I am not in favor of chagning the white paper entirely. Perhaps over time bitcoin may need some upgradtions. Perhaps there will arise issues with scalability but at this moment I won't vote for change of any degree.
Topic: Bitcoin's White Paper Isn't Just Words – It's a Constitution (Read 299 times)
In the world of computers, a widely accepted norm is not to change anything when the system is up and running. Otherwise this leads to a system failure. A constitutional change is mandatory only when it can't address the problems beforehand. So far, I don't find any with bitcoin. People may jump up and down but it's better to sit this one out. Until bitcoin fails or is subject to an imminent fail, I don't see how the chagnes fit
I do not think there should be constitution in crypto world as it is still evolving and developing. Even though Satoshi's white paper is great but he possibly couldn't cover and think of everything.
The idea of whitepaper deviates from the original decntralized space.There is a differentiating for cryptocurrencies but what will differentiate it from the FIAT?
So if the whitepaper is a constitution, it cannot be changed or amended? Is that a good thing? Someone enlighten me please…
Well constitutions can be amended, but it's not a straightforward task.
I don't see any reason why the white paper should be changed. It's okay that it's a little outdated. It's not a blueprint, and we already have road maps anyway. There's no good or bad here. The document has served its purpose is all. Some people simply put value into following it closely more than others, and that's not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing either.
sad that i havent rread the whitepaper though but i agree with you, as far as my understanding since bitcoin is meant to be self regulated, that alone prove itself as institutionallt themed, and japan did implemented it as first nation for bitcoin and cryptos to be self regulated
So if the whitepaper is a constitution, it cannot be changed or amended? Is that a good thing? Someone enlighten me please…
To some extent, this is true, since the white paper of bitcoin is the first serious document in the field of ICO and it very detailed and clearly describes all the details of the work and what difficulties can be faced in the future. All other companies took it as an example for registration of the documents therefore to some extent it can be considered if not the Bible, then the Constitution precisely.
It actually has nothing to do with ICOs. Writing white papers isn't exactly a new concept, and Bitcoin has existed for years before the first ICO was even held. Not to mention that most of ICOs' white papers are just fluff pieces riddled with error, with some of them even being plagiarized outright.
They're certainly different in that Bitcoin's white paper was written to propose a solution for a known problem, while most ICOs' white papers are simply marketing requirements.
Very few cryptos have even followed bitcoin's example. How many are actually decentralized? How many offer a real world solution and provide real value in terms of utility? Just because they also operate on a blockchain does not mean that they are following bitcoin's example, 95% of alt-coins are crap projects just made to get a big ol' slice of the proverbial pie.
To some extent, this is true, since the white paper of bitcoin is the first serious document in the field of ICO and it very detailed and clearly describes all the details of the work and what difficulties can be faced in the future. All other companies took it as an example for registration of the documents therefore to some extent it can be considered if not the Bible, then the Constitution precisely.
It actually has nothing to do with ICOs. Writing white papers isn't exactly a new concept, and Bitcoin has existed for years before the first ICO was even held. Not to mention that most of ICOs' white papers are just fluff pieces riddled with error, with some of them even being plagiarized outright.
They're certainly different in that Bitcoin's white paper was written to propose a solution for a known problem, while most ICOs' white papers are simply marketing requirements.
it is, in fact, neither of two. it is an official document, but as we all know official documents have a tendency to be neglected and sometimes secretly violated.
I don't believe there should be a set in stone constitution of any sort, be that for bitcoin or for a country. The world we live in is constantly adapting and so should our direction be, there will have been so many developments since satoshi's white paper that even he didn't envisage that it's impossible to cover everything. While Satoshi is undoubtedly one of the great minds of our generation he's most definitely not a psychic.
a constitution should not be a complete rulebook of all law. but an essential baseline of minimum standard expectation.
