Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just to play devils advocate here, I drink “milk” not “milks” despite the fact that it might be from soya, cow or goat.
Because 'milk' is an unmarked plural. 'Chain' is not.
Blockchain is an unmarked plural
How Blockchain Works
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Re: How Blockchain Works
#12Re: How Blockchain Works
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because 'milk' is an unmarked plural. 'Chain' is not.
Blockchain is an unmarked plural
No it isn't. Nobody says "one blockchain, two blockchain, oh hey look I found a bunch of new blockchain".
Blockchain is here being used in reference to the technology itself, not the collection of its manifestations. Just like you might say "how the internal combustion engine works" or "how insertion sort works"
Re: How Blockchain Works
#14This ship seems to have sailed already but I feel like it really should have been "How blockchains work". We don't say "How relational database works", "How operating system works", "How computer works", etc. We do say "How Linux works" or "How Bitcoin's blockchain works".
I understand why people do this but it also annoys me.
It's just a short-handed title given to a concept by people who need to talk about it but don't fully understand it. Like the way politicians talk about "cyber"
Edit: The use of "blockchain" in this article rather than "a blockchain" or "blockchains" seems to be just to conform to the broader discussion. The linked page does seem to demonstrate a clear understanding of how blockchains work.
Re: How Blockchain Works
#15This ship seems to have sailed already but I feel like it really should have been "How blockchains work". We don't say "How relational database works", "How operating system works", "How computer works", etc. We do say "How Linux works" or "How Bitcoin's blockchain works".
>"How Bitcoin's blockchain works"
Blockchain is both the descriptive label for distributed ledgers and the pronoun for Bitcoin’s Blockchain.
It could have been “how blockchains work” if talking about blockchains generally but “how Blockchain works” would seem to be the title of an article discussing how Bitcoin’s Blockchain works specifically.
Re: How Blockchain Works
#16Now explain to a technical audience why some people say nonsense like how it’s the next internet or how it’ll change the world please.
Well it has great potential to remove a lot of beaurocracy related stuff. It's not really the next internet but it can very easily change the world if it's properly implemented.
But if you're talking specifically about cryptocurrencies and bitcoin then I assume you're a bit salty because you think you missed the hype. Don't worry tho, we are still early adopters.
Re: How Blockchain Works
#17Now explain to a technical audience why some people say nonsense like how it’s the next internet or how it’ll change the world please.
Well.. It will change some aspects of our world. Particularly financial assets at first, but increasingly it will play a role in any peer to peer exchange requiring trust. Simple past examples are systems like OpenPGP that bind public keys to owners. Programmable blockchains allow generalized applications requiring decentralized trust. A good example of a use of blockchain outside of financial assets is in trust management of vehicular networks. In order for vehicles to communicate amongst each other, they need to trust that the messages they are receiving are authentic using a decentralized consensus mechanism and some sort of Bayesian Inference Model.
So in short, it is an extension of the internet (trust layer) and it will change the world. So I don't think that's nonsense to say, but I can see how these claims would appear to be exaggerated to someone with limited exposure to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Re: How Blockchain Works
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
Blockchain is an unmarked plural
No it isn't. Nobody says "one blockchain, two blockchain, oh hey look I found a bunch of new blockchain". Blockchain is here being used in reference to the technology itself, not the collection of its manifestations. Just like you might say "how the internal combustion engine works" or "how insertion sort works"
Does anyone say "here's one water, two waters"?
Re: How Blockchain Works
#19Re: How Blockchain Works
#20Now explain to a technical audience why some people say nonsense like how it’s the next internet or how it’ll change the world please.
Well.. It will change some aspects of our world. Particularly financial assets at first, but increasingly it will play a role in any peer to peer exchange requiring trust. Simple past examples are systems like OpenPGP that bind public keys to owners. Programmable blockchains allow generalized applications requiring decentralized trust. A good example of a use of blockchain outside of financial assets is in trust mana…
I have a PhD in cryptography. Please be precise. Exactly what problem will blockchain solve for vehicles? You can't just hand wave and say stuff like "decentralized trust management" and expect us to nod along.