So we did stop calling it an experiment, did we not?

[joecooin]

Just realised:

having talked about Bitcoin for years now to individuals, media, politics, financial industry and whoever else was interested, I always made sure to make clear that this is an experiment. A very successful experiment (most of the imes) but still an experiment. I did so just like many other early birds to Bitcoin because back then we agreed that this would be a reasonable approach when trying to explain that new technology to people who think we want to sell them a ponzi.

I only just realised that neither have I used the term "experiment" in any presentation or interview in the last at least six months or so anymore nor have I heard anyone else do so.

So: is it not an experiment anymore?

And: when was the moment it stopped being an experiment? Was there one? And if so: which moment was this?

Honestly, just being impressed by the progress this is making and wondering ...


Joe


edit: the question is:
_Is Bitcoin still an experiment or is it already the new paradigm?_





 

[DannyHamilton]

I'm still calling it an experiment.

I've done so as recently as March 8 (3 days ago).

- snip -
Bitcoin is a an amazing and very interesting experiment.  It is still in its infancy and it is impossible to predict what the end result of that experiment will be.
- snip -

You're asking when it stopped being an "experiment", but perhaps you should consider when you decided to stop calling it an experiment, and why you made that decision.

[Bit_Happy]

Just realised:

having talked about Bitcoin for years now to individuals, media, politics, financial industry and whoever else was interested, I always made sure to make clear that this is an experiment. A very successful experiment (most of the imes) but still an experiment. I did so just like many other early birds to Bitcoin because back then we agreed that this would be a reasonable approach when trying to explain that new technology to people who think we want to sell them a ponzi.

I only just realised that neither have I used the term "experiment" in any presentation or interview in the last at least six months or so anymore nor have I heard anyone else do so.

So: is it not an experiment anymore?

And: when was the moment it stopped being an experiment? Was there one? And if so: which moment was this?

Honestly, just being impressed by the progress this is making and wondering ...


Joe

"A very successful experiment" still matches what I consider the Bitcoin project to be.
The experiment doesn't end until Satoshi comes back to probe our minds and let us tour his spaceship. 

[Hazir]

The corrects answer is: "it depends what do you want to see if you are looking at bitcoin". If you want to see bitcoin popular as normal FIAT currency and stop calling it experiment by then? Or maybe you want to see bitcoin reach $1000 price and then it will not be experiment? Or experiment already succeeded and now it is just time for people to see it? I am sure people will have different answers for all that question.

[calme]

[n. ik-sper-uh-muh nt; v. ek-sper-uh-ment]
noun
1.
a test, trial, or tentative procedure; an act or operation for the purpose of discovering something unknown or of testing a principle, supposition, etc.:
a chemical experiment; a teaching experiment; an experiment in living.
2.
the conducting of such operations; experimentation:
a product that is the result of long experiment.
3.
Obsolete, experience.
verb (used without object)
4.
to try or test, especially in order to discover or prove something:
to experiment with a new procedure.

British Dictionary definitions for experiment
noun (ɪkˈspɛrɪmənt)
1.
a test or investigation, esp one planned to provide evidence for or against a hypothesis: a scientific experiment
2.
the act of conducting such an investigation or test; experimentation; research
3.
an attempt at something new or different; an effort to be original: a poetic experiment
4.
an obsolete word for experience
verb (ɪkˈspɛrɪˌmɛnt)
5.
(intransitive) to make an experiment or experiments

experiment in Science
A test or procedure carried out under controlled conditions to determine the validity of a hypothesis or make a discovery.

Wouldn't it depend on what is being experimented with? Getting the elderly to protect their private keys, having a nation use decentralized crypto exclusively, implementing the blockchain into nanotechnology so that biospecific nutrients are released in the cells, using crypto so that space colonies can transact from one colony to the next, etc. etc.

[hdd3go]

I would rather call it experiment since Bitcoin is not universally acclaimed around the world, some people are calling it a scam. Bitcoin need to convince people to accept Bitcoin, and  that will be done when Bitcoin develops and grows stronger.

[joecooin]

You're asking when it stopped being an "experiment",

No, I asked if and if so: when.

but perhaps you should consider when you decided to stop calling it an experiment, and why you made that decision.

I did not decide. I just realised that I stopped calling it that a while ago and that I hardly hear anyone else using the term these days anymore ("experiment").

So, considering the fact that everything we do and plan for our future naturally is an experiment (but that's not what we're talking about):

is Bitcoin still to be considered an experiment or can one now confidentally say that it obviously is a force in our global economy that cannot be ignored anymore?

One can ignore an experiment but can one still ignore Bitcoin?

I personally believe that the principles we learnt from Bitcoin and the technological innovations we got given by Bitcoin do shape a new paradigm.



So my question is really:

_Is Bitcoin still an experiment or is it already the new paradigm?_

[Possum577]

An Experiment is a test under controlled conditions that is done to demonstrate a known truth.

We're certainly beyond the "test under controlled conditions" part. Maybe we've enter the "Project" phase. It implies that provides a fix or solution to a problem and keeps the fact that it could end as a possibility.

The Technology Adoption Lifecycle (how do I insert a picture) has the following phases: Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority, Laggards. I'd say we're nearing the end of the Early Adopters phase, which would indicate that experiment was successful.

Here's one final idea...is it too soon to call it a revolution?

[kulme]

Bitcoin stopped being an experiment back in the end of 2012 when the price went up, people realized the success and the potential of it.

[futureofbitcoin]

Depends on your definition, obviously. I don't see bitcoin as an "experiment", but if you did, I think one good way to determine whether bitcoin still is an "experiment" or not, is to see if there a number of people who exclusively use bitcoins.

