The most crucial thing I always said about Bitcoin when I was trying to spread awareness about it (and I have done a hell of a lot of that in just the right circles) was that no one is in control, that there is no need to trust any person because the code sets the rules and the rules can't change because the code can't change. Well now I'm not so sure that is true anymore and I don't think I can be faithful to my self and my principles and keep advertising Bitcoin in the same manner. I hope though it still is true because I have a lot riding on this experiment but history teaches me that my hope pointless. Special interest now have a foot in the door and they will not ever pull it out ever again. That much I'm certain. What this means we'll find out I guess.
If you think BF changes anything about how bitcoin-the-protocol or bitcoin-the-software will work, then you simply never understood how bitcoin worked in the first place.
Satoshi designed the system so that you would not have to trust the developer (him, a total unknown, pseudonymous individual).
The dev team, by introducing git and gitian use, has made that compact even stronger.
Given that you left out the part of my post calling you out on insulting my intelligence I'll take it that you agree that it was exactly what you were trying to do. An apology would be appreciated.
As for how the code can change I understand how it works perfectly. There already was a change implemented to the original protocol with BIP16 and you know this more than anyone (again trying to insult my intelligence?). I realize that the rules were made stricter and are backwards compatible but don't pretend for a second a stricter and backwards compatible rules can't be malicious. I understand perfectly well that it's the community being individually diligent checking what the dev team does and the miners being individually diligent checking what the dev team does THE ONLY real barrier between what we have now and something out of our nightmares.
I also understand that even if 99% of the network switches to something malicious I still have the choice to use the previous honest version which is true that it wouldn't kill it but it would set it back maybe so far it couldn't ever recover.
The problem I have with this Foundation is that it asserted itself over this experiment and the community. No one asked you to. No one gave you permission. You just did it. You created a corporation to wield power no one granted you.
I wouldn't have a shred of a problem if you were a for profit business dependent on voluntary transactions which merely contracted with Gavin and his team. But you aren't and he is a board member inherently always with a conflict of interest. And saying I can start my own Foundation is disingenuous at best since you know I can't be the one that pays Gavin or his team and have the same power as you do.
