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Topic: simple stupid comparison of bitcoin mining and just buying (Read 1385 times)

legendary
Activity: 1456
Merit: 1000
Mining doesnt only give you bitcoins - with mining you are also supporting the bitcoin network without bitcoin would not work.

Imagine nobody mining and just try to buy... wouldnt even work in the first place

by adding a miner to a pool you don't improve the network - you only do that if you create a new node.

Please explain how i do not support the bitcoin network if i actively mine bitcoin? Thanks

its a bit more complicated than just mining bitcoin -

do you support the network if by mining at a pool you tip the pool over 50%?

The system needs more than just miners proving the transaction it also needs nodes - these broadcast the information around the system, the more nodes - that is full function nodes with bitcoin core running and a complete blockchain - (not something most asics worry about) the more secure the system. Running a full node is not incentivised, so the numbers are falling.
Pools reduce the number of nodes, but unless you mine in a pool you won't successfully find a block


hmmm this make me think that there should be some incentive for a full node. maybe 50% POW -- 50% POS  ?
full member
Activity: 343
Merit: 100
Lets assume i have 1000 usd, todays bitcoin price around 400usd.

case 1 : buying bitcoin
with 1000 usd to buy bitcoin @400 usd each, i will get around 2.5 bitcoin.  i can profit from trading with bullish OR bearish sentiment.


case 2:  mining
with 1000 usd, i should get at least 1.5T miner, WHICH will net you around 2.5 bitcoin AFTER 4 month. and bearish sentiment will eat your soul.


am i right Huh

Don't forget different tax treatment if you are in the USA (mining is counted as ordinary income).

Most miners are mining at a loss. Can they write it off as loss?
sr. member
Activity: 269
Merit: 250

its a bit more complicated than just mining bitcoin -

do you support the network if by mining at a pool you tip the pool over 50%?

The system needs more than just miners proving the transaction it also needs nodes - these broadcast the information around the system, the more nodes - that is full function nodes with bitcoin core running and a complete blockchain - (not something most asics worry about) the more secure the system. Running a full node is not incentivised, so the numbers are falling.
Pools reduce the number of nodes, but unless you mine in a pool you won't successfully find a block

While we should encourage full nodes that are not actively mining for a variety of reasons in terms of security it is a problematic statement.
Ultimately all passive clients will follow the longest chain as long as it is not invalid.
Security in terms of the blockchain is given through PoW. Full nodes can help relay information and make the network a bit more resistant to some attacks, but I feel that the long interval between blocks was specifically chosen to give ample time for information to disseminate.

A full node that is not mining can only relay information, it does not actively participate in the consensus process. If there were only 5 full nodes mining that are well connected to each other it is almost irrelevant how many other full nodes you have that are not mining, those 5 nodes will determine the contents of the blockchain and "secure" the network.
legendary
Activity: 1008
Merit: 1000
Lets assume i have 1000 usd, todays bitcoin price around 400usd.

case 1 : buying bitcoin
with 1000 usd to buy bitcoin @400 usd each, i will get around 2.5 bitcoin.  i can profit from trading with bullish OR bearish sentiment.


case 2:  mining
with 1000 usd, i should get at least 1.5T miner, WHICH will net you around 2.5 bitcoin AFTER 4 month. and bearish sentiment will eat your soul.


am i right Huh

Don't forget different tax treatment if you are in the USA (mining is counted as ordinary income).
legendary
Activity: 4158
Merit: 4811
You're never too old to think young.
well, mining is just another way of acquiring bitcoins!

For some of us it's a fine way to provide a little heat to cool corners of our homes.

Just started mine up after being shut down since last spring.

Let's see how many satoshis per month it'll yield this year.  Undecided
sr. member
Activity: 952
Merit: 281
With buying you KNOW that you will get 2.5 BTC.

With buying a miner you hope you will hit 2.5 after 4 months. But what if the price skyrockets next week to a new ATH? The difficulty will spike and then it can take much longer to reach your 2.5.

Buying seems easier for me. I don't have to worry about power costs or upsetting the wife with a mining setup. She's already annoyed enough that I always talk about bitcoin.  Cheesy
You can hedge against that risk with derivatives on www.btc.sx

you can hedge the price there - can you hedge the difficulty? I seem to remember some difficulty futures - but I thought those stopped trading sometime in the 1st quarter this year?
No you cannot hedge difficulty per se, but hedging the price should produce the same results
legendary
Activity: 2464
Merit: 1145
Mining doesnt only give you bitcoins - with mining you are also supporting the bitcoin network without bitcoin would not work.

Imagine nobody mining and just try to buy... wouldnt even work in the first place

by adding a miner to a pool you don't improve the network - you only do that if you create a new node.

Please explain how i do not support the bitcoin network if i actively mine bitcoin? Thanks

its a bit more complicated than just mining bitcoin -

do you support the network if by mining at a pool you tip the pool over 50%?

