gah, guys!
this is not only about if and how could i get hands on bitcoin now but also generally about how will it ever be successful in iran and cuba where there would definitely be a need for bitcoin.
and no, the bitcoin download is not blocked by the iranians but by sourceforge and google code. they point me to these documents:
http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/sitelegal/wiki/Terms_of_Use#ProhibitedPersons... oh, actually the desktop client is on github which is accessible but due to limited bandwidth there is little point in getting it up and running for me now anyway ...
and no, it has nothing to do with sha256 as all of sourceforge and google code is blocked here. sorry but that is a reason for me to use other hosters. too general embargoes are always evil.
The best and smartest thing for everyone to do is to make noise about thei monstruous crime of "trade sanctions" and influencing the US and EU policy. Millions of innocent people are hurt, some literally killed, by sanctions. No medications, no parts for trucks, elevators, airplanes, no medical equipment, no scientific journals. On top of that, societies are pushed into criminal spiral because all the goods have to smugled in. Speaking about tens of thousands of children who died in Iraq as a direct consequence of US trade sanctions, Madeleine Albright stated, as a US official: "we think the price was worth it".
So, the best we can do is to stop this nonsense. In the meantime, software and blockchain can be brought in on your laptops, and copies can be distributed p2p on DVDs at news stands, video-clubs, and such.