Quote from: phillipsjk on November 15, 2011, 07:47:53 PM

Quote from: Peter Lambert on November 15, 2011, 05:40:10 PM

Quote from: Rassah on November 02, 2011, 04:29:03 AM

Bitcoin is Linux to VISA's Windows.

Isn't the Android system a version of linux?

Basically, bitcoin will go mainstream when it is hidden under layers of fluff so average people do not have to know anything about it, it will just be running in the background supporting the rest of the monetary system.

I found the original analogy apt, and your potential misunderstanding about what Linux is may have important implications for the future of bitcoin.

Linux is not an Operating system, it is a kernel (can be lossely defined as a hardware abstraction layer). When people refer to "Linux", they are often referring to a GNU/Linux distribution bundled with things like the X11 Window system; often with the KDE or GNOME desktop environments (I prefer simpler Window managers myself).

Android uses the Linux kernel, but not the GNU user-land. Some distributions such as Debian allow you to replace the kernel with FreeBSD or Hurd.

The point here is that many users don't understand/know about the reason the GNU system was developed. While describing an OS as GNU+Linux may be annoying at times, it hints niether part is complete without the other. With Bitcoin the danger (that some people have voiced on the forums) is that bitcoin will become the new "gold standard": with the average person using electronic wallets backed by bitcoin, but not using bitcoin directly. Over time, some e-wallet providers may be temped to do fractional reserve lending, making history repeat itselft.

even if bitcoin becomes large and fractional reserve banking based on it comes into existence, it will still solve the more important issue of the control of the supply and the central banking debt and interest