.

I'm guessing most people living in rich countries would need at least 100 BTC.

This is true for OP (back in 2013) but the thing is that now (in 2020) it is Phinnaeus Gage which is why i suggested another thread to avoid confusion.

You never know when you need to perform an exorcism... Or, wouldn't you rather call a professional?

---

If you are into economy, read Mises and the Austrian economists. Lots of free books to read and download online here: https://mises.org/books-library/

From Mises Human Action is recommended.

Another one: The Causes of the Economic Crisis, and Other Essays Before and After the Great Depression

The slower it climbs, the better. This probably means more fluctuations, its a free market after all. But in the long run (zoom out) as long as the trend keeps, it will be fine. This might be the one, usually after Chinese new year a bit of an uptrend comes.

And this doesn't matter for Bitcoin. Let them be. Blockchain conferences? Who cares, its their problem. How could this possibly be undermining Bitcoin? You think people are stupid enough to drop their bitcoins and run to a corporate/bank/gov blockchain, simply because it uses "blockchain"? Hey, world's worst most centralized crypto uses blockchain, so what? The market isn't stupid to fall for it.

They could even open source their projects, its the data itself that matters. In fact they would be wise to do so, so the community could catch bugs, but then again why would the community help them, whats in for others? Some of the altcoins are doing this already don't they? Isn't Ripple offered to banks? Just look at how centralized it is, pure garbage. But i guess they don't care as long as the wire transfer completes. Unless one day something nasty happens and they lose money, who knows... Its a private club.

Of course centralized altcoins are garbage, and can be made to submit to whatever goverments wish. Bitcoin is immune to that, it doesn't need no one's approval, it simply is, and exists.

Libra seems like it will never exist unless Zuckerberg moves it out of the country and hopefully the receiving country doesn't kill it. His business model probably depends on America so unless he can make the politicians bend, its probably worthless to him too.

Libra and Bitcoin are on opposite poles, Libra represents everything that is done wrong and by itself its showing the world why. I cannot even be born.

You see Bitcoin doesn't care if the politicians approve it, therefore is more valuable.

There is no war, the market has already spoken. PoW is fine and Bitcoin remains the leader. PoS is not the answer and it has been tried for years still failing to get attention (it won't).

PoW is quite efficient, so efficient that its self regulating itself thanks to the market. It also ensures attacks are too costly to even try.

I don't think so, no. Bitcoin wouldn't change much with or without the altcoins. The people who currently own altcoins wouldn't necessarily have that in Bitcoin regardless, they could go stocks or whatever. Less altcoins benefiting altcoins? Maybe, but not by much.

In any case its a moot point. Its like those that would want to see a single Linux distribution, or a single desktop environment, or a single web browser: Its never happening. The nature of Free and Open Source software promotes diversity by its very nature, altcoins will continue to exist even if they never achieve success and most will die anyway because there is simply too many of them and many have changed things for the worst (centralization, etc).

Scammers existed before Bitcoin, with bitcoin and with altcoins. Some people lost money in altcoins while not being a scam at all, they simply trusted something that the market deemed worthless.

Bitcoin would not be far better off without the altcoins, it would be, about the same. If there were no altcoins it means it wasn't free and open source and that would lead to a far much worse situation, that thankfully never happened. Closed proprietary software, or security by obscurity is absolute garbage (cryptographers had known that for decades).

Altcoins might wish there were less of them, but that isn't happening either. Nothing stops you from making your own coin, even if its literally just Bitcoin with another name (your own blockchain). That's the beauty of it. Now convincing the market that yours is worth anything, that's a whole other matter... It is like, trying to sell a product in a place with overabundance of said product.

Let me guess, Windows? Did you never read that using insecure OSes for money handling leads to this?

The private key is not exposed, but they could: Keylog so they get the password from your wallet when you opened it, and (probably earlier) already copied your wallet out since they compromised your PC.

Yes in theory you can double spend but that has to be done too quickly, before the next block is found probably (unless they used a very low fee). To double spend you could recreate your wallet in a secure pc using your seed words and quickly send all your funds elsewhere. Of course by the time you read this is too late, this kind of thing can only be done in advance, but if you have been paying attention something like this would have never occurred in the first place.

Sorry but Bitcoin has no hand holding. When you are your own Bank, if comes with responsibilities. If you cannot trust protecting yourself, you probably need to keep paying others to protect you instead.

In an ideal world, you would have known better. That the computer to do the serious stuff, cannot be the same one you do your leisure things.

A 3rd alternative is trusting the hardware wallet manufacturers, if you cannot be bothered to use a Free and Open Source secure OS like everyone should. Hey, even if you DO use a secure OS, extra precautions are needed when handling valuables by yourself, but when you use the most insecure OS on earth, don't expect miracles.

Another possible vector would be that you had that computer compromised at wallet creation, in that case they got the seed words. This is why there is a guide out there that teaches people how to use (Linux+Tor) Tails) to create a wallet using Electrum securely.

If you search the forum you will find people had lost millions doing the same exact mistake, you are not alone.

Think of a valet parking that copies the key of your car then follows you home and steal it. Its not the car company fault that you gave the key (if temporary) to a stranger. A wallet is that, keys. Don't let it get copied by strangers... And yes, you could have chosen to go to a more secure location where you never handle your key or risk it in any other way.

And where will you get all that asic gear? Magic? You could also argue the same thing by saying they could band together to buy "all bitcoin", and the exact same thing occurs: Price will go up faster than all the money they could pool, EVEN if govs joined and started printing to foolishly attempt this.

Every 10 minutes a new block is found. You can broadcast when there is only 1 minute left or 9. Fast transactions should not be the aim for someone using Bitcoin, you should stick to transactions that can wait, such as something you would buy online and can wait one day or so for confirmation. The "instant" thing is a specific situation than most people can simply avoid, or perhaps use LN but this is something extraordinary, very uncommon. ETH is a very poor example, its blockchain is also clogged with all the non ETH traffic (gazillion tokens and random contracts) and worst thing is they can undo transactions on a whim, as they already did. No one has the power to do that to Bitcoin, not even Satoshi. ETH re-created the worst characteristic of fiat money.

Anything that is not instant payment, such as wire transfer, can be done with Bitcoin perfectly fine and cheaply. There is only one tx fee you should ever use: 1 sat/B. Its true you can pay more to have more priority, but this should only be done in rare circumstances. It is wrong when wallets try to guess the network and change tx fees on their own, it projects the wrong image of Bitcoin. It is NOT Bitcoin's fault that most wallets do the wrong thing, just don't let the wallet decide for you when you want to speed things up which should only be done rarely, and perhaps never once LN becomes a thing.

Bitcoin is in the hands of too many people for it to be attacked successfully. Some of the smaller altcoins do have this problem. Neither the banks nor the govs even banding together can destroy Bitcoin. People know this and that is why it has its current value after 11 years of its creation. It is safe money you can use or keep without any artificial restrictions imposed by law or politics.

You say "at any time", but are you aware that what you see is as old as that number you mention the distance is? It is 6600 years late...

More importantly is how long would it last, as that would mean nice lightning at night, perhaps people could turn off the lights or something. Fauna might be troubled, but nothing can be done. I doubt I'll be a second sun, more like an additional larger moon.

Did you know how long that SN 1006 lasted? 3 months. Make those months count!

Then again it might be a while since we finally get to see this ancient history that is the sky.

Remember, even the Sun light is 8 minutes old (and they say it takes thousands of years to reach the surface). Light Years mean exactly that, time for light it takes to reach in Earth years.