Bitminter bitcoin mining pool - shutdown mining 2020-07-01 website 2021-06-01

[HerbPean]

cenicsoft, thanks a lot for that post. That gives me some food for thought.

The two parts of the website I am most unhappy with are the front page and the account details page which you get right after login.

What should be on the page after login?

Seeing how your own mining is gong makes a lot of sense. Perhaps instead of the pay per block some info on your hashrate could do the job? Maybe a small graph of your hashrate over recent shifts, as well as your current live hashrate? A lot of people like to watch the pool hashrate as well. It's already displayed at the top of every page, but it could be shown in the same graph as well.

I have always two page open at Btiminter, the main page for account balance and the live stats to monitor the pool and myself.

Keeping the account balance is probably good too.

How many blocks do we need to find before you get X coins which you want to spend on something? Ok, I can see that this is something many would want. It's difficult to do that without getting all the confusion I was trying to put an end to. Perhaps the optional display you mentioned is a solution. I also have to explain to people several times per day that they get paid when blocks are found, not when shifts are finished. Obviously the website is confusing in this regard. I would like the website to make this fact obvious: "when blocks come in, coins come in". I'm not sure how best to do that, and I want to avoid the focus on how much you get per block and all the confusion that ensues.

A big yes from me

To anyone using Bitminter: after you log in what do you most often need? Not necessarily exact numbers or buttons, but what you'd use them for.

As I said previously, I check my balance, the live stats and if I finally found a ***** block  I would say that the live stats page is the one i'm looking like at 90% of the time.

I also look the block page to see how many confirmation are left before getting pay or if a block would be Stale or Orphan.

I consult the shift page once in while pretty much in way of looking into the history of what happen recently or in the past.

Then come the the Luck and Reward page. (rarely)

I hope it gives you an idea of what you could add in the main page

Thanks Doc

[HerbPean]

It would be very useful if those who want the "estimated pay per block" number back could explain what they get out of it.

The second way I used it was to estimate how long to hit a certain goal. yes, I could use a mining calculator for that. This made it easier since I knew how many blocks would need to be solved in order to earn a certain amount specifically at Bitminer. 

I was doing the same thing. I would knew how many blocks (plus minus 1) I needed to reach my cash out.

Is the transaction history ok for this? Maybe a link or button on the first page after login would be faster than having to go through the menu at the top?

I never go into the history to be honest, I went there a few time to satisfy my curiosity on how much the fees was taken from my coins

[bcm2013]

What should be on the page after login?

To anyone using Bitminter: after you log in what do you most often need? Not necessarily exact numbers or buttons, but what you'd use them for.

I like what cenicsoft had said as well.

For me, when I log in, I typically go to two areas... The main account page, where I would reference the "expected pay per block" and the live stats.  As I noted previously, that is a single number that gave me a snapshot of how things were going for me, relative to the pool hash rate, based on my own hash rate, over the last 10 shifts.

If it is confusing to some people, I'm not sure how; however, for me, it was very useful.  Nowadays, with big hash rates coming and going, individual miner scores may vary from shift to shift, so this gives a one number snapshot of my status.  Also, is I add or modify my equipment, I get an idea of my FUTURE earnings in Bitcoin, based on the current pool hash rate.  

Transaction history only tells me what has already happened. If we are in the middle of a difficult block, as the pool hash rate goes up and down, I have to look at my scores the latest 10 shifts to estimate that number.

If you think it should be an optional setting to bring this back, I would support that, but please reconsider bringing this value back.  

I'm still assessing as to whether the changes to shift history is useful for me. It's okay, but not thrilling for me.

As for shift length, I like the shorter shifts.  12-14 hours per shift was just getting too long...

A graphic of each miner's hash rate over the last 10 shifts would be useful with a precision of 1 minute. Where I mine for LiteCoin has that (give-me-coins) over last 24 hours and they do provide a "Round estimate" value which is similar to be expected per block!😉

Finally, something to think about might be to ultimately use responsive UI design for the website... I'm sure many of use smartphones and tablets to view stats on bitminter.com.  But I would consider that a lower priority as it does look fine on my iPhone and iPad.