EG. not a right to freedom. as that automatically makes prisons illegal, thus making crime non-punishable.
but a right to breath, talk, walk. is an acceptable minimum..(you can still breathe, walk and talk in prison)
Is it really necessary to have a constitution to tell people that they have the right to breathe, walk and talk? Breathing isn't really a right either because it's impossible to live without it, it's a necessity. Even that isn't protected by a constitution given that the death penalty exists.
Either way that's too much on the political stand and I understand the point you were trying to make, it's that there should be some basic guidelines in place for the development, implementation etc without there being anything that is too set in stone that it is not adaptable to the current situation.
lets delve into the right to breathe.
imagine a LAW that was made to allow cops to choke out people as a cops 'self defense' / resisting arrest appropriate method of achieving suspects arrest.
by having right to breathe in a constitution would overpower the cops law. thus the cop would be in prison for choking out someone instead of using the cops law to get away with killing a suspect..
other examples, it makes waterboarding an unconstitutional interrogation method
it makes the nazi death camp (using gas) a unconstitutional thing
but with that all said.
what fundamental aspects should a bitcoin constitution include that are not to be used to over power/extinguish innovation. or used for malicious interpretation..
after all after hundreds of years people still debate the interpretation of "bare arms" (biceps or muskets or fully automatic rifles)
And what of the death penalty then, how would that fit in with such a constitutional right, that is in its very nature removing your ability to breath?
As for what fundamental aspects a bitcoin constitution should have, that's not for me to say, I still don't even necessarily believe we have need for such a thing for exactly the reasons you mentioned. Bitcoin is largely considered to be for the people and not for a ruling entity, having some set in stone constitution (or such) kind of seems to go against that idea.
I think this is the Last Will and testimony of Satoshi Nakamoto and also a deceleration of War against the corrupt financial systems of this world. He hated the idea that these systems were being used to enrich a small group of people and he wanted to provide an alternative for those people who were exploited and excluded from these systems.
He did not say this in the White paper, but we saw this in his other writings and also the clues he left behind.
He did not say this in the White paper, but we saw this in his other writings and also the clues he left behind.
id say not a declaration of war. but a declaration of independance away from the monopoly of fiat
I think this is the Last Will and testimony of Satoshi Nakamoto and also a deceleration of War against the corrupt financial systems of this world. He hated the idea that these systems were being used to enrich a small group of people and he wanted to provide an alternative for those people who were exploited and excluded from these systems.
He did not say this in the White paper, but we saw this in his other writings and also the clues he left behind.
He did not say this in the White paper, but we saw this in his other writings and also the clues he left behind.
if you would have said "bitcoin code" as in the initial release of the first version of bitcoin QT (as it was called initially) then this statement made a lot more sense because the code is more like a constitution since it is defining the consensus rules with details whereas the bitcoin white paper is more like the abstract idea and is used to introduce the concept of bitcoin in as short a text as possible. as Satoshi said:
"The nature of Bitcoin is such that once version 0.1 was released, the core design was set in stone for the rest of its lifetime."
which sounds more to be like a "constitution" than the paper.
"The nature of Bitcoin is such that once version 0.1 was released, the core design was set in stone for the rest of its lifetime."
which sounds more to be like a "constitution" than the paper.
codes change, laws change.
a constitution is meant to just be the basics of rights(allowances). not laws(restrictions)
bitcoins consensus rules(laws) are limitations
but then, though it shouldnt happen constitutions get amendments too.
but putting that aside.
if there was to be a constitution. could anyone (meaning lets try formulating a list) successfully create constitutional acts/rights..
as i think that even if a list was made. its interpretation would not get universal agreement no matter how well wrote.
