I no longer consider bitcoin as a decentralized currency...

[inBitweTrust]

Lets face it. The small guy has NO voice in Bitcoin. Just a cog in the machine.

This is a complete myth. A full node has just as much voting power as a miner with regards to the direction of the code.

If you have 30Gb of HD space and a broadband connection with bitcoin's port TCP 8333 open than you have a full node with Bitcoin QT.

Check here - http://www.alloscomp.com/bitcoin/portStatus.php and if its closed than adjust your firewall/and/or contact your ISP and ask them to open it.
 

[ranlo]

I'm not saying I have lost any faith but it is lost its touch since I was introduced in 09 if anything it has become monopolized.

What is killing the bitcoin are the multi-million dollar data-centers dedicated to mining, little to no acceptance as an alternative payment method, nearly impossible to keep up with difficulty increases, and limited peer to peer exchanges.

I have the same problems with BTC. That's why I am mainly out of PoW coins and almost fully in PoS coins.

Yeah, I've been moving more towards PoS as well. The idea that those who can create specialized hardware can kill decentralization goes against what Bitcoin was made for. And sadly, if ASIC companies stopped selling hardware today, there would be just a couple people in control of all the minting.

[gitinahang]

I always say bitcoin will always be around. But how can we ignore the mining decentralization thats a coming. POS or other non mining proof ofs have got it right haven't they?

[mawkdoe]

It kinda became centralized with the Gox.

[sclaggett]

The volatility is killing it - small deviations are fine but not the huge drops and rises we see every few months

Any currency fails with volatility.  If it was not a traded commodity perhaps the current path may be different.  Most people in the bitcoin community today are in it to see it rise in price not to buy something with it.

The one good thing to note is that it will always be here and can always revert to being more decentralized but fully decentralized as you describe it may not always be best for the community as a whole.

[Syke]

Yeah, I've been moving more towards PoS as well.

PoS is too flawed at this point. Someday someone may figure out a way to plug the holes, but for now, PoS is too easily exploited in several ways.