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Bitcoin Essentials

You're reading from   Bitcoin Essentials Gain insights into Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency and a powerful technology, to optimize your Bitcoin mining techniques

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Product type Paperback
Published in Feb 2016
Publisher
ISBN-13 9781785281976
Length 130 pages
Edition 1st Edition
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Author (1):
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Albert Szmigielski Albert Szmigielski
Author Profile Icon Albert Szmigielski
Albert Szmigielski
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Toc

Elimination of PoW


Proof of work may not be the best algorithm to secure a blockchain-based system. There are aspects of PoW that leave a lot to be desired. However, PoW is a good way to distribute a digital currency. Perhaps PoW will be replaced in the future by something different, but at this time we cannot say for certain what it will be.

Inefficiency of PoW

Proof of Work is really inefficient; it wastes a lot of electricity and computing power. However, it is inefficient by design. We do want competition between miners because that is precisely what makes the blockchain ledger secure. Miners keep other miners honest because they are all competing for the same block reward. We believe that PoW is the best way to distribute a cryptocurrency, initially. Perhaps after bitcoins are fully, or almost fully, distributed, it will make sense to switch to another algorithm to secure the blockchain.

Replacement of PoW

Currently, we are not sure what should be used instead of PoW. There are candidates...

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