I've tried to read about what a Bitcoin is, how to mine, etc. I find them to be confusing in that I don't understand the underlying factors driving Bitcoin. Everything I've read seems to assume the reader has some knowledge of Bitcoin (even the wiki). Where should I start?
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Sorry to contradict you all, but all of those places are terrible places to start. It's because of the misconceptions and confusions they breed that I wrote the "New to BitCoin? Start here!" post at bitcointalk.org. OrigamiRobot, I highly recommend that you read that introduction before proceeding on to anything else, especially the original whitepaper, which is incredibly unapproachable for the average person. After you finish it, come here and ask about the things that still confuse you--BitCoin is very complicated, and it can take a while to wrap your head around it! |
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Weusecoins.com has an excellent video on the basic premise of bitcoin. Bitcoin is a very complicated platform, and really has two separate entities. There is bitcoin the currency, and bitcoin the currency ledger. The wiki available at bitcoin.it will give you more in depth information if the weusecoins video is too broad. |
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For a detailed, yet approachable (if you know a little bit about software and cryptography) overview of how bitcoin works, read Satoshi's white paper at: http://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf Here's a hint to get you started: a bitcoin is a balance in an account. It's not a token that is passed around. Many digital cash systems are based on discreet tokens. That's not the case with bitcoin. It is a ledger system that consists of a transaction history where balances are transferred between accounts. If you understand this before reading the paper, it might make more sense. |
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I think that the wiki is actually a very good place to learn about bitcoin. Just read the articles there. If you don't understand something, just continue reading and then follow up on the terms you didn't understand. If you then still have questions left, feel free to ask them here. PS: we use coins is also a good place to start, especially the video mentioned by Matth1a3. |
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Try this blog post from The Economist. They are professional writers and obviously knowledgeable in economics so it's a good read. Their opinion on the future of Bitcoin is a bit pessimistic though. http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/06/virtual-currency |
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I created this Canonical Newbie Guide on Reddit. It's still empty, but I'm hoping it will become a good resource for newbies. |
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I suggest the book Bitcoin Step by Step which can be found on Kindle. |
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