Presume I create a new key, then calculate a public address from that key.  So far, it is just on my computer and is not what I would call a real address.  If I then send some coins to that address, does that automatically create the address in the real bitcoin world?  Maybe I go to Gemini and enter that public address as the receiving address and move some coins.  Does that result in the new address being created?  Are there other methods worth mentioning?

I suspect, that new addresses are created, in the real BTC world, when some amount of coin is sent to the address.  Is there more to it than this?

I cannot find a simple step-by-step process to understand how to go from a BTC private address, in the form of a 256-bit binary number, to initiating an actual transaction.  A description or link to a good web page will be greatly appreciated.

Here is what I suspect happens.

1. Create 256-bit random number.  Yeah, a bit difficult to do properly.
2. translate to base 58 format.
   2.a. takes multiple steps, what are they?
3. Create seed phrases, how to do this?
4. There is more stuff needed to actually initiate a BTC transaction I don't understand, but keep this short and stop here.

This is probably already on this forum.  Do you have a search phrase that will discover it? Link to a specific thread?

Thank you for your time.

A few days ago I found an article that stated the number of bitcoin node has dropped from some high value, something like 40,000 nodes (but I did not take careful note), down to something like 10,000 nodes.  Then again, this site:  Bitcoin network node count sets new all-time high (cointelegraph.com), dated JUL 15, 2021,  states that for the first time the node count has exceeded 13,000.  Maybe that 40,000 count was something I misread.

Side thought, found this site:  Tor-enabled Bitcoin nodes are back after bug on network (cointelegraph.com) that mentioned as many as 25% of the Bitcoin nodes run on TOR.  
Why use TOR for a Bitcoin node?

Back to the main topic.

I have a basic, only very basic, concept of the need to run a node.  This includes the need to make the entire Bitcoin system resilient and prevent a 51% attack.  That attack would be rather difficult to do right now, but if the node count drops, might become a problem.

This site presents some advantages of running a full note:  Why should I run a bitcoin node? — 7 reasons - Unchained
https://unchained.com/blog/why-run-bitcoin-node/#:~:text=7%20reasons%20to%20run%20your%20own%20bitcoin%20node,...%207%207.%20Increase%20your%20bitcoin%20knowledge%20

Edit, when first posted, the link did not work out well.  Just edited to add that link and test it.

But there are no direct advantages.  No minor amount of Satoshis seem gained, meaning no financial gain.  The disadvantage is the cost of the computer and storage space, and the cost of electricity and cost to cool my house.

Still, I am considering it.  The tentative plan is to buy a five year old (about) computer, install about 8 or 16 Gig of memory, Maybe a Terra byte drive for the OS and the node code, then a raid of SSD Terra byte drives for the block chain.  (I presume the block chain changes little so SSDs will last quite a while and use less power.  Make it a RAID-5 (not positive) in the event that when one drive fails it can easily be replaced with no loss of data.)  This will not be my daily use computer and will be dedicated to the node.

To the question:  Have you considered running a Bitcoin node?  Why did you or why did you not start a node?  If you are running a node, private or working for a company, have you any important thoughts to share?

I have seen a few articles about the Gemini crypto exchange and legal problems in the U.S.  Do you think they are in real trouble?  Might that put my, our, coins in jeopardy? 

If I move to a different exchange, which one charges the least to sell coins and transfer the cash to a local bank for withdrawal?

If the U.S. goes into default on its debts, what do you expect the reaction will be in the BTC world?
What about other crypto currencies?
My naive view is that BTC and other currencies should gain value.

My limited knowledge leads me to believe that BTC is truly independent of the U.S. dollar, and of all the U.S. markets.  However, watching the value of BTC, and indeed pretty much all of the crypto currencies, it appears they are very strongly influenced by markets.

Indeed, I often think that cryptos should move in opposition to U.S. markets and fiat currencies.  If something makes the market weak, resulting in a drop in values, the cryptos should hold their own and even go up.  Obviously my thoughts don’t reflect the real world.

So,…, what do you think BTC, and cryptos in general, will do in the event of a U.S. government default? 

I have read moderately on POW and read about the huge amount of energy required to earn each BTC.  There are other ways to distribute new coins and I find it a bit concerning as to how few are suggested.  The time of 120 years to mine the remaining 2.4 million Bitcoins is a bit absurd. Here is just one possible method.

