All Questions
29,894
questions
16
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What are the advantages/disadvantages of a continuously decreasing block reward compared to the current method?
The current method to control the bitcoin supply to a maximum of 21 million BTC is to reduce the block reward (currently 50 BTC/block) by 50% every 210000 blocks. In this forum post there is a ...
- 3,279
7
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Largest number of bitcoins at a single address at one time?
What is the largest number of bitcoins that were stored in a single address at any one time to date?
I know there were >474320 BTC at this address at 2011-07-18 (identified to be MtGox's from the 424 ...
- 3,279
5
votes
2
answers
10k
views
Bitcoin alternative designed for NVIDIA
Currently the best graphics cards to mine Bitcoins are all AMDs. What should be changed in the Bitcoin protocol to make the alternative version of Bitcoins better mined by NVIDIA graphics cards? Could ...
- 42.9k
1
vote
1
answer
248
views
What does the Bitcoin community need the most now? [closed]
The Bitcoin project has grown many-fold since its creation, but since we haven't taken over the world yet, there is still some room for growth;). Is there some consensus on what does the Bitcoin ...
- 42.9k
16
votes
5
answers
4k
views
What is the status on webminers?
Are there any ongoing projects trying to develop a widely accessible WebCL-powered mining software? I've heard of two in the past, but their websites don't seem to be working any more.
- 42.9k
8
votes
2
answers
463
views
Which Namecoin block was the first one to be generated by merged mining?
For a definitive record is it possible to determine if a namecoin block was generated via merged mining? Is so which was the first one.
Which is the first bitcoin block to have namecoin information ...
- 8,747
18
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Has anyone attempted to make a working voting system using a bitcoin based system?
It occurred to me the other day that the difficult problem of electronic voting could possibly be solved quite nicely using a bitcoin system. I believe it's transparent enough to be trusted. I found a ...
- 1,605
10
votes
2
answers
691
views
Can I hide my IP address by blocking incoming connections in the client?
I know that it is possible to find out the IP address of a transaction by connecting the client to every node in the network. Dan Kaminsky wrote:
When you are connected to every node, the first ...
- 11.5k
10
votes
2
answers
332
views
What are acausal blocks?
In this forum post the poster (2112) writes:
It is my understanding that at least Eligius pool isn't a "honest node" and intentionally produces acausal blocks (or at least as close to ...
- 3,279
21
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Gaming the "off-by-one" bug (difficulty re-target based on 2015 instead of 2016 block time span)?
In this forum post from Gavin Andresen he writes:
Second: I've written 'discourage blocks' infrastructure:
https://github.com/gavinandresen/bitcoin-git/tree/discourageblocks
(code reviews ...
- 3,279
7
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Can an SMPPS (Shared Maximum Pay Per Share) pool be hopped?
I've looked at the way SMPPS (Shared Maximum Pay Per Share) payout schemes work, and as far as I can tell, there is no significant way to hop such a pool to advantage. Yet I've seen several people ...
- 51.3k
43
votes
2
answers
80k
views
What is a share? Can I find it while mining solo, or only when pool mining?
In mining, what is "a share"?
When mining solo, do I "find shares"?
- 26.5k
19
votes
2
answers
7k
views
What happens if my transaction is not accepted because I did not pay fees?
I was reading this thread about a client fork that does not force transaction fees and I noticed the big red warning saying that some coins might get lost if I am not careful. What does this mean? ...
- 11.5k
5
votes
2
answers
5k
views
What does "PROOF OF WORK RESULT: false (booooo)" mean when mining?
I'm mining (Litecoin miner, shouldn't matter) with minerd, and got this in the output:
[2011-10-13 07:12:02] thread 1: 5524 hashes, 0.96 khash/sec
[2011-10-13 07:12:02] thread 0: 5415 hashes, 0.95 ...
- 26.5k
17
votes
4
answers
9k
views
Is there a way to automatically send bitcoins from one wallet to another?
Say I have 2 wallets, an older non-encrypted one and a fresh new encrypted wallet with all new addresses. If I have an address in the older wallet that may receive some bitcoins in the future is there ...
- 3,279
6
votes
1
answer
743
views
`bitcoind` must be different from `bitcoin -server` because one gives an error message the other doesnt
Although the API reference implies that running bitcoin -server is the same as running bitcoind, I get no error message when running bitcoin -server with no bitcoin.conf file but I get teh following ...
