Who decides the total number of coins?

[bander]

So as everyone keeps coming up with these new coins and new algorithms, how do they decide how many total coins to offer? I know LTC is exactly 4X as many BTC. Can anyone shed any light on this, or is it completely random and up to each individual coin maker? What are the possible positive and negative impacts on a somewhat random, finiate amount of coins?

[wachtwoord]

So as everyone keeps coming up with these new coins and new algorithms, how do they decide how many total coins to offer? I know LTC is exactly 4X as many BTC. Can anyone shed any light on this, or is it completely random and up to each individual coin maker? What are the possible positive and negative impacts on a somewhat random, finiate amount of coins?

It's completely arbitrary. Choose whatever you like as long as there is a clear and static cap.

[Ayers]

So as everyone keeps coming up with these new coins and new algorithms, how do they decide how many total coins to offer? I know LTC is exactly 4X as many BTC. Can anyone shed any light on this, or is it completely random and up to each individual coin maker? What are the possible positive and negative impacts on a somewhat random, finiate amount of coins?

It's completely arbitrary. Choose whatever you like as long as there is a clear and static cap.

was arbitratry for bitcoin also? i remember 21M come up from a math equation or some other calculation

[odolvlobo]

was arbitratry for bitcoin also? i remember 21M come up from a math equation or some other calculation

50 BTC every 10 minutes, halved every 4 years --> 21 million BTC total

Other coins use different numbers and different distribution plans. Many coins are not capped.

[NapoleonBonaparte]

Satoshi probably are the one that made the decision for bitcoin.

As for other coins, it is completely arbitrary decision from developers. And some do hide their stash of "pre-mine" coin to scam the public.

[polynesia]

So as everyone keeps coming up with these new coins and new algorithms, how do they decide how many total coins to offer? I know LTC is exactly 4X as many BTC. Can anyone shed any light on this, or is it completely random and up to each individual coin maker? What are the possible positive and negative impacts on a somewhat random, finiate amount of coins?

It's completely arbitrary. Choose whatever you like as long as there is a clear and static cap.

You can even have coins without a cap - think dogecoin.

[botany]

So as everyone keeps coming up with these new coins and new algorithms, how do they decide how many total coins to offer? I know LTC is exactly 4X as many BTC. Can anyone shed any light on this, or is it completely random and up to each individual coin maker? What are the possible positive and negative impacts on a somewhat random, finiate amount of coins?

The number of coins and how each coin can be subdivided plays a role.
As long as the base unit is small enough, it doesn't matter.

[PolarPoint]

Surely the devs of a coin decide on the total number of coins. I think the total number of coins is not important. The deciding factor is the ratio between capped total coins and block reward.

[Ayers]

was arbitratry for bitcoin also? i remember 21M come up from a math equation or some other calculation

50 BTC every 10 minutes, halved every 4 years --> 21 million BTC total

Other coins use different numbers and different distribution plans. Many coins are not capped.

so satoshi started from the block reward, to build bitcoin

[polynesia]

was arbitratry for bitcoin also? i remember 21M come up from a math equation or some other calculation

50 BTC every 10 minutes, halved every 4 years --> 21 million BTC total

Other coins use different numbers and different distribution plans. Many coins are not capped.

so satoshi started from the block reward, to build bitcoin

Not really. You can also start from the total number and then work backwards. 

[InwardContour]

Every coin dev can decide the total number of coins, and the could vary from 1 to billions as we have seen with the many altcoins created in the last years.

[TrailingComet]

It is algorithmically constrained to be so
Cannot be amended unless the entire network agrees, which is not going to happen

[polynesia]

It is algorithmically constrained to be so
Cannot be amended unless the entire network agrees, which is not going to happen

The entire network?
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Economic_majority

[Ayers]

was arbitratry for bitcoin also? i remember 21M come up from a math equation or some other calculation

50 BTC every 10 minutes, halved every 4 years --> 21 million BTC total

Other coins use different numbers and different distribution plans. Many coins are not capped.

so satoshi started from the block reward, to build bitcoin

Not really. You can also start from the total number and then work backwards. 

then my point stand, why he choose 21M? you know you could change 10 to 12, 50 to 60 ecc...

