The Bitcoin Timeline for general use.

[deathcode]

We know bitcoin isn't ready for the masses yet.
So I figured I'd ask you what would help bitcoin to get closer to let's say, your grandpa or dad, the kid buying ice-cream in the street during summer, etc...

How can bitcoin compete with NFC in the future? NCF = linked to an account with USD... many people don't really use paper money anymore, I barely keep a couple of bucks in my wallet and I use debit cards allthe time until NFC takes over, and yes, I know bitcoins are beyond that in the way that there are no banks involved and minimal transaction fees, however, let's stick to convenience.

How can the BTC wallets be developed for mobile phones better??? (using bluetooth or even NFC? maybe like the Samsung GSIII commercial, to transfer BTC by touching phones, instead of a stupid playlist)...
I want the future NOW!!!
I want to be able to pay shit with BTC, pay a friend for a beer at the bar, give a tip to a waiter directly on his device, you get the idea.
What's being done towards it? how can we help?
Any advice?
I know it's a lot for one thread... but hey, sue me!

[evoorhees]

BTC will be used via NFC.

Walk by the cash register, swipe your phone, BTC is paid. Easy.

[bonker]

BTC will be used via NFC.

Walk by the cash register, swipe your phone, BTC is paid. Easy.

Yes, easy.... to say....
it hasn't happened yet.

Funny, but thinking about it, it can't be that hard to bang out an app to do an NFC Bitcoin transcation between mobile devices. I mean I'm too lazy to do it, but I don't think there's any real object in the way other than a bit of skill and time.

[notme]

BTC will be used via NFC.

Walk by the cash register, swipe your phone, BTC is paid. Easy.

Yes, easy.... to say....
it hasn't happened yet.

Funny, but thinking about it, it can't be that hard to bang out an app to do an NFC Bitcoin transcation between mobile devices. I mean I'm too lazy to do it, but I don't think there's any real object in the way other than a bit of skill and time.

QR codes are as easy and more secure.  But, NFC would be easy to hack together too if one had the motivation.

[Stephen Gornick]

Funny, but thinking about it, it can't be that hard to bang out an app to do an NFC Bitcoin transcation between mobile devices. I mean I'm too lazy to do it, but I don't think there's any real object in the way other than a bit of skill and time.

Or it might be easier to just download Bitcoin Wallet for Android from an NFC-enabled mobile and click "Send".

 - http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.schildbach.wallet

Also:
 - https://plus.google.com/107581642674912229828/posts/Tezo2xot7Wf

[fornit]

no, you are the one missing the point of the topic, which boils down to this:

I want [...] NOW!!!

[Come-from-Beyond]

BTC will be used via NFC.

Walk by the cash register, swipe your phone, BTC is paid. Easy.

...until u face double-spending.

[Elwar]

What would bring Bitcoin to your grandpa, dad or the kid with the ice cream would be a debit card that can instantly convert your Bitcoin account to the local currency.

And if that same card can be fueled by direct deposit of your grandpa's SS check which is then converted to Bitcoin until he needs to spend it.

[Come-from-Beyond]

BTC cannot overtake the dollar if it depends on it to be measured...

+1000

[fornit]

BTC cannot overtake the dollar if it depends on it to be measured...

+1000

just because a submarine cant outperform a boat on the surface doesnt mean you have to construct the submarine 5000 feet under water 

[FreeMoney]

BTC cannot overtake the dollar if it depends on it to be measured...

+1000

just because a submarine cant outperform a boat on the surface doesnt mean you have to construct the submarine 5000 feet under water 

Aww, I thought you were goign to say "Just because a submarine can be bought with dollars doesn't make it sink."

[BkkCoins]

BTC cannot overtake the dollar if it depends on it to be measured...

That makes no sense. One could say it over took the dollar when it passed $1 value. But none of this makes sense. It's only measured in dollars as convenience since that's what many people use. There is no dependency except as imagined by people with USD in hand.

You can measure BTC in Gold if you like, or whatever else pleases you. Measure it in Oscar Meyer weenies but sell them before they go bad (which may be never - not sure what they put in those things).

[Luno]

Do the general population trust cryptography? When I fist got  into Bitcoin, it was after a  period of googling, reading papers on Bitcoin and pondering on the safety of p2p protocols in general. Then at some point I judged it safe and rather brilliant i.e. "saw the light" as many here has described.

So what Bitcoin needs is a level of acceptance that circumvent the nerd wall. I'm not talking about easier payment systems and wallets, but a consensus that Bitcoin, p2p and double SHA256 is completely reliable and that you don't have to trust a few people with the integrity of the system. When this is common knowledge, people will see bitcoin as the only "safe n easy" alternative and they won't be bothered to dig deep into the formulas of Bitcoin to trust it.

This is a process that is hard to push without presenting yourself as a ponzi schemer but it will come naturally, maybe in six months or in a few years, but I'm quite sure of it.

When the sum of businesses accepting Bitcoin and enough high profiled people has endorsed it, then there will be a massive shift in the conceptual understanding of Bitcoin in the general population, Bitcoin will be taken dead seriously in media and everywhere.  That's the magical moment we are all waiting for here.

Bitcoin is the new Iphone.

[flipperfish]

Do the general population trust cryptography?

This is a really important point. I too often hear (non-nerdy/techie) people saying: "Ah, it's using cryptography. It won't take long until someone has hacked it. They do it in the movies all the time!"

[Gabi]

Bitcoin is the new Iphone.

So bitcoin is a old, obsolete, fail currency? It's not a good thing 

[01BTC10]

Most people don't even know what "cryptography" is.

One of my friend that read the french Bitcoin wiki was lost after the second paragraph when cryptography and P2P architecture is mentioned.

[Ignore@YourPeril]

people uses credit cards every day and they don't know that the whole credit card system is based on cryptography... so why do they need to know about cryptography to use or trust BTC?

A little bit, just the general process. People trust companies (Banks) and Governments with their money, and are as such one step removed from the cryptography.

The ongoing banking and credit crises is a golden opportunity to remove this step altogether.

Even so, the most reasonable way of making a transition is by bitcoin notes, issued by some locally trusted nerd with a solid knowledge of cryptography and especially data security. There are currently several active threads on the topic of making of notes, e.g. https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=99921.0

[Stephen Gornick]

I figured I'd ask you what would help bitcoin to get closer to let's say, your grandpa or dad

Does grandpa or dad play poker?   (And not that Zynga poker crap, real money poker!)
 http://SealsWithClubs.eu

Would the lady of the house frown on purchases made for some hobby?  Purchases made with bitcoin don't show up on the credit card bill:
 - http://shamblindistribution.com/bitcoin-specials.html

When the grandson is away at college or traveling and needs cash fast, is Dad or Grandpa going to figure out how to send a Western Union, or will the grandson set up a deposit through BitMe.com and send instructions to head to Chase and deposit $NNN.NN into acount NNNNNNN.

Then let's say the grandson only spent half the bitcoins received, and about six months later was able to repay the full amount of the loan (in dollars) based on the higher exchange rate.   Will Dad and Grandpa suddenly become very interested?