- 393
17
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Is there a way to initiate a payment request in bitcoin?
I'm writing a recurring billing system and I want to be able to contact a customer and request a certain amount of money. Is this possible via bitcoin?
If not, could a URL be provided the customer so ...
- 393
15
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What are Namecoins?
What are Namecoins exactly, how do they differ from Bitcoins, and how come one is able to merge mine them along with Bitcoins?
- 42.9k
16
votes
1
answer
5k
views
What is NTime rolling/nonce range? And what miners support it?
From Slush's pool's homepage:
Pool now supports Long polling and NTime rolling. Older miners have many problems with those new features, which can negatively affect your rewards. Please update your ...
- 1,740
25
votes
7
answers
22k
views
What Bitcoin Mixing/Laundry Services are availble today?
A Bitcoin Laundry or Mixing Service is a service that accepts BTC payments, and returns the same BTC amount, only from coins that are unassociated to the original BTC. It is a privacy service that ...
- 26.5k
12
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Can someone with 51% computing power earn more than he deserves?
See also What can an attacker with 51% of hash power do?
This may have been discussed elsewhere, but I'm not sure what the answer is - if someone owns 51% of the hash power, can't he just ignore the ...
- 26.5k
7
votes
4
answers
13k
views
Is there a graph of Namecoin value over time?
Where can I find a chart (or even raw data) of Namecoin prices over time?
NMC Watch doesn't seem to provide a link to historical data, just one day.
In BTC? In USD?
- 26.5k
13
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is "bitcoin" a countable noun?
Should "bitcoin" be used as a countable noun admitting a singular and a plural (so that one says "600 bitcoins are in this wallet") or as a mass noun, (like "water" or "money") (so that one says "How ...
- 1,213
6
votes
2
answers
784
views
Is there a uniform measure of "difficulty", that when multiplied by price, will give "profitability of one hour of mining"?
I recently open Bitcoin Pie, a site that compares crypto-currencies.
Given the exchange rate in BTC, I would like to add another column that tells "relative mining profitability", regardless of the ...
- 26.5k
8
votes
3
answers
15k
views
Do I need a wallet to start mining?
Oh, sorry. The question is really simple:
Do I need a wallet to start mining and "keep" this bitcoins?
or
Can I just stay with my bitcoins in my computer?
- 983
19
votes
6
answers
21k
views
When building bitcoind, I receive error "headers.h:36:20: fatal error: db_cxx.h: No such file or directory"
When building bitcoind on LinuxCoin (Debian based), I receive this error
"headers.h:36:20: fatal error: db_cxx.h: No such file or directory"
following the instructions at https://github.com/...
- 1,740
23
votes
5
answers
16k
views
Is there an open source Bitcoin exchange?
I just found this project, which is described a.t.m as a learning project.
Is there a more serious, open source Bitcoin exchange? I'm aware exchanging BTC for fiat money can be quite complex, and ...
- 26.5k
8
votes
3
answers
755
views
Have there been reports of botnets mining Bitcoin / crypto-currencies?
Is the threat of Botnets using massive amounts of CPUs/GPUs to mine Bitcoin, or some CPU-friendly coin, purely theoretical at this point? Or have there been reports of this actually happening?
I know ...
- 26.5k
11
votes
1
answer
787
views
Is there a limit to how much extra data can be put into blocks via scripts?
According to this answer, miners can include extra data in blocks.
Is there an upper bound to how much a miner can add? How much?
- 26.5k
37
votes
3
answers
54k
views
How can I start mining Bitcoin?
Ok. I don't care if I make only a small amount of bitcoins mining. I want to mine.
How do I setup my machine (amd x64 4.6Ghz 6GB/RAM with GeForce Nvidia 7300, LinuxMint 10) to start mining?
Is it ...
- 983
4
votes
1
answer
539
views
When will the official client support partial blockchain downloads?
Are there concrete plans for the official client to be able to download just a portion of the blockchain?
By concrete I mean what's the issue tracking this on github, is there a planned version for ...
- 26.5k
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Does encoding Namecoin/messages into the blockchain bloat it?
I read today twice concerns about inflating the blockchain:
NameCoin
Bitcoin Message Service
So, does using these services "over inflate" the blockchain? The way I see it, if another protocl rides ...