[Brewins]

was arbitratry for bitcoin also? i remember 21M come up from a math equation or some other calculation

50 BTC every 10 minutes, halved every 4 years --> 21 million BTC total

Other coins use different numbers and different distribution plans. Many coins are not capped.

so satoshi started from the block reward, to build bitcoin

Not really. You can also start from the total number and then work backwards. 

What do you mean? Start with 21M coins premined, then "desmine" the coins along the way?


And topic:

It deppends about what demands the dev wants to serve. It depends about the confirmation time(longer or shorter), the expected market cap, when the mine phase will end, etc..

[TookDk]

So as everyone keeps coming up with these new coins and new algorithms, how do they decide how many total coins to offer? I know LTC is exactly 4X as many BTC. Can anyone shed any light on this, or is it completely random and up to each individual coin maker? What are the possible positive and negative impacts on a somewhat random, finiate amount of coins?

You already had many good answers to you question. I also think it is important to mention that the "coin makers" (called devs) can chose to add a "premine" to the genesis block (the first block). The word premine is a bit misleading, since nothing is being mined, they have simply started with giving themselves x millions coins as a rewards for making a new revolutionary coins that everyone should invest in.

[polynesia]

was arbitratry for bitcoin also? i remember 21M come up from a math equation or some other calculation

50 BTC every 10 minutes, halved every 4 years --> 21 million BTC total

Other coins use different numbers and different distribution plans. Many coins are not capped.

so satoshi started from the block reward, to build bitcoin

Not really. You can also start from the total number and then work backwards. 

What do you mean? Start with 21M coins premined, then "desmine" the coins along the way?

Nope. Was talking about the calculations.
You can fix an arbit number for the total number of coins, and then back calculate the block reward.

[michaelwang33]

So as everyone keeps coming up with these new coins and new algorithms, how do they decide how many total coins to offer? I know LTC is exactly 4X as many BTC. Can anyone shed any light on this, or is it completely random and up to each individual coin maker? What are the possible positive and negative impacts on a somewhat random, finiate amount of coins?

It's completely arbitrary. Choose whatever you like as long as there is a clear and static cap.

was arbitratry for bitcoin also? i remember 21M come up from a math equation or some other calculation

It is the amount that is programmed into the protocol of the coin. It is essentially an arbitrary number that is known to everyone in advance before they start mining or trading so market participants can have some idea as to the value of each coin.

[Mobius]

So as everyone keeps coming up with these new coins and new algorithms, how do they decide how many total coins to offer? I know LTC is exactly 4X as many BTC. Can anyone shed any light on this, or is it completely random and up to each individual coin maker? What are the possible positive and negative impacts on a somewhat random, finiate amount of coins?

You already had many good answers to you question. I also think it is important to mention that the "coin makers" (called devs) can chose to add a "premine" to the genesis block (the first block). The word premine is a bit misleading, since nothing is being mined, they have simply started with giving themselves x millions coins as a rewards for making a new revolutionary coins that everyone should invest in.

I don't know if "revolutionary" is really the proper term to use. Most alt coins provide no value that bitcoin cannot provide and their network is much less secure then the bitcoin network.

[polynesia]

So as everyone keeps coming up with these new coins and new algorithms, how do they decide how many total coins to offer? I know LTC is exactly 4X as many BTC. Can anyone shed any light on this, or is it completely random and up to each individual coin maker? What are the possible positive and negative impacts on a somewhat random, finiate amount of coins?

You already had many good answers to you question. I also think it is important to mention that the "coin makers" (called devs) can chose to add a "premine" to the genesis block (the first block). The word premine is a bit misleading, since nothing is being mined, they have simply started with giving themselves x millions coins as a rewards for making a new revolutionary coins that everyone should invest in.

I don't know if "revolutionary" is really the proper term to use. Most alt coins provide no value that bitcoin cannot provide and their network is much less secure then the bitcoin network.

Even 1 or 2 of these altcoins has a brilliant idea/feature implemented, it will be worth it. And which is why speculators keep throwing money at altcoins.