[DevonMiner]

Doc, given your looking for feedback/ideas … here’s my wish list:

1) Once logged in it would be great so see the ‘Live Stats Full Size’ screen plus 'Balance', 'Unconfirmed', 'Future'.

Sorry to mention another pool, but eleuthria has done a good job when you login ... earnings, speed (both pool and personally), along with shifts and block earnings are all available. Scroll down and you also get a feel for how your workers are doing.

2) It would be good to see how our miners/workers are performing in a graph format. 24hr/48hr/1 week. This makes it easy to see their performance over time. The current ‘workers’ tab doesn’t allow this information to be tracked.

Many people host their kit these days, and not all hosting companies allow direct internet access … so it feels like you mine in the dark. Even if you do have access, the readings are only an indication … it’s what the pool is accepting that really matters.

For example, I have a SP30 that has been troublesome, and can’t access it directly …. So I was forced to point it to a site where I could get good graphical information over time as to how it was performing.

Just my two cents worth ...


PS: I liked the expected payout per future block which got removed ... but understand why you did it 

[AaronS]

I too liked the estimated pay per block for the two main reasons given: 1) I used it as a single-number indicator of how my equipment and the pool were doing - if it changed much, I looked into why, and 2) I used it as an indicator of how many more blocks needed to be found to reach my auto payout setting.  I would vote to have it as an option to turn it on. To be honest, I don't understand how it led to any problems.  I am also convinced that whatever you change it to (like the current pay/Hour stat on the shifts page) there is still going to be a group of people who don't understand it or are bothered by what it shows (such as "unpaid" shifts). I believe it is impossible to please everyone in this situation: there will always be people who don't think they are being paid enough or have unpaid shifts or   Too many people just don't understand that finding a block is a random event and all the stats in the world won't change that.

I like the suggestion of a graph of my recent hashing history as that would be another good way to check on my equipment over the medium term (perhaps 10 or 20 shifts).  Seeing my current hashing power without having to bring up a stats page would be good too.  On that note, having the pool hash rate being the first thing that comes up when using the "Live Stats Pop Up" seems redundant since it is on the top of every page including the one I just clicked on the link from.  A more useful first page would be either the "Me" or "Round" tab, both of which contain my current hashing power.

I generally always leave the "Blocks" page open and refresh it whenever it occurs to me to do so. This is a simple way to see if new blocks have been found and to watch the confirmations count down for found blocks.  It would be nice if this page had the current UTC time, or even better, the current length of the current round (or best of all, both). 

I suppose the "Live Stats, full size" contains everything I want (except the number of confirmations on recent blocks), but the layout means what I am looking for requires scrolling. I'd like the "Current Round", "Latest Blocks", and "Latest Shifts" side by side without anything else as I'm either not interested (Fastest Users) or it is already shown in the Current Round (Total Comp. Power, Your Comp. Power, Workers).

As someone else suggested, maybe a customizable layout is the only way to satisfy everyone.

Overall though, things are good and the pool runs well which is what really matters.  Thanks for your effort to always improve things.

[Vantar]

After Logging In, I go mostly to the Live stats page. I used to use the expected payout but that is gone, which I understand. I think it would make sense adding to the blocks section on the live stats page, the payments received/expected for completed block. Then color coding it for unconfirmed/stale/ect. This would save going to the blocks page to see which is confirmed, and at the same time, saves going to transaction page to see payment for last few blocks. P.S. I really like that it shows your current rank for those of us not in top 50, and wouldn't mind access somewhere to a complete rank list for those of us that like seeing ourselves move up lists.

I do really like the setup how it is though, and have been thrilled with ease of use. 

[cenicsoft]

Is the transaction history ok for this? Maybe a link or button on the first page after login would be faster than having to go through the menu at the top?

As another poster has mentioned, looking at transaction history only provides you with a good idea of the payout on the next block if there are no major changes in hash (personal or pool) before it's solved.

A user interface suggestion would be to bring that number back with a note that reads "What's this?" People would click on it which produces a pop-up with your explanation of what that number means including a note about shifts and maybe a link in the pop-up to more information about how your payout system works. You had a brief explanation before when you hovered over the title. Most people may not have known to hover over the title, whereas a "What's this?" link would stand out better. Plus, you have more room for an explanation in a traditional pop-up, then the hover over.