And I don't mean a person attempting to challenge themselves by living off bitcoins for a day or a week, but rather a whole ecosystem that uses bitcoins, so that if they were in a closed system and did not interact with people using fiat, they could all still live, work and trade exclusively in bitcoin.

The number of people doesn't really matter, as long as every point in the production and consumption chain there are people who uses bitcoins.

[King Karma]

edit: the question is:
_Is Bitcoin still an experiment or is it already the new paradigm?_

I think it's still an experiment. It still seems like experimental technology to me, though I can see why people would think it has moved past that. I guess because of the unstable price people are still uncertain of it but that may change over time. Maybe then it will be seen as breaking free of it's 'experimental' stages.

[C. Bergmann]

very good point.

I called bitcoin an experiment when I startet to blog for bitcoin.de to make sure I don't promise anything to people buying bitcoin. This was in summer 2013.

I'd say it's still an experiment to use cryptographic technology to establish a decentralized, private, digital currency, something that never has been in the world before. I wonder too why I forgot to write about that.

Maybe it's because all that venture capital on the one side and all that negative press during last years price decrease on the other side turned the narrative from a futuristic chance to get free money into a dichotomy: Either it is the definite money of the future, or it is a failed drug-money. And maybe the pressure to choose between this poles made you to stop calling it an experiment, because this would be a contribution to the other side.

Edit: about your question: yes, it's still an experiment. It may have left this stage in a technological perspective (it works secure), but it's still an experiment in a economic-political perspective.

[muddyheights2]

The experiment will end when it fails.
The experiment will end when it reaches mainstream use.

[RodeoX]

I think it's an experiment still. We don't know where any of this is going or what role BTC will occupy in the future. We don't know if it will work out at all, and we aren't even at version 1.0. 

[OnkelPaul]

Edit: about your question: yes, it's still an experiment. It may have left this stage in a technological perspective (it works secure), but it's still an experiment in a economic-political perspective.

That's exactly my point of view. The experimental part of the technology is mostly over (I'm fairly sure that we will manage the block size / transaction frequency problem and other technical issues) but the economical part of the experiment is just in its beginning stage. Currently, a huge part of the bitcoin economy is revolving around exchanges and speculation against other currencies. I'd call this economic masturbation, it's not very productive even if it's sometimes fun. Bitcoin economy will become much more interesting when the focus actually moves towards goods and services.
However, I don't see bitcoin as a global future currency or as a replacement for existing national currencies. When people have a choice of currency they can use (not like the decreed switch from european national currencies to euro,) they will prefer the currency that is most versatile, with a big preference for whatever they are already used to.

Onkel Paul

[ChuckBuck]

I still call it an experiment, since we're largely in the "testing" phase.  Unfortunately(fortunately?), we're all the test dummies or lab rats.  It could pay off big much later, but there's still alot of things brewing in the lab.

The best technical phrase to call Bitcoin at the moment is probably "Beta", since that's exactly what you'd categorize the software right now.  We're still going through different versions and iterations of Core, Gavin's going to fork Bitcoin once again in June, and we still haven't reached 1.0 production release.

[Mr Crabs]

The experiment will end when it fails.
The experiment will end when it reaches mainstream use.

This is what I was thinking. If it 'fails' then I think people will see it as an experiment (a failed one). Though if adoption becomes widespread and you can spend it in your local shop or at various places around the world then it will have become a 'sucess'.

[Dr. Pepper]

Interesting question and I think it all depends on your own individual mindset or opinion. The fact that you can buy things with it should indicate it's a success, but you can't buy everything or anything with it yet. I think people may see it as an uncertain currency until it levels out in value a bit but the prospect for profit due to the fluctuations is still attractive to speculators.

[allthingsluxury]

I believe its still in the experimental phase, although it isn't just guess work anymore, it has proven itself, now it's only a matter of what it will truly become.

[adworker]

I still see Bitcoin in experiment phase, the scalability to go over 1MB blocks and really allow to be used by much more peoples might be necessary before Bitcoin Core stops calling itselves beta

[turvarya]

I think, it depends on how you use your Bitcoin.
I often meet people that seems to be only interested in the speculative side, and for this people I call it an experiment with a lot of uncertainty, hoping that will prevent them from gambling too much with it.
For other people, I just try to show the practical use. In Austria, that is mostly using purse.io, which really brings a clear advantage, even if you are not an Bitcoin-Enthusiast. Using purse.io is not experimental, it works quite well.
Bitcoin stopping to be an experiment, doesn't mean, there is no more improvement to be made.

[GingerAle]

i think it really depends on the hypothesis.

Hypothesis 1: A trustless peer-to-peer system can be used for transactions
Hypothesis 2: These transaction units can be used as currency
Hypothesis 3: Using this system as currency can reduce our dependency on centralized banking and monetary systems.

[btcxyzzz]

Bitcoin is far from experiment, it's fully functional thing, even for several years now.

[Ron~Popeil]

I think it depends on how you define it. As a software it is indeed a new paradigm and hugely successful. As an economic vehicle it has a ways to go. The massive frauds perpetrated over the last few years have damaged it terribly from an economic stand point.

I would say from a software standpoint it is no longer an experiment. From an economic standpoint it very much still is.

[gentlemand]

Maybe prototype is a better term than experiment. I think it's still in that phase. Once it can scale properly it'll be ready to move forward.

Perhaps it'll never stop being an experiment in the eyes of many.

[Amph]

it's experimental until it remain in beta phase, to many things to correct, from many point of view(ecnomic, software ecc...)

[randy8777]

it's experimental until it remain in beta phase, to many things to correct, from many point of view(ecnomic, software ecc...)

which basically means that it can take another five or so years before we can say it's not beta anymore.
i think most people agree on the fact that we consider bitcoin still experimental. atleast from the economic point of view.