Post
Topic
Board Altcoin Discussion
Re: Satoshi didn't solve the Byzantine generals problem
by
TPTB_need_war
on 06/02/2016, 23:34:03 UTC
you can't solve byzantine generals problem with a probabilistic model unless you've first solved sybil with a probabilistic model and Bitcoin doesn't do that
because there's no way of telling if all pools are owned by the same person, then it's not collusion or 51% attack, it's a sybil attack
since the essence of the byzantine generals problem is sybil attack, dealing with sybil comes first in the hierarchy before byzantine generals is discussed at all

I made this same point in either 2013 or 2014.

Afaics, the only solution is unprofitable PoW which is the design I am now pursuing.

Bitcoin solves the byzantine generals problem within the bounds of the assumptions in the model. If one entity controls a majority of hashing power, that is outside of the bounds.

Circular logic. Bitcoin didn't solve the Sybil attack problem when pools control 51% and no one can know whether they do and reroute their PoW shares.