Why Bitcoin Addresses Need to Go

[LiteCoinGuy]

Why Bitcoin Addresses Need to Go

Right now, Bitcoin is simply too difficult for the average person to use.

Paving the way for mainstream adoption, it seems, requires that we simplify and obfuscate away the confusing parts.

http://blog.onename.io/



what do you think? i like the idea.

[gweedo]

Bitcoin addresses need to go, but the wallets should be taking a more active role in doing this, not services. Bitcoin addresses are not like DNS, but more like emails, being sent to other people. Wallets should have a protocol to do a handshake send the bitcoin address and then display to the user "Do you want to send Bitpay 0.5 BTC for a lambo?" Yes or no.

[MRKLYE]

If you can't use your eyes + copy and paste you probably shouldn't be using money in the first place.

[Ron~Popeil]

There will always be the people that need to be hand held the whole way with stuff like this. There will be a nice market niche for a business to make incredibly simple wallets that protect these people from themselves.

[Noruka]

There will always be the people that need to be hand held the whole way with stuff like this. There will be a nice market niche for a business to make incredibly simple wallets that protect these people from themselves.

agree, leave it alone. dont fix whats not broken. There is a nice service opportunity for the slower types to use a service that manages that for them.

[franky1]

bitcoin addresses are hard to type..

i have an invention.. brand new technology...

its called.......................................

QR Codes.. trust me no one has heard of them they are the future pay me a billion dollars and you can use it to.....

oh wait this isnt 1999.. ok, well then lets change my sales pitch

bitcoins doesnt need long addresses and people typing them, they already use QR codes. one click of your webcam/smartphone cam scanner and its done..

moving on

[deggen]

I couldn't agree more. The sooner we figure out how to standardize the username to bitcoin address decentralized DNS type service, the better.

My concern with the idea at the moment is that when I copy-paste the address or QR scan it, I can see that it's the same string after a quick glance. Since transactions are irreversible, I like that I can check it really is going where I want it to. Any DNS type service would have to be extremely secure for me to risk using it. If you get a DNS screw up you're on the wrong website or get an error code - no big deal - but if you get a bitcoinDNS screwup, you just sent your money to some random person or into a bottomless pit.

DNS is so easily hacked, but there must be a way to make this idea work. I reckon as soon as someone nails it, the price will do it's next to-the-moon spike.

- Darren

[yatsey87]

I'm sure there will be wallets that will come out where we can have shortened addresses for our longer addresses or maybe being able to send money directly to our wallets via something else linked to the account like a mobile number or something. As mentioned above QR codes also help, but I think there needs to be a simpler way of remembering your account.

[Bitcoinbikers]

Maybe find a way to link your bitcoin address to a thumbprint or use facial recognition, generate a private key from your facial features

[Beliathon]

Bitcoin addresses need to go, but the wallets should be taking a more active role in doing this, not services. Bitcoin addresses are not like DNS, but more like emails, being sent to other people. Wallets should have a protocol to do a handshake send the bitcoin address and then display to the user

Yes, exactly, you nailed it.

We need user-friendly GUIs, and I'm sure we'll get them sooner rather than later. As you stated, Bitcoin is like DNS (or DOS, if you will). The Bitcoin protocol is a foundation layer (like HTTP) upon which many other things can (and will) be built.

The more we build onto that layer, the more value we add to Bitcoin. Think about the implications of what I just said when considering the probable future value of your BTC, dear reader.

[intron]

Why Bitcoin Addresses Need to Go

Right now, Bitcoin is simply too difficult for the average person to use.

Paving the way for mainstream adoption, it seems, requires that we simplify and obfuscate away the confusing parts.

http://blog.onename.io/


what do you think? i like the idea.

How does it work? They generate a bitcoin address for you
and then what? Why would I send funds to that adr when
I'm not the only one controlling the private key?

Edit on self: overlooked the 'change address' button.

[BitCoinDream]

If you can't use your eyes + copy and paste you probably shouldn't be using money in the first place.

This approach is actually hindrance to the mainstream adoption. When a non-tech person is encashing his paper wallet, he'll more likely type his bitcoin address, rather than scanning the QR code and there may be mistake. System is supposed to take care of that.

[Lauda]

If you can't use your eyes + copy and paste you probably shouldn't be using money in the first place.

Exactly. Because copy + paste is so hard that we need to completely throw away addresses.
Please. Stop being lazy.
The blog is bad.

[yatsey87]

If you can't use your eyes + copy and paste you probably shouldn't be using money in the first place.

Exactly. Because copy + paste is so hard that we need to completely throw away addresses.
Please. Stop being lazy.
The blog is bad.

It's not neccesarily people being lazy, but there are other disadvantages to having these long gobbledygook addresses. If you're out an about and someone asks you for your address it's not like you could just tell them it off the top of your head, so that's why I think we need some alternative way to shorten or make the addresses more memorable.

[commandrix]

This is why I like to use QR codes as an easy way to get people started. That, and teaching people how to copy and paste addresses if they don't already know that CTRL + C tells the computer to copy a selection and CTRL + V tells the computer to paste it.

[Este Nuno]

For what use case is having this better than the standard methods?

On a computer copy paste is as easy as it can get pretty much.

On a mobile device QR codes work alright. It could be better with NFC if that ends up taking off at some point. But for now a QR scan is better than typing in some sort of address or alias.

[jbrnt]

I agree that bitcoin addresses are too long to remember or type, but I don't think they need to go. QRCode is doing a good job for mobile devices and we can use email or instant messaging for desktop. I actually have an email address which auto-replies my bitcoin address to anyone who sends an email there.

[mr smith]

Credit card numbers are to long to remember noone does or has to.
bitcoin addressess could be twice as long, makes nothing harder.
It's the tech / say you had a swipe card with chip & pin all you need is to remember 4 digits !

[wheatrich]

If you can't use your eyes + copy and paste you probably shouldn't be using money in the first place.

Exactly. Because copy + paste is so hard that we need to completely throw away addresses.
Please. Stop being lazy.
The blog is bad.

OP is correct though, people in general are incapable of copy + paste.  The address system is one of the current hinderances to widespread adoption.  It absolutely has to be changed before you'll see the public get all on board.  (if you had to type in a cc number every time in a store nobody would use that either)

Also you're not going to be copy and pasting buying something in a brick and mortar shop, if we want mainstream we have to get more toward doing that.

phones are nice but people lose and break them all the time so they aren't storing the $ there yet.

[zhinkk]

If you can't use your eyes + copy and paste you probably shouldn't be using money in the first place.

This. Plus if you think copying and pasting is too complex, use QR codes.