I've always tried to keep a BTC node up and running "for the cause", but it sure is slow these days compared to Dash.
This is a good comment (+your other one about 'ageism').
I'd caution people against making adverse comparisons against bitcoin from the point of view of a Dash holder.
There are some great things going on in this project but they can't be decoupled from the success of the cryptocurency concept in general. In particular, consider this:
One of the 3 'biggies' in terms of currency is "unit
of measure". i.e. a way to measure value. You don't need fast blockchains, privacy algos, ease of use or any other bells & whistle's to win that battle. You just need a ruler with your units on it.
Right now, the price of every crypto in the entire world is measured in bitcoin. That is the only non-national denomination available to exchanges that they're comfortable with and it's only proliferating. So regardless of marketcap, blockchain features, ease of use or anything else, bitcoin is going to survive and ostenstibly consolidate as the world's reserve crypto, even if another coin out-does it on marketcap.
This has implications for value because when 'profits' are taken, they will be taken in Bitcoin, not Dash since the 'value' of Dash will continue to be measured in bitcoin. (Unless we can convince all exchanges to re-price everything in Dash which seems unlikely).
There are precedents for this. The UK currency denomination is the pound sterling, but a pound of silver is worth far more than 1 pound sterling. Same with the "Dollar", same with the "Peseta", "Peso" etc.
Another thing: The crypto industry is going to start to be dependent on mutually complimetary assets. For example Tether (or Bitshare assets like BitUSD) will be needed by deflationary blockchains like Dash to trade in units of national currencies. Even XMR (a.k.a. Trollero) will be needed for certain encryption-prioritised purposes. Everything will be useful for everything else, contrary to the tribal narratives found in abundance on bitcointalk.
Other assets that we like to call "sh* coins" will be needed as hedges to larger assets. For example now that Dash has made the masternode concept popular and acceptable, cheaper ones are becoming available for investors that want to share in the experience of what Dash has gone through.
Bottom line: The assets that will survive this financial revolution will be the ones that
add value to their industry peers, not the ones that trounce them.