The default landing page after logging in could be called "Account Overview" or "Account at Glance." It would include bringing back the expected payout per block along with the other information that's there now. An overview of your current hash rate and your last few shifts that's on the expanded stats page would be useful on this page.  I would recommend showing the last few blocks solved (with your payout for those blocks) and the time since last block solved with a note that you only get paid when a block is solved, not when shifts are completed.

[tempestb]

I look at shifts and blocks and I don't really understand it.  Right now the last ten shifts say "Paying Now" under shifts, but it's been saying that for the past few blocks found and nothing has been paid.  Now this might be totally normal, the problem is, I have no idea.  Am I being paid for the work I'm doing?  It's really weird.

[Thracian]

I just wanted to mention (found by reading organofcorti.blogspot.com)
that for the last 50 days our luck is 30-50% more than the average,
meaning in this pool we get (by luck) more than our hashrate deserves.

And I'm happy with that 

[marklyon]

I look at shifts and blocks and I don't really understand it.  Right now the last ten shifts say "Paying Now" under shifts, but it's been saying that for the past few blocks found and nothing has been paid.  Now this might be totally normal, the problem is, I have no idea.  Am I being paid for the work I'm doing?  It's really weird.

The pool is Pay Per Last 10 Shifts.  Each time we find a block, you get paid your portion of the reward, based on your work over the last 10 shifts.  As a result, the most recent 10 shifts are still open for payment - when we find the next block (hopefully really soon - as I write this, we last found one 2d and 20h ago), you get paid your share based on your work over the last 10 shifts.

If we find more blocks in that 10-shift period than average, you make out like a bandit.  If we have a really long block, you will have some shifts that have 0 pay.  In the end, if your mining is constant, the luck averages out.  

If you're (like me) mining at an inconsistent rate (I rent out my miners to others and use payments in altcoins to fund buying mining power from others), you may miss out on some runs of good luck putting in a large amount of work during a shift that ultimately doesn't make anything, or you might hit a run of good luck and do really well.

[Minor Miner]

The information I look at is, Current Hash Rate (I use this to see if the miners are running as I do not watch them any other way - and to see if I need to power cycle one etc.).
Since the current HR varies, I also go look at the last shifts to see what the average rate has been.   I also like to know about how much per block the account will receive but I am fine that it is just an estimate.

[no141]

When I log into bitminter, I want to see two main things, how much currency I have waiting and what I should probably expect from the next block found if nothing changes.

I check the shifts page and I really don't understand "being paid now". Nothing is being paid as no block has been found in a while.

[nssminer]

This would be nice:

http://www.use.com/images/s_2/99c63ed31bf600650c0b.jpg

P.S Recent Pool Upgrades....NICE WORK DOC!

[AaronS]

This would be nice:

http://www.use.com/images/s_2/99c63ed31bf600650c0b.jpg

P.S Recent Pool Upgrades....NICE WORK DOC!

Yes, having a balance of over 21 Bitcoins would be nice 

[HerbPean]

This would be nice:

P.S Recent Pool Upgrades....NICE WORK DOC!

Yes, having a balance of over 21 Bitcoins would be nice  

But not very secure

[theweiss]

cenicsoft, thanks a lot for that post. That gives me some food for thought.

The two parts of the website I am most unhappy with are the front page and the account details page which you get right after login.

What should be on the page after login?

Seeing how your own mining is gong makes a lot of sense. Perhaps instead of the pay per block some info on your hashrate could do the job? Maybe a small graph of your hashrate over recent shifts, as well as your current live hashrate? A lot of people like to watch the pool hashrate as well. It's already displayed at the top of every page, but it could be shown in the same graph as well.

Keeping the account balance is probably good too.

How many blocks do we need to find before you get X coins which you want to spend on something? Ok, I can see that this is something many would want. It's difficult to do that without getting all the confusion I was trying to put an end to. Perhaps the optional display you mentioned is a solution. I also have to explain to people several times per day that they get paid when blocks are found, not when shifts are finished. Obviously the website is confusing in this regard. I would like the website to make this fact obvious: "when blocks come in, coins come in". I'm not sure how best to do that, and I want to avoid the focus on how much you get per block and all the confusion that ensues.

