What will happen with Bitcoin if it never scales?

[Abiky]

What do you think that might happen with Bitcoin if no scalable solution becomes accepted?

Will it remain as a store of value, while other altcoins take the lead for everyday transactions? Or will another cryptocurrency take its place as the top in marketcap?

I would like to know your thoughts about this, as the ongoing scaling debate will further limit Bitcoin from reaching new heights. As for me, I believe that the Bitcoin community would come up at a resolution somehow to put an end to this issue, and make the pioneer cryptocurrency great again. What do you think? 

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[amacar2]

What do you think that might happen with Bitcoin if no scalable solution becomes accepted?

Will it remain as a store of value, while other altcoins take the lead for everyday transactions? Or will another cryptocurrency take its place as the top in marketcap?

-> Probably bitcoin will no longer be used for micro transactions but it can remain as valuable assets. Actually most of the people are buying bitcoin as investment rather than to use in their daily life, so new money may keep on pouring causing pump on price in future too.

-> Other alts have already taken some piece from bitcoin's marketcap but money will keep flowing between bitcoin and alts. This may also continue in future too, but i don't think any other coin can replace bitcoin from top position in marketcap due to different facts and one of the reason is that all other alts doesn't have big community support and their supply is either very high or is not limited.

[cryp24x]

Bitcoin will be forgotten.  That will probably will happen if Bitcoin never scales.  No one will use an obsolete currency specially the kind of currency where bitcoin belongs depends on the technology and scalability. 

What do you think that might happen with Bitcoin if no scalable solution becomes accepted?

Will it remain as a store of value, while other altcoins take the lead for everyday transactions? Or will another cryptocurrency take its place as the top in marketcap?

-> Probably bitcoin will no longer be used for micro transactions but it can remain as valuable assets. Actually most of the people are buying bitcoin as investment rather than to use in their daily life, so new money may keep on pouring causing pump on price in future too.

Something that ceased to update/upgrade will never be valuable in technology, they will become obsolete and forgotten.

[quake313]

If you read Core's road map they want it to be able to scale both on chain and off when necessary. They just want it done slowly and safely as possible.

[mindrust]

If bitcoin gains so much value in time, it won't make any sense to use it for small transactions.

On the other hand, If we don't see a development about the problem, the price may not climb at all. It's a problematic situation in every way.

[HabBear]

You assume that the idea of crypto-currency has already scaled. It hasn't. And if Bitcoin is the lead (by far) crypto-currency, and it hasn't scaled as a currency, no crypto-currency is likely to scale to mass adoption.

The real barrier that I see is stability of price. It's hard for a merchant to have faith in accepting bitcoin if they don't have confidence that the revenue they earned today will have the same value as tomorrow. Certainly there's upside but we've seen plenty of bitcoin crashes too. So if merchants don't have faith in the stability of the currency they'll need a fast option to convert bitcoin received to fiat, and that kind of speed doesn't happen with Core (does it?)

Another question: Does bitcoin need to scale as a currency to remain valuable and important? What if bitcoin scales as a store of value investment?

[andreibi]

It will become obsolete. As for a store of value, it depends on enough people wanting to buy it.

Now, why would anyone buy it? That's the question.

[Shiroslullaby]

We are at the point where scaling needs to be solved in the next few years.
Bitcoin will stay king for now, but another coin with faster transaction times and better optimized blockchain could definitely take over.

Confirmation time and sending fees are probably the two biggest obstacles for a crypto coin that aims for mass adoption.
(Aside from security and privacy obviously.)

[jonald_fyookball]

What do you think that might happen with Bitcoin if no scalable solution becomes accepted?

Will it remain as a store of value, while other altcoins take the lead for everyday transactions? Or will another cryptocurrency take its place as the top in marketcap?

I would like to know your thoughts about this, as the ongoing scaling debate will further limit Bitcoin from reaching new heights. As for me, I believe that the Bitcoin community would come up at a resolution somehow to put an end to this issue, and make the pioneer cryptocurrency great again. What do you think?  

i think if bitcoin remains at 3tps while competitors grow beyond that in actual volume, the first thing you'll see will be a massive exodus to other cryptocurrencies, driven both by demand for actual usage of cryptocurrency as well as speculation.

Bitcoin will continue running but there will be a massive and unrelenting bear trend driven by these fundamentals.
Within a short time, it will become much less profitable to mine, and most miners will quit or move to other coins... difficulty level and network hashrate will drop heavily,
which will kill any delusions people may have had about it being 'gold 2.0' since it won't even be the most secure coin any longer.

Bitcoin will always be the first, so it has the brand, ...there will be a window of opportunity for it to make a comeback (not to #1 necessarily, but at least somewhat competitive) but the longer it goes without scaling, the more the brand will be tarnished until it will become a 'myspace', a has-been in the eyes of the crypto world.

[dinofelis]

What do you think that might happen with Bitcoin if no scalable solution becomes accepted?

Will it remain as a store of value, while other altcoins take the lead for everyday transactions? Or will another cryptocurrency take its place as the top in marketcap?

-> Probably bitcoin will no longer be used for micro transactions but it can remain as valuable assets. Actually most of the people are buying bitcoin as investment rather than to use in their daily life, so new money may keep on pouring causing pump on price in future too.