The system needs more than just miners proving the transaction it also needs nodes - these broadcast the information around the system, the more nodes - that is full function nodes with bitcoin core running and a complete blockchain - (not something most asics worry about) the more secure the system. Running a full node is not incentivised, so the numbers are falling.
Pools reduce the number of nodes, but unless you mine in a pool you won't successfully find a block

Hashrate corrolates directly with network security so mining will always support the bitcoin network


All what you say is correct but its not a mining problem itself.
hero member
Activity: 703
Merit: 502
Mining doesnt only give you bitcoins - with mining you are also supporting the bitcoin network without bitcoin would not work.

Imagine nobody mining and just try to buy... wouldnt even work in the first place

by adding a miner to a pool you don't improve the network - you only do that if you create a new node.

Please explain how i do not support the bitcoin network if i actively mine bitcoin? Thanks

its a bit more complicated than just mining bitcoin -

do you support the network if by mining at a pool you tip the pool over 50%?

The system needs more than just miners proving the transaction it also needs nodes - these broadcast the information around the system, the more nodes - that is full function nodes with bitcoin core running and a complete blockchain - (not something most asics worry about) the more secure the system. Running a full node is not incentivised, so the numbers are falling.
Pools reduce the number of nodes, but unless you mine in a pool you won't successfully find a block
sr. member
Activity: 298
Merit: 250
mining is more of a hobby for some people these days but as long as i can afford to run these babies they are never going to shutdown.
legendary
Activity: 1722
Merit: 1000
well, mining is just another way of acquiring bitcoins!

hmmm yes if the miner didnt break after few month.

All of my S1's have been running for well over half a year.
legendary
Activity: 1456
Merit: 1000
With buying you KNOW that you will get 2.5 BTC.

With buying a miner you hope you will hit 2.5 after 4 months. But what if the price skyrockets next week to a new ATH? The difficulty will spike and then it can take much longer to reach your 2.5.

Buying seems easier for me. I don't have to worry about power costs or upsetting the wife with a mining setup. She's already annoyed enough that I always talk about bitcoin.  Cheesy

 Grin
legendary
Activity: 2464
Merit: 1145
Mining doesnt only give you bitcoins - with mining you are also supporting the bitcoin network without bitcoin would not work.

Imagine nobody mining and just try to buy... wouldnt even work in the first place

by adding a miner to a pool you don't improve the network - you only do that if you create a new node.

Please explain how i do not support the bitcoin network if i actively mine bitcoin? Thanks
hero member
Activity: 703
Merit: 502
With buying you KNOW that you will get 2.5 BTC.

With buying a miner you hope you will hit 2.5 after 4 months. But what if the price skyrockets next week to a new ATH? The difficulty will spike and then it can take much longer to reach your 2.5.

Buying seems easier for me. I don't have to worry about power costs or upsetting the wife with a mining setup. She's already annoyed enough that I always talk about bitcoin.  Cheesy
You can hedge against that risk with derivatives on www.btc.sx

you can hedge the price there - can you hedge the difficulty? I seem to remember some difficulty futures - but I thought those stopped trading sometime in the 1st quarter this year?
sr. member
Activity: 378
Merit: 254
...
am i right Huh

With mining, you have extra variables to consider--mainly if/how soon you get your miner, and hashrate increase.  TL;DR: most non-commercial miners have lost money.
sr. member
Activity: 952
Merit: 281
With buying you KNOW that you will get 2.5 BTC.

With buying a miner you hope you will hit 2.5 after 4 months. But what if the price skyrockets next week to a new ATH? The difficulty will spike and then it can take much longer to reach your 2.5.

Buying seems easier for me. I don't have to worry about power costs or upsetting the wife with a mining setup. She's already annoyed enough that I always talk about bitcoin.  Cheesy
You can hedge against that risk with derivatives on www.btc.sx
hero member
Activity: 703
Merit: 502
Mining doesnt only give you bitcoins - with mining you are also supporting the bitcoin network without bitcoin would not work.

Imagine nobody mining and just try to buy... wouldnt even work in the first place

by adding a miner to a pool you don't improve the network - you only do that if you create a new node.
legendary
Activity: 2464
Merit: 1145
Mining doesnt only give you bitcoins - with mining you are also supporting the bitcoin network without bitcoin would not work.

Imagine nobody mining and just try to buy... wouldnt even work in the first place
legendary
Activity: 1442
Merit: 1186
With buying you KNOW that you will get 2.5 BTC.

With buying a miner you hope you will hit 2.5 after 4 months. But what if the price skyrockets next week to a new ATH? The difficulty will spike and then it can take much longer to reach your 2.5.

Buying seems easier for me. I don't have to worry about power costs or upsetting the wife with a mining setup. She's already annoyed enough that I always talk about bitcoin.  Cheesy
legendary
Activity: 1456
Merit: 1000
well, mining is just another way of acquiring bitcoins!

hmmm yes if the miner didnt break after few month.
hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 500
well, mining is just another way of acquiring bitcoins!
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