To anyone using Bitminter: after you log in what do you most often need? Not necessarily exact numbers or buttons, but what you'd use them for.

When I log on the first thing I do is jump to the full stats page.  I look to see that all of my miners are up and running both by my personal hash rate and at the number of workers that I have active.

[theweiss]

This would be nice:

P.S Recent Pool Upgrades....NICE WORK DOC!

I think this would be a delightful addition. 

I just wanted to mention (found by reading organofcorti.blogspot.com)
that for the last 50 days our luck is 30-50% more than the average,
meaning in this pool we get (by luck) more than our hashrate deserves.

And I'm happy with that 

Me too!  I plan to mention this anywhere that I can.  I'm still quite surprised that Bitminter isn't a bigger pool.  A stat like this, though no indication of future earnings, might be enough to get some people to bring their hash here.

[onsightit]

FWIW, I'm leaving the pool.  I can't afford to do all those shifts with no payout.  Not sure why it had to change, but if I see:

being paid now
being paid now
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
being paid now
0.00000000

I can assume the last 11 shifts were for nothing.

Really liked the old pool better...

[HerbPean]

FWIW, I'm leaving the pool.  I can't afford to do all those shifts with no payout.  Not sure why it had to change, but if I see:

being paid now
being paid now
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
being paid now
0.00000000

I can assume the last 11 shifts were for nothing.

Really liked the old pool better...

It's just a matter of shorter shifts. We went from 12 hours to 3 hours so that's pretty much normal. We got a bunch of new Hashrate with the shorter shift but we are more sensitive to the hashrate rollercoster now. Meaning that during our luck a huge jump in hastrate will cut our BTC payment way much faster then before (12 hours to erase a shift vs 3 hours). More hashrate means more blocks too tho

It's just that before a 5 days block will pretty much got paid for all the 12 hours shifts which is it not the case anymore.

I'm fine with Doc decision but I also understand your point of view.

[DrHaribo]

FWIW, I'm leaving the pool.  I can't afford to do all those shifts with no payout.  Not sure why it had to change, but if I see:

We've been lucky for a while now and having higher than average expected payouts. Everyone can afford that. You're complaining while you're winning. Stop it.

Shorter shifts: For 24/7 miners there is no change. You get the same amount of coins. At the same time. It's exactly the same. If you mine for two hours, it does not matter whether you are paid 0.2 BTC for the first hour and 0 for the second, or if you are paid 0.1 BTC for each hour. It's the same 0.2 BTC being paid out to you. Don't get emotional about that one hour with no pay (even if you did put your back into it). It's the number on your balance that matters.

Take a look at https://bitminter.com/stats/rewards - at the bottom graph you can see the expected line flattening out at the point we changed to shorter shifts. That's because the earnings per shift are lower now that there are more shifts per day. See how the actual rewards graph at this point started below the expected, but kept moving higher and higher. That's you being paid better than the average expected pay that mining calculators give you.

I can assume the last 11 shifts were for nothing.

You can never assume anything about the 10 latest shifts. Those are the ones that will be paid if we find a block in the next moment. And you don't know whether we will or not. Some people think they do. But they don't.

The eleventh shift was showing zero pay though. That can happen if it takes a while to find the next block. But overall today is a great day. We are having good luck and getting high payouts. Most miners today are counting their coins with a big smile. Do you really want to focus only on that one shift that didn't get any pay?

Would it help if the shifts were a little longer so instead of 10 shifts with big pay and one with zero, we would have 10 shifts with slightly smaller pay (and no zero pay shifts). We'd get the same coins. Your share of the coins would be the same. Your balance would show the same number. Your pay would be exactly the same. But we wouldn't have a zero showing on the shifts page.

Here's the thing: almost all the work we do is for nothing. Out of 35 billion proofs of work only a single one is useful, because it produces a block. Mining seen from a different angle: if you're not finding any blocks then you are getting paid for doing nothing. Only skysmichaels and 2doo did something useful today. All the others got paid over 2x regular mining pay for nothing. That's not bad.