I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that you are limited in cashing out deposits, or that investing/spending bitcoins has literally a 50/50 chance of someone taking your coins and running.
Unfounded statistics, Fraud/Trust argument (happens in any currency)
Nearly every bitcoin business venture has turned out to be a total out-and-out scam and you have had two ponzi schemes that were brazenly labeled as such.
"Nearly every" is hyperbole. Use provable stats next time. A properly labeled scam isn't really a scam (you've been warned).
Exchanges shut down regularly and often without any warning or explanation. They are also hacked multiple times.
Has nothing to do with Bitcoin and everything to do with infrastructure. Problems are actively being solved.
Mybitcoin shut down and offered you guys 49% of your coins back and you treated it as a victory.
Fraud, misplaced trust, can (and does) happen with any currency.
Your list of bitcoin accepting vendors is 90% broken links and 10% stuff that could be bought cheaper with USD.
What is the # of broken links on the internet? Probably a lot. Other issue is ubiquitous adoption. This will eventually be solved as more people learn and trust the underlaying principles of Bitcoin to transfer a unit of value to another person. (This is the primary function of a currency):
Anything you can buy with bitcoins still ends up converted into fiat money. Bitcoin serves as a pointless middleman, not a currency in and of itself.
Your own bitcoin conventions don't accept payments in bitcoin. Big confidence builder there.
Problem is ubiquitous adoption
Rampant scamming.
Bitcoin is a new technology and people have to learn how to protect against fraud it the same way they had to learn how to deal with scammers shaving off the sides of gold coins or plating worthless metal in gold:
Bitcoins can be and often are permanently lost.
Not if cared for properly. Cash can be and often is permanently destroyed by both acts of god and neglegence so we should stop using it?: Bitcoins is the first currency that can be encrypted and backed up. I'll take that over cash any day.
Using an exchange, bitcoins are not anonymous, they are linked to your bank account and can easily be traced back to it.
True statement. But this is only necessary until bitcoin acceptance is ubiquitous
The Gathering trading card website. Magic: The Gathering Online Exchange. This is entirely ignored.
Who the F cares. Besides, it's a little "insider" geek humor
Bitcoin adherents generally won't accept any criticism, no matter how valid. It's like watching a cat trying to bury his shit in a bathtub, funny, yet sad. Any differing opinion is regarded as trolling. This is so bad, even after solid legal evidence of Bruce's scamming, he was still widely defended here.
It's accepted as long as it's constructive and pertinent. Real problems are discussed and solutions developed
I will say, though, that as a piece of software, Bitcoin is pretty solid.
This is what will eventually make Bitcoin ubiquitous and fulfill its primary role as a world currency - People's trust in it's ability to transfer a value of wealth in exchange for goods or services.
Using TOR to separate your identities is not enough. You have to ensure that each of your (virtual) machines have a
different (or at least generic) software configuration as well. Advertisers (like facebook and Google) are storing an increasing amount of data. I would caution you not to underestimate potential advances in data de-annonymization in the comming years.
Totally agree with you. Anonymity on the web is certainly not easy. Sure your browser (and other applications) will leak identity information, but not so much with the Bitcoin client as long as your isolating transactions to specific identities. Strictly concerning Bitcoin, it is pretty easy for it to be completely anonymous if you follow the rules to prevent cross contamination.
