Security does seem a lot to come down to cost, maybe not so simple as
SIMSOC's
SIMFORCE that protects you until/unless a more costly SIMFORCE is used against you but maybe not so very far from that simple simulation.
It seems to me that in a way bitcoin in particular has the cost of its "SIMFORCE" as it were, and thus the cost of attacking it, as a very major reason for its success.
Even though it is also of course an evidence of its success and to a designed-in degree depends upon its success.
Success breeds success.
Both also seem to be the current leaders in what seem to be "winner takes all" games, but fortunately for both they do not seem to be competing directly in the same such game.
In particular bitcoin is in a game where the SIMFORCE is largely a commodity - energy - whereas Ethereum has shifted into a game where the SIMFORCE is largely sheer abstract buying-power.
Sure one can buy energy with buying-power but then the buying-power is spent, whereas simply leaving it in buying-power form suffices in Ethereum's game.
If ETH got big enough to outspend bitcoin the relation between spending-power and actual hashing-power ought to provide at least some incentive for ETH to leave its spending-power
as spending-power rather than blow it on hashpower to defend or attack bitcoin.
The two might even trend toward becoming the ideal trading-pair partners for one-another, bitcoin being valuable enough to build a buy-side for Ethereum big enough to buy each and every ETH minted at a decent price and Ethereum maybe someday at least able to maintain a buy-side for bitcoin able to top out at a reasonable price even if unable to buy each and every bitcoin at such a price in one fell swoop.
My current momentary suspicion is that if I am correct as to their somewhat different current games being winner-takes-all games the route to the number-three spot in crypto might be to engage in a different winner-takes-all game, whatever that game might turn out to be.
As my thoughts turn now to what different winner-takes-all forms of SIMFORCE (security) games might vie for third place, hopefully without stooping into the outright actual warfare / armed-forces / deadly force range of force, I invite suggestions as to what such forms might already have emerged, are emerging, or could be attempted...
-MarkM-
