How is Bitcoin "decentralized" and without a central authority?

[newbitcoiner2]

i google Bitcoin and I get the official software release at bitcoin.org. There is a single development team for this thing. How is this like bittorrent again? It seems centrally managed to me and that the dev team could do whatever the want through their software i had high hopes but it looks like you guys don't understand what peer-to-peer is 

[BurtW]

Nice agressive confrontational very first post.  Good luck!

[DannyHamilton]

You understand that Bitcoin is a protocol, right? Just like bittorrent is a protocol?

You understand that there is more than one Bitcoin program, right? Just like there is more than one bittorrent program?

You understand that the source code for the "official" software is open source, and that you and anybody else is welcome to take a copy of that source code and modify it right?  That as long as your modified software adheres to the rules of the protocol, it will work with the bitcoin system?

With a bit more research and learning you might even begin to understand how/why the development team of the "official" software are not able to "do whatever they want through their software".

Perhaps it isn't so much that "we guys don't understand what peer-to-peer is", as much as it is that you haven't bothered to learn enough about bitcoin to understand in what ways it is and/or isn't decentralized.

Of course, I'm probably wasting my time attempting to educate a troll, but if you are truly interested, you might want to read more, ask more questions, and avoid jumping to conclusions before you understand what you are talking about.

[Atlas]

Nice agressive confrontational very first post.  Good luck!

No, he asks a great question that most of you don't like. It's a reality that's hard for some of you to deal with.

Authority and centralization go far beyond the actual product. There are social matters to be dealt with in any ecosystem that needs to be sustained.

[knight22]

Nice agressive confrontational very first post.  Good luck!

No, he asks a great question that most of you don't like. It's a reality that's hard for some of you to deal with.

Authority and centralization go far beyond the actual product. There are social matters to be dealt with in any ecosystem that needs to be sustained.

+1
bitcoin will always needs to be watched and criticized to continue to move forward and get more adoption.  

[Atlas]

You understand that the source code for the "official" software is open source, and that you and anybody else is welcome to take a copy of that source code and modify it right?  That as long as your modified software adheres to the rules of the protocol, it will work with the bitcoin system?

No, what you mean to say as long as your modified software adheres to the rules of the protocol set by the developers of Bitcoin-Qt/Bitcoind after they push a protocol change that is approved by Gavin Andresen, who has the final say. Ask him. He wants to be the Linus Torvalds of Bitcoin. He wants the approval process of Bitcoin changes to be just like Linux.

If the majority of the network accepts Bitcoin-Qt/Bitcoind protocol changes under Mr. Andresen's guidance, your modification will mean squat. It will fork and you will be left with your toy Bitcoin that nobody accepts.

[knight22]

No, what you mean to say as long as your modified software adheres to the rules of the protocol set by the developers of Bitcoin-Qt/Bitcoind after they push a protocol change that is approved by Gavin Andresen, who has the final say. Ask him. He wants to be the Linus Torvalds of Bitcoin. He wants the approval process of Bitcoin changes to be just like Linux.

If the majority of the network accepts Bitcoin-Qt/Bitcoind protocol changes under Mr. Andresen's guidance, your modification will mean squat. It will fork and you will be left with your toy Bitcoin that nobody accepts.

Yea but if nobody agree with his protocol change, no one will follow his fork anyway and instead will continue to use the old fork.

[Atlas]

No, what you mean to say as long as your modified software adheres to the rules of the protocol set by the developers of Bitcoin-Qt/Bitcoind after they push a protocol change that is approved by Gavin Andresen, who has the final say. Ask him. He wants to be the Linus Torvalds of Bitcoin. He wants the approval process of Bitcoin changes to be just like Linux.

If the majority of the network accepts Bitcoin-Qt/Bitcoind protocol changes under Mr. Andresen's guidance, your modification will mean squat. It will fork and you will be left with your toy Bitcoin that nobody accepts.

Yea but if nobody agree with his protocol change, no one will follow his fork anyway and instead will continue to use the old fork.

In theory. This is dependent on good communication throughout the whole community. If people don't know about the changes, they have nothing to go against. They will accept the upgrade out of apathy.

The chance of this occurring is increased when we have a central release. Competing releases resolve this in many ways.

[MooC Tals]

My question in this is

Who are we all protecting the Bitcoin from?

I think if we knew who we were protecting bitcoin from and understood the motives we can better protect this decentralized currency with out creating a centralized authority to do this.

I guess after a bit of time some people begin to forget why bitcoin was created and why so many people are still mining. Maybe its all about the money. Maybe we're just all greedy and can't see this work in the long run. I am not one of them as I have purchased a BFL pre-order of the SC single (yes I have read all the forum drama)


I feel like we are all being left alone to fight at each others throats and destroy this from the inside but if this idea keeps getting any bigger we are going to have to concern ourselves with the fact of being regulated by big bro and or being co-opted by big corporations with the concern for security. I'm already seeing shills lamenting about bitcoins not being safe enough for the people.

I think its great we have litecoins and many other currencies and I think we need even more types to keep things unable to be controlled by one group.I think we need more manufacturers. Two is great but more is better.

Honestly I'm just watching and soon will be mining as well.




BTW glad to be able to add my 2 cents

[BurtW]

Nice agressive confrontational very first post.  Good luck!

No, he asks a great question that most of you don't like. It's a reality that's hard for some of you to deal with.

Authority and centralization go far beyond the actual product. There are social matters to be dealt with in any ecosystem that needs to be sustained.

Still at one single post.  Do you have to create a new member to start each new thread now Atlas?

BTW What do you plan to do with the 2.91875012 BTC stored forever at 1111111111111111111114oLvT2 ?

Spend them in the afterlife I supose...

[FreeMoney]

Wait everyone else stopped developing, what? What's going on. OMG, the newbies know more than me.

[josephliton]

I thought bitcoin is easy to get but now my head is spinnig......................

[Gabi]

This thread=trolling 

0/10 trolling btw