Until this is understood bitcoin will go nowhere. Brilliant assessment MarketNeutral. [applause][/b]
Yeah, nobody will ever use cell phones or the internet or computers until they know how they work and are dumbed down for them.
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It's a techy thing. We're still in beta, for the REFERENCE client. Hell, if you want an easier to use client, write one! All you need is a GUI around bitcoind.
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We are not arguing that we need to understand the intricacies or the technical components of how bitcoin (or cellphones, computers, or anything else) works, we simply need to be able to understand it well enough to use it with confidence. We need to have a laypersons understanding of how bitcoins are generated, traded, valued, and redeemed for fiat currency.
I will never be able to explain how my computer or cellphone works, but I am confident that if I have a problem, I can drive five minutes down the road and either replace it or get someone to fix it. If someone steals my credit card information, I'll never know how they did it, but I'm confident I can call American Express and get my money back. I will never understand everything about bitcoin, I just want to be confident that I can use it efficiently and securely.
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Right. As in the other thread, I'm going to apologize here. Something about today really got me upset, and I don't know why. I've been taking it out in semi-aggressive forum posts, which isn't right.
I agree completely that a more basic explanation is needed, I'm just cautious because it is incredibly hard to simplify bitcoin to the point where the average joe will be able to understand it.
-Garrett