I missed the party. Any retrospective thoughts on what caused the start of this rally?

This is likely to be the case. CryptoNote was designed to be different from Bitcoin; even its whitepaper is written as opposed to Bitcoin architecture. Therefore, the API is incompatible. This would not be a drawback in case of higher demand/hype, but in reality this may hinder CryptoNote much more than blockchain bloating.

A beautiful comparison but largely off-track. It's software with a specific roadmap.

Your figures are wrong

1) Does AEON really exist for 38 days? The blockchain shouldn't be even close to 1GB then. AEON was launched 1.5 years ago, AFAIK. Did they relaunch the blockchain?

2) Bitcoin blockchain is twice more than 20GBs as of now:
https://blockchain.info/charts/blocks-size

3) Also, CryptoNote wallet file is indeed 20-something megabytes, not more (for ordinary wallets).

Bloating problem is likely irrelevant

I honestly never saw a problem with the blockchain size for CryptoNotes. Each tx is 2-3 times larger than in Bitcoin (as discussed by CryptoNote devs). It is a linear function, so there's absolutely nothing wrong with CryptoNote blockchain.

It is slightly bigger, but still not that much. Bytecon, which has the longest and possibly the largest blockchain from all CryptoNotes is currently 6GB when fully indexed.

Eventually, there will be full and light nodes just like in Bitcoin. Infrastructure will be sorted out by the evolution.

So you are either ignorant or fuding.

What's your approach on that? Are you going to reproduce Bytecoin's wallet?

I'm also not sure why you used the example of BitReserve, which is called Uphold now. Isn't it about transmission rather than either speculation or value storage?

This thread is so much cyclical you can read whichever page you want to get the full scope of this discussion.

Yep, for instance, MoneroDice has a large number of wages daily. I'm not sure it creates demand for the coin itself, but in any case this can be a good way to give at least some use cases.

With 75% you can do 51% attack more efficiently I guess. You will be able to double spend the coins easier.
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Double-spending

This list in the OP is the exact reason cryptocurrencies are currently going nowhere. If we define success as some case of mass adoption (in consumer or industrial markets), then we have to think about market applicability. The car doesn't need an extra wheel unless there's a demand for one in some segments. Similarly, focusing on purely technology features in cryptocurrencies is misguiding us. Crypto is a product, first of all.

So in order to be successful in 5 years time, a cc should have market focus as well as knowledge of its segments and potential users. Otherwise, it is still but a technological sandbox or a decentralized R&D center if you wish.

Like 5 times.

Obviously, it's not the common wisdom of Altcoin discussion here on BCT. Troll wars among people not willing to admit the general fail of altcoins as an incubator for the next Bitcoin. Shall we wait a couple more years?

IMO this needs to be done under a solid vision. Is there anyone who can take the lead and effectively fork the rep and/or the site?

Awesome question by Nxtblg. Watching this topic.

I implied that the release of the official GUI won't affect price per se (there might be a short term spike), but it will create the opportunity for more users to board in a given time period. I assume that these people won't buy a significant amount of Monero, but their existence will capitalize over time and may help an additional upward trend emerge over time.



First of all, I'm not sure there's urgency in site redesign. It should be done for sure before the official GUI is released. Maybe the faster the better, but it's related to the first question I asked in my list. Monero community (or dev team, IDK) has to agree upon user acquisition and growth strategy.

Who is the most lucrative visitor for the website? Who's likely to get convinced by what Monero has to offer today and who can be convinced by it's short- and long-term plans? Which audience is naturally more prone to join Monero community? Is it a tech savvy, an alternative financier/trader, a more general cryptocurrency user, somewhat broader hipster audience?

And what is the most desirable action? Get this user to download software? Make him join the discussion here? Let him get his first XMR easily?

It's important to get at least a form of vision on these questions (public discussion maybe?), as they shape the site and the message it states. In any case, I believe there's still time before LMDB hits the official release. It will be a great usability/accessibility improvement apart from official GUI. Any estimates on that, btw?

Well, fairly OK is not the best for conversion funnel. I was talking about broader public and from that perspective it's easier to say what is not worth improving.

Just a couple of thoughts from the top of the head:

1. Who is actually the target audience? What people the site should pursue and convince to download the software? As of now it seems that the site is targeted at those who already know about Monero. Too geeky for a layman, too feature-focused for not-sophisticated bitcoiners. It doesn't represent benefits for the user, it focuses on how the tech works inside.

Currently the site is a project for those who know about Monero/CryptoNote. It assumes an average user to know what he's doing there. In reality, an average user doesn't know and doesn't wish to try to get to know.

I'd say it's better to identify those who might be visiting the site (where are the adjacent market niches?) and try convincing them with their language.

2. The whole Getting Started section is inadequate. Lots of reading, pure text. No screenshots for GUI Wallet (well, why not, I might want to see what I'm about to download), no descriptions. This one should be very descriptive and intuitive. Show me what I'm dealing with, convince me of the benefits, lead me towards target action (download?).

3. A number of text-only pages. People hate reading. Structure, visualize, simplify. It's too easy to lose a visitor because of making him read.
What's more, it's quite complicated to navigate across the site if I don't know anything and would like to start somewhere. There's no easy point of entrance.

4. Lots of stuff and tech slang nobody knows or cares about. Design & development goals look nice, but can I have a taste of what it actually implies to me as a user?

5. Blog/News/Diaries are outdated. "Is this project abandoned?"

6. And actually, pretty much every page looks amateurish. It might be ok depending on the target auditnce, but in general it may send polar messages to users. A more polished style could help I guess.

7. Finally, https://getmonero.org/ is just lol (select language, choose wisely!). Come on, index page is crucial.

8. And yeah, SEO.

It reminds me of Bytecoin's donations in their GUI Wallet, but they are closed source. Are you going to replicate this features?

Also, is there a GUI Wallet with mining on Forknote?

I'm pretty sure that in case there is huge demand for the coin, it is integrated into exchanges no matter what. Look at Ethereum; it differs from Bitcoin but is widely adopted. There is a reason for that since Ethereum is overhyped and promises radical novelty. It has unprecedented demand (or stimulates it some other way).

What is the direction for Monero here? Straithforward compatibility with Bitcoin is not an option technologically. Official release of LMDB may be a trigger for a larger adoption, but IMO it's much more of chicken and egg dilemma in large rather than this tech showstopper. Improved integration doesn't bring demand per se.

The official GUI that last year we saw screenshots of can lower entrance barriers for users. Another option is, possibly, a clearer website. It will have nothing to do with the price, but it may increase new users conversion.

It's like an altcoin exhibition here. No seriously, there should be one offline.

The question to the OP and to the rest of interested here. Which peer review is missing for ShadowCash? Certain parts/features, or overall?