Yeah I suppose Monero still has some 1000s of users because Zcash isn't released yet. But the clock is ticking on that plus as other coins moves towards 100 millions of user adoption
There are no coins making any real moves to 100 millions of user adoption with the possible exception of Bitcoin perhaps slowly very, very doing so. But this was a discussion of altcoins, which makes Bitcoin irrelevant.
Leave that kind of hyperbole to the pumpers. You're not very good at that game (no insult).
I am not trying to be extra callous, but I am just so tired of hearing how Mundanero will still be going 20 years from now.
It may, it may not. I'm on record saying many times that it will probably fail and become worthless. Of all the coins around, it is in a small group that has the best chance to be around in 20 years (Bitcoin obviously far eclipses all the rest, and not only because of its size)
Hey I need a popular coin now! If Monero can't do it, then someone else will.
Maybe. It could be that the mass market just doesn't want it. One of the merits of a slow and steady approach is that the mass market may wants something in the future that it doesn't want now.
Btw I agree that there haven't been really serious achievements from altcoins. Ethereum is an unfinished and highly unpolished work, that doesn't yet have a killer app. The DAO is an unmitigated disaster in the making. And Dash is of course Dashtardly.
Steem appears to have good coders. If they had only consulted with me to get the marketing design right and the debasement design right. I am quite tempted to find out who their best coders are and try to approach them, but I've watched Dan so many times botch things, that I am wary.
IMO the Bitshares ecosystem (including Steem) has the best coders and not just Dan, at least if you want to stick with C++ or don't care about PL. Also the best quality code stack. Bitcoin has very good coders, but I'm assuming you are only speaking of alts. Monero had one excellent C++ coder but he unfortunately passed away, along with several competent ones. I'm unsure about Ethereum; apparently Gavin was a good coder (speaking on second-hand reports, not my personal assessment). Vitalik is hardly a coder at all. I don't know about the others. But as you say coding ability is not the only thing that matters. There are many other ways to mess things up, and other ways to add value.