Quote from: Nyhm on September 13, 2012, 05:07:46 PM

Quote from: Rogue on September 13, 2012, 04:50:58 PM

I've been tracking BTC for a couple months now and have really been looking into it. I know we are approaching a half block mark.

but what is a "Half block" and why should it matter to me?

Also how secure are programs like "Armory"? because i dont want to transfer BTC to some service with the number of scam post that are being put out on this forum.

any help will be greatly appreciated

First, welcome!

The half-block mark has to do with (so-called) Bitcoin mining. It's the mathematical process by which new Bitcoin value is introduced to the network. When a miner "discovers" the next block (more precisely, solves a mathematical hashing problem), they generate and get ownership of a pre-determined number of bitcoins. At each (pre-determined) half-block point, half as many bitcoins are issued per block discovery. Eventually, no new bitcoins will be issued.

What this should matter to end-users: Nothing. If you want to get into mining, it's all about the economics of running processors (consuming electricity) and probability of solving blocks.

If you have any concern for the security of your wallet, you'll likely want a local client application rather than an online e-wallet. While I can't speak to the specific security of any Bitcoin software, one of Armory's primary tenets is security. I'd consider Armory to be a wallet for advanced use, with lots of powerful features. If you want to get started with something simple, try VanillaWallet (I'm the developer, and it's still Alpha).

Electricity is fairly cheap from what I understand, does this meen the cost of electricity is really going to effect your profit? or income? if so I cant see how anyone would make a significant amount of dollhairs