A constitution is a set of laws and rules governing a group of people. The WP of a project is a published explanation of the facets of the working of that project. So a WP cannot be said to be a constitution because not all the rules governing the project are explained in detail in the WP.
if you would have said "bitcoin code" as in the initial release of the first version of bitcoin QT (as it was called initially) then this statement made a lot more sense because the code is more like a constitution since it is defining the consensus rules with details whereas the bitcoin white paper is more like the abstract idea and is used to introduce the concept of bitcoin in as short a text as possible. as Satoshi said:
"The nature of Bitcoin is such that once version 0.1 was released, the core design was set in stone for the rest of its lifetime."
which sounds more to be like a "constitution" than the paper.
"The nature of Bitcoin is such that once version 0.1 was released, the core design was set in stone for the rest of its lifetime."
which sounds more to be like a "constitution" than the paper.
If the bitcoin whitepaper is indeed a constitution,then we need some institution that will pusnish everyone,who breaks the rules of that constitution,like every country has some sort of a constitution committee. 
I agree that bitcoin changed the way we view money and ideas,but the whitepaper isn't a constiution.
I agree that bitcoin changed the way we view money and ideas,but the whitepaper isn't a constiution.
I feel like constitution is too strong of a word, and I'm sure Satoshi never intended it to be anything of the sort. At its barest, it proposed a way to solve a problem which was put into practice a little later on.
I don't have any strong convictions when it comes to how rigidly the whitepaper must be "followed", but I'm pretty sure Satoshi would be more than happy to let everyone use the road he paved the way they want. We'll never know for sure though I suppose.
I don't have any strong convictions when it comes to how rigidly the whitepaper must be "followed", but I'm pretty sure Satoshi would be more than happy to let everyone use the road he paved the way they want. We'll never know for sure though I suppose.
yep its not just words
yep its not a constitution..
its an initial invention blueprint .. a whitepaper
I feel like constitution is too strong of a word, and I'm sure Satoshi never intended it to be anything of the sort. At its barest, it proposed a way to solve a problem which was put into practice a little later on.
I don't have any strong convictions when it comes to how rigidly the whitepaper must be "followed", but I'm pretty sure Satoshi would be more than happy to let everyone use the road he paved the way they want. We'll never know for sure though I suppose.
I don't have any strong convictions when it comes to how rigidly the whitepaper must be "followed", but I'm pretty sure Satoshi would be more than happy to let everyone use the road he paved the way they want. We'll never know for sure though I suppose.
I don't believe there should be a set in stone constitution of any sort, be that for bitcoin or for a country. The world we live in is constantly adapting and so should our direction be, there will have been so many developments since satoshi's white paper that even he didn't envisage that it's impossible to cover everything. While Satoshi is undoubtedly one of the great minds of our generation he's most definitely not a psychic.
a constitution should not be a complete rulebook of all law. but an essential baseline of minimum standard expectation.
EG. not a right to freedom. as that automatically makes prisons illegal, thus making crime non-punishable.
but a right to breath, talk, walk. is an acceptable minimum..(you can still breathe, walk and talk in prison)
Is it really necessary to have a constitution to tell people that they have the right to breathe, walk and talk? Breathing isn't really a right either because it's impossible to live without it, it's a necessity. Even that isn't protected by a constitution given that the death penalty exists.
Either way that's too much on the political stand and I understand the point you were trying to make, it's that there should be some basic guidelines in place for the development, implementation etc without there being anything that is too set in stone that it is not adaptable to the current situation.
lets delve into the right to breathe.
imagine a LAW that was made to allow cops to choke out people as a cops 'self defense' / resisting arrest appropriate method of achieving suspects arrest.
by having right to breathe in a constitution would overpower the cops law. thus the cop would be in prison for choking out someone instead of using the cops law to get away with killing a suspect..
other examples, it makes waterboarding an unconstitutional interrogation method
it makes the nazi death camp (using gas) a unconstitutional thing
but with that all said.
what fundamental aspects should a bitcoin constitution include that are not to be used to over power/extinguish innovation. or used for malicious interpretation..
after all after hundreds of years people still debate the interpretation of "bare arms" (biceps or muskets or fully automatic rifles)
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