Quote from: pawel7777 on April 14, 2015, 01:04:06 PM

Quote from: kelsey on April 13, 2015, 01:05:13 PM

i've been around this community a few years and i still don't get why anyone would chose bitcoin.

don't get me wrong i believe in an alternative p2p currency, but to me bitcoin certainly doesn't cut it.

about the only answer people have is first mover advantage. but that's pretty much it.

It also got biggest network, number of users, adoption rate and nice name. But being first is huge in this case. We're not talking about first grocery store in town, which have a big advantage of being first, but can easily lose it's position to competitors with better prices and better services.

Current bitcoin users cannot switch to other (currently best) coin without turning whole cryptocurrency 'industry' into big joke. If everyone jumped from coin A to better coin B, then no one in the right mind would keep any significant amount of $ (equivalent) in coin B, as there'll be a risk (or even certainty) that someone will launch "new and improved" coin C and everyone will jump on that.

Bitcoin doesn't have to be the best (whatever that means) it has to be "good enough".

And the bottom line is, Bitcoin is not un-changeable. If there's ever new protocol, or improvement invented and everyone (or vast majority) agree is better than the current one, you could switch Bitcoin to that. With the biggest network and user base, that scenario seems more likely to happen than other crypto taking over.

Quote from: kelsey on April 13, 2015, 01:05:13 PM

bitcoin seems to, over time, be drifting more into a centralised system, core dev team where so few as 5 completely control the code, backed by what has come to light time and time again a very questionable central organisation.

How do those 5 devs control the code? What do you think will happen if they tried to force the fork that no one else agrees with? They would made themselves irrelevant pretty quickly.

You're not happy with "5"? What's the right number? 7? 20? 1000? No devs at all?

What/who is stopping you from becoming influential/valuable dev?

TBF backing the dev is was probably the most useful thing they ever did.

Quote from: kelsey on April 13, 2015, 01:05:13 PM

have VC with their little startups jumping on board left right and center, and we know their goals Kiss

, bitcoin's heading more and more like being the bank product it was meant to be an alternative to Shocked

And how's that bad? Have they stolen your ability to control your coins? If not, what's the problem? You don't want to use BTC because people/institutions you don't like also have interest in it? Bad news, pick whatever crypto you want, but as soon as it's successful you'll have VC investors and financial institutions all over it.

don't be naive the 5 central devs could pretty much do what they wanted (gavin's even openly says this),

now the argument that majority wouldn't follow a bad play....well that could be valid if 1) the majority aren't apathetic AND 2) the majority understand the change and consequences (they'd believe the devs over and above the vocal few expressing the opposite view) AND 3) the majority had bitcoins best interest at heart rather then their own personal fiat gain.

becomes like fiat majority learn its dodge they'd still try and keep it in play for fear of system collapse.

you really think bitcoin would survive a split between the core devs and the majority of holders?