Adam Back interviewed by the Bitcoin Core podcast

[patrick.miller]

The Bitcoin Core podcast interviewed Adam Back: https://soundcloud.com/bitcoincore/inte ... -adam-back


Brief overview of Adam and HashCash:

Starting in 1997, Adam proposed and then created one of the first implementations of a denial-of-service and tamper resistant distributed network messaging system using proof-of-work, called HashCash. The idea was to create a barrier-to-entry through a small cost (in this case computer cycles), in order to prevent DOS attacks while simultaneously offering a way for the sender to sign the message. By successfully performing the proof-of-work the message could be sent and the hash was used by the recipient or the public to verify authenticity of the message.

HashCash did not commoditize the proof-of-work, which Bitcoin does do. Bitcoins are essentially commoditized proofs-of-work for messaging, and this messaging can be used to transfer value thanks to the limited supply / inflation control and p2p network in the protocol invented by Satoshi Nakamoto.

Adam Back was cited by Satoshi in the Bitcoin whitepaper.