Quote from: evoorhees on July 07, 2011, 05:10:55 PM

A good skeptic should ask, "is the underlying technology/protocol of Bitcoin sound?" If it is, then all those tertiary issues will be solved over time because the marketplace wants to profit from the efficiency of frictionless-money.

I completely agree with your analysis. Forget all the immediate issues, a good skeptic *should* ask ""is the underlying technology/protocol of Bitcoin sound?" However, I think an even better skeptic would ask the question "are the people around Bitcoin sound?" The best technology in the world can fail if it's surrounded and promoted by the wrong people, and the worst technology can succeed if an organizational and marketing genius is behind it (viz., Microsoft). Well, the devs seem very sound, although sometimes it's not clear to me if they realize they enormity of their task. I am concerned that many of the businesses emerging around Bitcoin right now seem scam-ridden and/or amateurish, but I try to remind myself that we're in the gold rush days. My hope is that right now, dozens of competent individuals are building the next wave of Bitcoin businesses, and that more reputable merchants are looking into accepting Bitcoin. When I see things like the Android app, I am heartened. But in the end, it will be the people that make or break Bitcoin, not the technology.