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Profile of Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum

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Re: Profile of Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum

#21

Post by pigeons »

fit2rule wrote: post #16
TDL wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"There are many, many positive software cults in our world today." Care to name some? I don't believe cultivating religious fervor over anything and rejecting information that disconfirms or challenges your beliefs as a positive thing.

The Cult of Linus. The Cult of RMS. The Cult of Carmack. The Cult of antirez. The Cult of Pike. Cult, definition: ... (religious definition skipped) ... 4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc. 5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.

Cult of DJB

Re: Profile of Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum

#22

Post by Moshe_Silnorin »

pfraze wrote: post #3

Eugh. Wow. > In Miami, Buterin’s army was small, but already keenly aware of the importance of beatifying its leader. Joseph Lubin, one of the developers staying at the house, and one of the few people who seemed to understand Ethereum enough to decipher its potential, told me in an endearing, paternal tone that Buterin was a genius alien that had arrived on this planet to deliver the sacrosanct gift of decentralizat…

He was clearly joking.

Re: Profile of Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum

#24

Post by natrius »

erikpukinskis wrote: post #12
pfraze wrote: post #3

Eugh. Wow. > In Miami, Buterin’s army was small, but already keenly aware of the importance of beatifying its leader. Joseph Lubin, one of the developers staying at the house, and one of the few people who seemed to understand Ethereum enough to decipher its potential, told me in an endearing, paternal tone that Buterin was a genius alien that had arrived on this planet to deliver the sacrosanct gift of decentralizat…

In the case of Ethereum, maybe a little of both. The plan is to create an entirely new form of social organization. I'm not making any claims about the likelihood of success, but their vision is wholesale replacement of capitalism and democracy among other things. There are some cultlike aspects to that. It is a form of abandonment of your friends and family. Since it's not yet realized, it requires some blind faith…

The decentralization vision does not require blind faith in Vitalik. The tools are already available. It's up to developers to pick them up and use them.

Solving the scalability problem and moving to proof-of-stake requires some faith in Vitalik, but that's only if you care about the value of ether, Ethereum's currency. I hold ether, but if Ethereum fails to solve these problems, someone else will solve them and I will be glad.

Personally, I have no desire to replace capitalism or democracy. But they are clearly broken. I intend to fix them, and I hope the decentralization community gains enough developers, designers, and economists to make it happen. We need your help.

Re: Profile of Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum

#25

Post by natrius »

amaks wrote: post #5
pfraze wrote: post #3

Eugh. Wow. > In Miami, Buterin’s army was small, but already keenly aware of the importance of beatifying its leader. Joseph Lubin, one of the developers staying at the house, and one of the few people who seemed to understand Ethereum enough to decipher its potential, told me in an endearing, paternal tone that Buterin was a genius alien that had arrived on this planet to deliver the sacrosanct gift of decentralizat…

Digital currency is a cult.

This is absolutely true, but you shouldn't let the cults distract you from the valuable tools we now have to build software users control. Decentralized applications are the only way to keep users in control of their lives as software eats the world. Otherwise, the Facebooks and Ubers of the world will write the rules for how we interact as a society, and we will have to submit to their will or opt out of the value of large social and economic networks.

Re: Profile of Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum

#26

Post by DINKDINK »

amaks wrote: post #5
pfraze wrote: post #3

Eugh. Wow. > In Miami, Buterin’s army was small, but already keenly aware of the importance of beatifying its leader. Joseph Lubin, one of the developers staying at the house, and one of the few people who seemed to understand Ethereum enough to decipher its potential, told me in an endearing, paternal tone that Buterin was a genius alien that had arrived on this planet to deliver the sacrosanct gift of decentralizat…

Digital currency is a cult.

Digital Currencies have the fanaticism of cults but without the removal of freewill of participants.

Re: Profile of Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum

#27

Post by natrius »

brighton36 wrote: post #9

No one needs ethereum. It's a penny stock scam that sells the cure to whatever ails you to any willing solutionist that's looking to get rich quick.

It's generally good advice to stop buying and promoting cryptocurrencies as investments. If you're a developer, learn how to use these tools to make better software for users. If you're not a developer, keep your money in your pockets and participate in the decentralization movement as an enthusiast—it's impossible for us to build good software without early adopters who are willing to give it a try.

Re: Profile of Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum

#29

Post by brogrammer6431 »

googletazer wrote: post #19

Vitalik and his organization achieved a lot, Gavin deserves a mention as well as the guy who had the math behind ethereum. Nevertheless I don't see any killer apps coming out, so overall, its just another rerun of bitcoin.

Have you seen augur.net; i think it's pretty cool and definitely not practical using BTC.
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