Cryptocurrency – For Whom and For What?- "Fundamentally, cryptocurrencies are specifications regarding the use of currency which seek to incorporate principles of cryptography to implement a distributed, decentralized and secure information economy."
- "Within cryptocurrency systems the safety, integrity and balance of all ledgers is maintained by a swarm of mutually distrustful parties referred to as miners who are usually members of the public handling cryptocurrency transactions for a small fee."
I'm sure that we could all agree that “a distributed, decentralized and secure information economy” whose “safety, integrity and balance of all ledgers is maintained by a swarm of mutually distrustful parties” is the defined, prerequisite, foundation for any cryptocurrency hoping for successful long term adoption and standardization.
Reaching an agreement on a categorical definition of who makes up the decentralized network and the size of their swarm is another matter altogether. Deciding on, and defining these two variables, is undoubtedly essential for making the final decision regarding just about every other aspect of a cryptocurrency.
Who makes up the cryptocurrency's user base? If you are on the Dev team the question becomes: who do you want as your cryptocurrency's users?
I also prefer a 1GH/s network run by 1000 people over a 100GH/s network run by 10 people, INDEPENDENT of the technology used. Note that key concept expressed in the word independent! It's not the technology per se, rather it's the kind of user base I prefer since more users translates into more secure, again,
independent of the technology employed.
But let's say that the cryptocurrency's developers prefer the opposite of what I prefer, and they want as few users as possible with the largest hashrate possible. Who am I to get in their way? That's their right and prerogative. Doesn't mean I have to use that particular cryptocurrency though – of course, I always have the same right and prerogative to go somewhere else.
The point is that no-one can really say which is better when it comes to personal preferences and likes and dislikes. What's more, even though you can make a very strong objective argument showing how security is enhanced by a large user base and compromised by a small user base, someone just might choose a less secure network option for whatever strange reason they might have, and that's that.
As a consequence, we've got “a distributed, decentralized and secure information economy” whose “safety, integrity and balance of all ledgers is maintained by a swarm of mutually distrustful parties”, but we still don't know who our users are until we define them on a case by case basis.Obviously, if security is priority #1, the larger the “swarm”, the better.Okay, but even “larger” is relative. Larger to what? There's still room here for the ASIC intensive mining ethos to make its argument. It would be elitist of course, but an argument for its case nonetheless. In its most simple of forms it goes as follows: since there are very few specialized ASIC mining machines relative to computers in the world, the aggregate size of an ASIC network need not be nearly as large as that needed for a network of CPU/GPU miners.
And that would be just fine for the developers of a cryptocurrency aimed solely at specialized ASIC intensive miners.
The problem here is that DGB is aimed at a mass consumption audience.
And in this game, unfortunately, you can't have your cake and eat it too (just like life itself
). You have to choose, then clearly define, and then implement.
The debate, as I see it, with regards to this aspect of the current decision making process that DGB is going through, centers on a clear definition of who DGB intends to serve: ordinary folks with the readily available information technology they have at their disposal, or a specialized, elitist group of ASIC miners whose activity precludes the former and most probably ends in killing the coin?We can spew BS about what we personally like and dislike, fantasize about what's impossible, and the like, but until we seriously lay out all the rock-solid, objective reasons for why we think one thing or the other, we won't be making much of a contribution.
DGB needs to clearly define who its user base is (and is going to be) and then it needs to swiftly move to protect and defend that user base from all attacks, and if the ordinary man in a widely distributed network aimed at the masses is the final, clearly defined, “end user”, then an algo change is urgently needed now (IMVHO).
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