How much of this is true, and how much of it is "greater fool game" ?   By this, I mean: suppose that bitcoin has reached its "full scale", whatever that is.  Suppose that bitcoin's use is more or less stable for 10 years and that there is no real hope for greater adoption (because everyone has already adopted it, or because it found its niche, or whatever).  How many people do you think are willing to KEEP bitcoin as an investment, that is, as a secure store of value in the long term ?  And how many people were simply in bitcoin because they were hoping for "moon" and ended up not finding a greater fool to pay them 10 times the price they bought it for ?

For instance, suppose that one would know that in 2025, bitcoin's price is still in the $1000 - $1500.  How many people in bitcoin right now, would think that that is great as a store of value, that they can keep their value unharmed for 8 years (investment) ; how many would sell their coins immediately if they would know that bitcoin was still in the same ballpark 8 years from now ?

If the former, you are right, many people consider bitcoin as a long-term store of value.  If the latter, bitcoin's market cap is nothing else but a bobbal of hot air driven by a greater fool game that collapses from the moment that there's no more moon in sight.

(altcoins are even worse, BTW).

[iamnotback]

Re: Will Bitcoin’s High Transaction Fees Open the Door for Altcoin Adoption?

the only thing that's worth discussing is the symptoms that caused said fees to become 'unaffordable'.

i'd buy more stuff if fees went back to previous levels but there's no way i'd be storing any value in any alt. if there was a way i could seamlessly convert btc into whatever in a few seconds then i'd do it but that would mean leaving it with a third party.

That's okay. Billions of people don't have large balances any way. But they are important to the global economy.

And I'll be holding some of which ever token is appreciating the most.

[7788bitcoin]

If Satoshi's prediction is correct, there are only two possible outcome: (1) zero volume (death) of bitcoin and (2) large volume (mainstream), in 20 years' time (by 2028?). If bitcoin never scales and the volume can't go up, it will die.

[Dorky]

Bitcoin value comes solely from it being listed and traded in the exchanges (Mt. Gox previously).
Bitcoin value is nothing without an exchange (never mind even if it has infinite scalability).
And the values of securities (stocks, options, ETFs, commodities, etc) listed and traded in exchanges are based entirely on falsehood, where value tagged on any particular security is made up and illusory).

[HabBear]

It will become obsolete. As for a store of value, it depends on enough people wanting to buy it.

Now, why would anyone buy it? That's the question.

Because it retains its value. Because its value isn't impacted by country or geo-political risk. Because its supply is finite (once mined). Because its supply isn't influenced susceptible to nefarious manipulation. Because Casascius coins are shiny like gold!

If we ever agree that it has no value, it will have no value. Just like the Dollar...the only reason it has value is because we all agree that it does.

[daringdiscovered]

What do you think that might happen with Bitcoin if no scalable solution becomes accepted?

Will it remain as a store of value, while other altcoins take the lead for everyday transactions? Or will another cryptocurrency take its place as the top in marketcap?

I would like to know your thoughts about this, as the ongoing scaling debate will further limit Bitcoin from reaching new heights. As for me, I believe that the Bitcoin community would come up at a resolution somehow to put an end to this issue, and make the pioneer cryptocurrency great again. What do you think? 

I guess this BTU will overcome the superiority of bitcoin if bitcoin will no longer scalable. People will turn on using other Altcoins that is worth of their time, and is worth to invest their money, because there is no use to use something that don't have value anymore, it is just a waste of time, hoping for something that won't never happen.

But, I am sure that this come will not come in bitcoin, maybe it will, but it will take a longer time before this thing could happen. Bitcoin solidity is not that easy to penetrate by others Altcoin power, bitcoin is still the superior amongst them.

[Sadlife]

From what ive seen around here. I think bitcoin scaling problem is just one big scheme or in other words a power grab method on who takes control this digital currency.
But have they forgotten that the one who controls bitcoin is the users itself,  now the miners, community are really mess up bcoz of BU and Cores power grab methods and affecting us normal users.

[rajasumi3]

Maybe in the future bitcoin will remain as a stock and currency .
When used as a stock the price when goes up will be of high price , well trading is not for all people.
Currency is being used as a majority by all who are using bitcoins .maybe they earn it through signature campaign , sell it so that they get the fiat.

[Dorky]

But have they forgotten that the one who controls bitcoin is the users itself,  now the miners, community are really mess up bcoz of BU and Cores power grab methods and affecting us normal users.

Can you teach me how am I (a user) actually control Bitcoin?

Because as far as I know, the only "control" I have in Bitcoin is just to buy and sell it and nothing more.

[Kakmakr]

Scaling is not the push factor here, but rather who will be behind the wheel of this experiment. I would rather limp along with a congested network, than having a network that are not secure. < BU dev's have already shown that they cannot secure the code >

People will leave if they know their money is not secure. They did this with all the services and exchanges that were hacked.

The scaling can still be substituted on the 2cnd Tier < Off-chain services > if it is really a problem. The internet runs on TCP/IP, but everything happens on the Application levels. < This is the level with the highest impact for the users >

[Amph]

people will still use it as a speculative tool like gold, to store wealth, and someone will still use it as a currency with the merchants that are accepting it, will remain without any much doubt a niceh market

but if you think about it, if few people will begin to use it, the fee shoudl decrease over time, thus making it usable again