The "next level" of adoption comes from third-party integrations and services that actually bring utility to the currency. A bundled GUI doesn't deliver any compelling new use cases, and won't result in any new adoption outside of Bitcointalk users and their close relatives.
With all due respect, what you're saying is
crazy.Of
course a bundled GUI will result in new adoption. You can't just assume that everyone knows how to use terminal....
they don't.The userbase associated with a $1B marketcap is not the same userbase as a cabal of niche crypto-developers who take certain technological fundamentals for granted.
It should also be patently obvious that an easy-to-use GUI gives confidence to third-parties who may be mulling over integration.
What's crazy is the idea that the average joe will want to run a node for some whiz-bang e-money just because he can... never mind the fact that he
has no reason to.
A bundled GUI only increases accessibility to the few crypto-conscious individuals already in the space. Joe Blow doesn't have a good reason to run his own node, GUI or not. Making something easier doesn't automatically make anyone want or need it.
There are lots of things that can make XMR approachable to wider adoption. Mobile apps with easy messaging as an abstraction layer for payments, point-of-sale tools and services for in-person purchases, easier exchange services from/to fiat, etc. would all be greatly helpful.
But a core GUI won't increase adoption significantly, because average users won't be running their own nodes anyway.
The "next level" of adoption comes from third-party integrations and services that actually bring utility to the currency. A bundled GUI doesn't deliver any compelling new use cases, and won't result in any new adoption outside of Bitcointalk users and their close relatives.
What about the idea that poor ease-of-use serves as a deterrent to third party integrations and services?
I think that was the case 12 months ago, but not anymore. Besides, the lack of a GUI seems like it would be less of a deterrent to the third parties doing the integrations and more of a deterrent to the end users who care about running their own node yet somehow lack the knowledge to use the CLI.
I could be wrong of course. But when the GUI comes out and not much changes, I won't be surprised.