Counterparty is not anonymous. Everyone knows it is being built by 'Robby' - https://bitcointalksearch.org/user/rbdrbd-102837
You can check precisely from where the whole thing started: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=265488.msg3822194;topicseen#msg3822194
Robby wanted to join Mastercoin and he started telling everyone how they suck and he is an experienced professional who has done many big projects. Mastercoin didn't get impressed with Robby's 'big swinging dick' attitude - so they told him "No thanks". So Robby went off and did his own thing: CounterParty. Robby built something nice. However, the Mastercoin infrastructure is much more than Robby's fast programming ability. Mastercoin is a community of dedicated hard working guys who COOPERATE together. Robby is a single dominant personality who wants to take over and tell others who don't agree with him - they suck.
We'll see which holds up. Robby's work is no doubt nice. But Robby is not a community of cooperating parts. Counterparty will copy Mastercoin and every step - in some places, CP will even look better. But CP will not be able to pass MSC as CP is mere a one man show with loads of coding skill.
It is a shame really. Mastercoin could have used contributions from Robby. But his dumb-ass personality got in the way. He isn't the kind of guy who cooperates with others. 'My way or the highway'. So - he took the highway. Bye-bye robby.
I had to laugh a bit at this post, especially the “big swinging dick” part. Here's the deal, guys: I got involved with Mastercoin because as an investor, I felt that things were in a bit of a rut and my skills could potentially be useful. I had some ideas that I put out there in a way that the Mastercoin team was free to integrate, or not. It was never intended to be a “my way or the highway” kind of thing, and any references to “my business” or “my experience” was simply to help give the ideas context and to establish a relevance to them, *not* to puff me up personally. Moreover, I offered support and resources as well in several proposals (by for instance, promoting the idea of a “mastercoind” as well as developing part of it and offering to finish it, offering development resources, providing some targeted, experience-based tips to the team, and more). My intention and goal there was not to “steamroll” anyone, nor force anything down people's throats, but more to raise an objection and outline a potentially better way of doing things in some regards, and then let the community voice their support or lack of support for it. The best ideas should emerge and thrive, by consensus.
“Dominant personalities” do not do a good job building organizations, products, projects, or anything really which involves more than one person – them. My track record points to collaboration, working well with others, and being able to delegate effectively (which is the only way to grow something beyond yourself). Was it always this way? No, and I had to learn some very good, but hard lessons along the “school of hard knocks” path, and am still learning. Like most people, I have more failures than successes in my life, but unlike many people, I really try to learn from each mistake and improve. In fact, all else being equal, I prefer to stay in the background – it's easier that way, and actions should speak for themselves. However, if I see something that is not going too well, and I have the interest, available time, and may have the skills to potentially help, then yes, I may get involved at that point. The only reason I stated my opinions is because I felt that logical, decisive action was lacking at the time in a few targeted areas, and things were not moving quickly enough. It was clear the “storm” that was coming in this space, and that Mastercoin would not be able to enjoy its first-mover advantage for long. In a few short months, this has come to pass.
I am glad to see that Mastercoin is becoming better organized and learning from past mistakes. This is a mark of any good organization. However, the luxury of time is no longer on their side. I am still a Mastercoin investor, and am grateful to the team (especially David, Ron, Taariq at the time, etc) for talking to and getting to know me and the ideas I had around team building and software development. Hopefully it was not a waste of time for them.
Hey Robby,
Thanks for chiming in here, nothing but respect for you, I actually liked all of your ideas and energy you contributed.
I have a question though. Is the counterpartyd that is being used your mastercoind? modified? or your ideas? Cause they are both named similarly, one disappeared at the same time the other one was created, and both are in python.
Thanks