Bitcoin's Hurdles

[broker11]

Hi,
  I read an article that pointed out several current shortcomings for Bitcoin that need to be overcome:

    Why can’t I combine two wallets easily?
    …or partition the one I have?
    Why can’t I subscribe to a service, which may change its pricing enroute (think electricity bill), with just one confirmation action?
    …or create a service that others can subscribe to?
    …and bill them for one-click confirmations?
    Why can’t I add more bitcoins with a single button in the client and a credit card number?
    Why can’t I create a shared wallet for a workgroup with individual spending limits?
    Why can’t I write server-side code for my WordPress blog that accepts bitcoin?
    Why can’t I pay with my phone without risking loss of my money through theft or loss of my phone?
    Why can’t I easily integrate bitcoin acceptance into my commerce website?
    Why can’t I write server-side code in my organization management program that accepts and sends bitcoin?

http://falkvinge.net/2011/06/04/bitcoins-four-hurdles-part-one-usability/

I am not sure if the author is accurate but I thought it would interest the community to see his perspective.

[1714909207]

1714909207

[1714909207]

1714909207

[1714909207]

1714909207

[Vladimir]

Why do you think any of this has anything to do with Bitcoin?

[gigitrix]

Bitcoin, the protocol is fine I guess. It's the toolset, the supporting architecture, that needs to be improved. And improve it will, as the currency appeals to Silicon Valley early adopters as well as the open sourcey types. To the author of that piece I say "give it time": the explosion of popularity is too fast for us to cope!

[ryepdx]

Why can’t I add more bitcoins with a single button in the client and a credit card number?

Chargebacks. Whoever allows credit card purchases of bitcoins will have to tack on a percentage fee to make up for them. And it'd be no good to favor a single service like that anyway. The official client should, I think, be company neutral. It's a community effort and I, for one, would not be happy if the developers started cutting deals with private interests.

[Dude65535]

The author of that article does not suggest that the core bitcoin devs should work on these issues directly but should rather focus on making it easier for others to add these things on top of the bitcoin protocol.

[Quantumplation]

Hi,
  I read an article that pointed out several current shortcomings for Bitcoin that need to be overcome:

    Why can’t I combine two wallets easily?

    Send bitcoins from Wallet A to Wallet B.  Problem solved.

    …or partition the one I have?

   Create new wallet.  Send bitcoins from Wallet A to Wallet B.  Problem solved.

    Why can’t I subscribe to a service, which may change its pricing enroute (think electricity bill), with just one confirmation action?

    Because it's not implemented in the client, as the client hasn't even hit version 1.0 yet.  It's the network, not the client, that is the clever part.

    …or create a service that others can subscribe to?

    You can.

    …and bill them for one-click confirmations?

    Because each person owns and is in charge of his own money.  It's not pull-based, it's push-based.  It's one of the strongest consumerist protections around.

    Why can’t I add more bitcoins with a single button in the client and a credit card number?

    Because there's no central authority to do this.  Because noone has an expensive contract with a credit card company.  Because this isn't what bitcoins is about.

    Why can’t I create a shared wallet for a workgroup with individual spending limits?

    You can.  Share the wallet.

    Why can’t I write server-side code for my WordPress blog that accepts bitcoin?

    You can.

    Why can’t I pay with my phone without risking loss of my money through theft or loss of my phone?

    You can.

    Why can’t I easily integrate bitcoin acceptance into my commerce website?

    You can.

    Why can’t I write server-side code in my organization management program that accepts and sends bitcoin?

    You can.

[broker11]

Quantumplation - Thanks for the detailed reply.  It appears the author and perhaps others in the media are not that well informed.  He has three more articles coming out this week on Bitcoin transactions, escrow and exchanges.  We can see if he does a little better on the next articles.

[Quantumplation]

Quantumplation - Thanks for the detailed reply.  It appears the author and perhaps others in the media are not that well informed.  He has three more articles coming out this week on Bitcoin transactions, escrow and exchanges.  We can see if he does a little better on the next articles.

=) No problem.  I'm always trying to help new people out... Sometimes I come off as snarky or confrontational, but that's not my intent, on top of which I have very low tolerance for belligerence and what I call "The throughput" (see: him), an archetype for new people that tends to be really stubborn, poorly spoken, and has very little grasp for the concepts of bitcoin.  Other than that, we'll get along great.

[Astro]

Isn't that the guy who just dumped his entire savings into bitcoin?  If so, it seems he has a lot at stake in this and isn't just another talking head.

[Isosceles]

I'd pay good BTC for a client with these features. Someone should set up a company to do this stuff.

The Bitcoin Economy Needs YOU!