Alt coins are not needed - they deflate Bitcoin.
The main problem with decentralisation is the amount of knob rots creating idiotic coins and there is no one to stop/punish them for they're disregard of Bitcoin.
Is it possible that altcoins will define the next step for bitcoin? I think they already have. Look at the number of people that mine things like doge, or EAC. They are increasing the usage of bitcoin in the process. They are providing reach to bitcoin that would otherwise be impossible to people that can't afford ASICs.The main problem with decentralisation is the amount of knob rots creating idiotic coins and there is no one to stop/punish them for they're disregard of Bitcoin.
If it were not for the altcoins, BTC might not have gotten overstock, tiger direct, etc.
I do think that these forums are ridiculous though. Dedicated moderation and the creation of some sub forums would help a lot.
No disagreement here but would point out two additional things. When i cash out if my altcoin (assuming they are worth anything in the future) i will have to buy bitcoin to get cash. Or I may just keep bitcoin if it is standard currency by then. But i am not alone, it may turn out the huge wave higher in btc is liquidation of dumb altcoins as they collapse into their own shadow. Panics are like that and all altcoins are basically only fungible with bitcoin now. So it is in fact stabilizing demand albeit in a perverse fashion.
Second, nobody who is not really into bitcoins or altcoins knows this site exists or will ever come across it. So the idea that it is giving bitcoin a bad name, not really. Random weirdness like doge crawls into the mainstream but this is still a small universe and tittiecoin 2.0 will not be dinner table conversation anywhere outside of your geekdom here.
Think that was all.