We are a group of crypto-currency researchers from the University of California, San Diego, USA. We are interested in the business model of altcoins and the social behaviors that revolve around altcoins.
Very interesting indeed, and great news in itself - academics are certainly welcome and needed in the scene!
I'll fill in the survey and would love to exchange some further thoughts regarding these issues with you.
As a general note, it's quite difficult to define the exact costs of establishing another crypto currency. If we're talking about "just forking" then it's pretty much copy & paste stuff, although even then there is fair amount of work to do anyways - if nothing else, at least all the graphics, sales talk etc.
I see lots of similar issues in crypto currency scene as in open source in general. In a nutshell: lots and lots of great ideas and enthusiasm, combined with equally great technical skills, often lacking in overall coordination, resulting in a familiar scenario of "loads and loads of speed but not always that much direction.
I mean this as a general level note; there are of course many exceptions to these rules of thumb when it comes to individual projects and people.- Jyri
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Altcoin.Center