Let’s say 10 years for the remainder. At 144 blocks per day that is 6,307,200 blocks in 10 years.  Divide 2.4 million BTC by that many blocks to get about 0.38 BTC per block.

Create and maintain a list of all the bitcoin nodes that have been active for some period of time, maybe a year or some other time period.  Node owners must have a certain amount of time invested before becoming eligible for payments.   

As each block is completed, select one node, maybe at random, and the owner of the node gets 0.38 BTC.  Take that node off the list to received block rewards for some period of time to allow for sharing the wealth.

After the last BTC has been distributed, profits are derived from the work needed to certify each block.  Each of the, for example, first 32 nodes that are involved in the original certification of a block gets some percentage of the fees for that block.  Maybe provide a sliding scale based upon the time the node has been active.  Those on online for longer periods get a bit more.  When a node receives a transaction fee, maybe take it off the distribution list for some period of time, share the wealth.

This is just a suggestion and can certainly be refined for fairness.  Any thoughts?

As I read about Bitcoin and the keys used, a thought occurs to me.
When the value of an example key is shown, it usually takes one of three forms:
Hex looks like:  50863ad64a8  …
Base58 looks like:  1AQXmgRZTXr …
And on occasion binary looks like: 01010000100 …
But these are all representations so we can view them.  Computers deal with binary but we cannot display the binary directly, just the ASCII representation of the number.  When our wallets begin with a private key, do they translate to binary or do they start by hashing the hex or Base58 ASCII representation of the number?

I am trying to understand the various transformations to go from private key to public.  I understand that private key is 256 random bits, chosen very carefully.  Then we go to WIF, compressed and uncompressed.  Then to public key, then address.  But very unsure about the processes and results.

My searches find different explanations.  One site hashes it twice to get the WIF.  That seems like its no longer the private, but the public key or address.

What is a good web site that describes these transformations?  For someone who can write C/C++ code but is not a math major.

Thank you for your time.

[could]

This web page: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Private_key states that private keys can have values between 0x1 and

0xFFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFE BAAE DCE6 AF48 A03B BFD2 5E8C D036 4140.

That is a lot of numbers that cannot be used.  Small compared to the total count, but still many values.  But not the question I have.  Nothing in the article mentions enforcement of this restriction.

The site: https://komodoplatform.com/en/academy/bitcoin-private-key/
States that one may flip a coin 256 times to create a key.  So does the book “Mastering Bitcoin.”  That key could violate the noted restriction.

Suppose I pick a private key within the forbidden range and generate an address from that key.  I strongly suspect that an analysis of the generated address cannot be used to detect the invalid range.

Why does this limit exist?  How is it enforced?

I don’t mean the specifics of the code on this device.  More like the basics of how any/every offline wallet works.  I presume they are all fundamentally similar.  Kind along these lines:

1) I decide to send some coin and enter the command on my Windows 11 computer with the wallet connected.  Let’s say the transfer is from wallet_send to wallet_receive.  Yes, I do realize, or think I do, the transfer is between bitcoin addresses identified on wallet_send and wallet_receive.

2) wallet_send, really the Trezor app on my computer, builds a message containing some kind of public key / hash that can only come from me and my wallet and uniquely identifies the bitcoin address controlled by this wallet.  The message also contains the address to be transferred to.

3) The bitcoin network checks out the specifics and decides the transfer request is valid.  The network moves the bitcoins from send to receive.

4) Sometime later ( how much later? ) my computer / wallet_send gets a response verifying the transfer.

And then

5) How does wallet_receive learn that its bitcoin address has received the goods.  Must it be on-line at the time of the send?  I suspect not.  So how long after the send can it be put online and get the message. 

Or maybe, when I connect any wallet to my computer the Windows 11 app gets the addresses controlled by the wallet and queries the bitcoin network for the quantities held in those addresses.

Thank you for your time and patience.

Where can I find and download a wallet for Windows in C or C++.  I don’t know Java and Python and want to see how coders have implemented the private key to public key transformation.  Many places write about the elliptic curve but my math is way below the level needed to translate the math to code.

What is the best tool to use for tracking crypto transactions?
I found some spread sheets but none of them mentioned the use of multiple exchanges.
When searching for MS Access templates Google ignores the part about Access.  The plus prefix is ignored.  Seems to me that a database is better for this than a spread sheet.
Your thoughts please.