• GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca
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    5 months ago

    I can only imagine he means American currency, and the anti-counterfeiting technology embedded in it. It’s the most popular currency in the world.

    Oh, bitcoin? The accounting package that requires the power of a small nation to maintain it? Well, I guess that works, too.

    • Victoria Antoinette @lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      the bitcoin blockchain doesn’t require all that power. nothing about the code dictates that. it’s a social phenomenon, just like the markets.

      • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca
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        5 months ago

        Okay, “maintain” isn’t the right word, but the mining process is designed that way and it’s baked into the whole currency. Actual work could have been done, but instead we burned it all for imaginary money (which isn’t much different from fiat currency).

      • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        The bitcoin blockchain requires more power than any other blockchain while providing less features.

        The only outstanding feature of bitcoin is it’s price.

        • Victoria Antoinette @lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          the bitcoin blockchain doesn’t require any power. any miner can stop, the blockchain would have less power, and still continue to function.

          • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            The bitcoin blockchain doesn’t require any power.

            Yes. It does. No transaction can occur without proof of work being performed.

            any miner can stop, the blockchain would have less power, and still continue to function.

            Marginally less power, but nowhere near the reduction needed to compete with a PoS blockchain.

            For example Ethereum PoS uses 2,600 MWh per year (= a single 1MW windfarm). Bitcoin uses 53,000x more energy than Ethereum.

              • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                the whole network could be run on two raspberry pis.

                No. Then someone would buy 3 raspberry pis and claim all the bitcoin.

                Bitcoin was a great idea in 2008 but in 2024 it has been overshadowed by other blockchains in every single dimension except for market cap.

                  • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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                    5 months ago

                    We are discussing energy usage, not consensus protocols.

                    The Bitcoin network never going to run on any number raspberry pis. Any claims that it will compete with a PoS blockchain for energy efficiency are ludicrous.