Having more than one PC is definitely an option. The thing to keep in mind here is that a computer or device cannot serve two masters. If it supports DRM at the operating system level then one should assume that any information that is entered into that device or computer will be shared with every government spy agency on the planet, any criminal that seeks this information, any corporation wishing to profile etc. It should not be used for anything even remotely sensitive from a privacy perspective such as browsing the web or sending an innocuous email, let alone Monero.

On the other hand a computer or device that makes its owner the master will not be trusted by any licensor of DRM infected content be it the MPAA, a game vendor, streaming service etc. It will protect the privacy and security of its owner very well. The only way to ensure that the owner is the master is to use a FLOSS operating system which for most people means GNU/Linux.

Edit1: When it comes to virtualization it is the host and not the guest that is in control so running a GNU/Linux guest on a Windows host is not a solution, since the DRM supporting host namely Windows is in control. One the other hand running a Windows guest on a GNU/Linux host can be an option in certain situations since the GNU/Linux host is in control.

Edit2: When it comes to Monero one must realize that security is only as strong as the weakest link. Ring signatures, I2P, Stealth Addresses, etc are not going to be of much help if the adversary knows one's private key and can track every transaction one makes via the DRM in the operating system.

The future of crypto-currency requires Monero on GNU/Linux not just Monero. If one is using Windows 8.1 RT the only choice will be to use a service such as Coinbase regardless of whether one is using Bitcoin, Monero or some other crypto-currency. The reality is that Microsoft has been gradually moving Windows towards the fully locked down Orwellian Telescreen Windows RT model for at least the last 15 years, much like slowly rising a temperature on a pot of cold water with a frog in it. My expectation is that the frog will be dead certainly within the next decade and very likely within the next 5 years.

Edit: Those that are still in the Microsoft pot would be wise to jump out while they are still able.

We could see 0.0017 - 0.0018 before a bounce back up but I would not count on it. Also those hoping for lower XMR prices would be wise to watch DASH especially on a daily chart.

Have you tried to purchase a mobile device that is not bootloader locked? Ever heard of the PRISM program? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM_%28surveillance_program%29 In the PRISM program the state uses corporate teeth to bite not the other way around.

Edit: Corporations are the teeth in the mouths of evil states.

Actually FIFO is easier that the Canadian adjusted cost base system. I use a spreadsheet on LibreOffice calc to calculate this. Yes one does have to keep track of all expenses, but that has the added advantage of promoting fiscal prudence among citizens. In most "developed" countries the rise in poverty and the fall of the middle class is driven by debt fuelled consumption as opposed to falling incomes. This is why we see citizens and governments with ever increasing debt and corporations with ever increasing cash reserves. If the tax system makes consumption inconvenient by forcing people to track expenses that is actually a good thing. I do agree with don't buy, it is actually the easiest path to wealth for many people. A good place to start is propriety operating system licenses and bootloader locked devices.

By the way don't buy also applies to governments who could save billions of dollars by saying no to the likes of Microsoft and using FLOSS instead.

The pen is mightier that the sword and corporations are using DRM to control the pen. That is why DRM is so evil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_pen_is_mightier_than_the_sword

Edit: The sword does have some uses. Here is an excellent example of using the sword to liberate the pen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuQZTAJ2KLk

The real threat is not governments. It is corporations such as Microsoft and Apple who use DRM to control their customers for their own profit. A perfect example of this fast growing problem is the following support request:


I have no problem figuring out capital gains on XBT or XMR and paying the appropriate tax to the Canadian government. I do have a big problem with DRM and bootloader locked devices. The real evil is corporations such as Microsoft and Apple that push DRM to meet the greed of organizations such as the MPAA. If they had their way I would not be able to use XBT or XMR, would not have any of the capital gains and would not have to pay said taxes.

Every time one pays for or supports any DRM infected content one is supporting an evil that is many times worse than the vast majority of governments on the planet.

Well it is not as bad as the Bytecoin pre-mine / ninja-mine at over 80%.

There is also the possibility that Satoshi could pass away and his or her estate would sell the coins in order to pay capital gains / and or inheritance taxes in some jurisdiction.

You can't. Windows 8.1 RT can best be described as a Portable Orwellian Telescreen. Only those applications authorized by Big Brother (Microsoft and the MPAA) are permitted and Bitcoin is not one of them. I would recommend a computer running GNU/Linux for anything related to Bitcoin.

At one point there was pirateat40 https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=50822.0; however that did not turn out very well for the investors.

Cleaning old transactions is not a requirement of Cryptonote. https://cryptonote.org/ The key advantages of Cryptonote in my opinion over Bitcoin are ring signatures to provide fungibility and privacy and adaptive limits. The latter deals with the 1 MB blocksize issue right from the start.

Ethereum https://www.ethereum.org It will be interesting to see what they deliver and on what schedule.

The software license can be found here https://github.com/monero-project/bitmonero/blob/master/README.md It is otherwise known as the "The BSD-3 Clause" license This license is compliant with both The Open Source Initiative (Open Source) requirements and the Free Software Foundation (Free Software) requirements.

Very low volume after a very significant drop is actually bullish not bearish.

Yes I agree. Ripple, Stellar, Bytecoin and Paycoin are orders of magnitude worse than DASH when it comers to the fairness of the initial distribution.

Why would the XBT or XMR be "illegal"? Furthermore there are many situations where 1) The transaction is perfectly legal, 2) Privacy is important and 3) the amount is well below any AML / KNC threshold. Here is a good example. http://www.salon.com/2014/04/28/one_womans_attempt_to_hide_her_pregnancy_from_big_data/.

One can easily defeat Chainalysis by selling XBT for XMR, even using a regulated exchange, sit on the XMR for a few days then trade a portion of the XMR for XBT using a service such as XMR.TO. In effect one can use XMR to "mix" XBT. The key is to use different XBT wallets for the original and "mixed" XBT.

Edit: I see a very significant chance that XMR will end up complementing rather than replacing XBT, especially since it is way simpler to set up a crypto-currency to crypto-currency exchange than a crypto-currency to fiat exchange.

My take is that borrowed stake is the Achilles Heel of any proof of stake system, since once has stake and no exposure. With masternodes the problem is compounded since there is a minimum capital threshold in order make a return and this creates a perverse incentive for borrowed stake. Let us say the masternode return is 25%. A "banker" can then offer say 15% on amounts below the masternode threshold commingle the funds and invest the borrowed funds at a 25% gross return in masternodes. The larger the "bank" becomes the higher the net return for the "bank" since the left over amount that is two small for an additional masternode becomes a smaller portion of the over all portfolio. The result is one or more very large "banks" with a huge "stake" with the corresponding decision making power, and little or no exposure. This is what caused the near collapse of the US banking system in 2008.

Edit:  I actually consider over the long term the threat of borrowed stake on masternodes to be much more serious than the fratricidal attacks Fluffypony pointed out.

There is a minimum cost associated with banking that makes it simply uneconomical for both the bank and the customer when the customer is poor. The only way to get rid of cash or crypto-currency is to get rid of poverty.