- 26.5k
35
votes
9
answers
12k
views
Is there a Bitcoin bank, which gives interest on my deposit?
Is there any Bitcoin bank I can place my Bitcoins in that will give me a decent interest rate. It should be at least 1% for it to be worth it.
- 3,434
4
votes
1
answer
431
views
How to get difficulty from Fairbrix/Tenebrix?
How can I get the difficulty of Fairbrix or Tenebrix directly from the client? Without using an external site.
I use "getinfo" with Bitcoin but with Fairbrix/Tenebrix, "getinfo" doesn't return ...
- 1,740
3
votes
1
answer
684
views
Where can I find a Windows binary of MultiCoin?
MultiCoin is AFAIK the only GUI client that supports NameCoin. Is there a trusted Windows binary to be found?
- 26.5k
42
votes
6
answers
237k
views
What are stale shares and what can I do to avoid them?
When I mine at a pool, only a part of my shares are accepted. There is a small percentage which is marked as stale.
As far as I know I only get paid for accepted shares, so what are these stale ...
- 11.5k
9
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Are there any linux distros that have the bitcoin client pre-included?
Ideally would be able to make a bootable usb with a lightweight linux os which already included the bitcoin client.
- 3,279
4
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Bitcoin communication with non-standard ports
I'm writing a Bitcoin web app that is to be deployed on an external server over which I have no control. I probably won't have access to standard Bitcoin port (8333). Will this cause a problem when ...
- 42.9k
5
votes
4
answers
686
views
Can Bitcoin software be used to create a private currency (single issuer)
I understand Bitcoin software can be used for private currencies. Can it be used to create a private currency (the NewCurrency) where there is only one issuer of NewCurrency and any monies raised are ...
- 109
3
votes
2
answers
150
views
Is the tenebrix client safe?
I'm fairly proficient in C++ and wondered if the tenebrix client was safe to use?
Also if I wanted to review the code myself, are there any warning signs I should look for without studying the code ...
- 1,740
5
votes
3
answers
6k
views
What happens to cash used to buy bitcoins?
Are there any requirements to Bitcoin exchanges [USD/EUR/etc], as to for what the [USD/EUR/etc] may be used? Or is the [USD/EUR/etc] received property of issuer of bitcoins?
Unfortunately, this is ...
- 109
5
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Port forwarding for pooled mining?
It does not seem to be necessary but does it help to use port forwarding for pooled mining? I mean forwarding the same port as the pool port on the incoming side of my router to the rig.
- 2,009
2
votes
1
answer
246
views
Inflatory and deflatory economy comparison [closed]
Does anyone know of any good book/paper/article comparing the inflatory and deflatory economies? I would like to know if there are any scientific publications on the matter that are approachable to ...
- 42.9k
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How many Namecoins are generated per block?
Is the block reward for Namecoin 50 like Bitcoin, or is there another figure?
- 26.5k
5
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Does BTC-E have an API for alternate currencies?
BTC-E appears to have an API available at https://btc-e.com/api/1/ticker but this only lists the BTC/USD pair data. They also offer pairs of BTC against alternate currencies like Ixcoin and Tenebrix. ...
- 14.3k
30
votes
5
answers
19k
views
How are public & private keys in an address created?
I understand the high level concept I am more interested specific details. How is a private key generated. How exactly is public key generated, how is address generated from public key.
- 8,747
6
votes
4
answers
783
views
Is there an easy way to check out the market cap of the alternative cryptocurrencies? [closed]
Ideally, I'd like to see a pie chart with the whole pie being "Bitcoin-derived cryptocurrencies", and each major alternative represented as a market cap in Bitcoins and USD.
Currently, from ...
- 26.5k
3
votes
1
answer
696
views
What exchanges support Tenebrix?
Where can one exchange Tenebrix (a CPU-friendly cryptocurrency) for Bitcoin?
- 26.5k
13
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What will happen when SHA 256 needs to be replaced?
MD5 used to be the hash algorithm. Everyone loved it, but now, not so much.
What will happen to bitcoin if flaws are found in SHA256 in the future?
- 2,030
9
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How do I keep my miners from doing duplicate work?
Someone has n machines to mine for bitcoins. What's the simplest way to ensure that mining work isn't duplicated?
(Will separate machines naturally work on different hashes even with the same ...
- 2,030