I'm Jeff Garzik, Bloq co-founder and bitcoin hacker

[LiteCoinGuy]

Hi Jeff and welcome,

do you think we will solve the blocksize problem in the next 3 months? What will happen when we dont solve it and everything stays the same?

Thanks
LCG


PS:
One year back in donated a little bit of money to your space fund - you have to bring bitcoin into space ! You will be an even bigger legend in that case !

[psztorc]

Hi Jeff,

I've noticed that Bitcoin is kind of at an "adolescent" age, where people are struggling to figure out what it is, and what it wants to be. For example, I see this in the Bitcoin 2.0 area, the "permissioned ledger" area, and the blocksize debate.

That's a big issue all in itself, so I wanted to ask you about something a little smaller. I have noticed that many developers, CEOs, and thought-leaders have started to "grow into" a kind of *ethical* position. For example gmaxwell's thoughts on multiple implementations 'strength in numbers', Chris DeRose 's serial denouncement of "scams", and even labeled schools of thought like "Bitcoin maximalism". There's are even liberal and conservative "political parties" now!

So I just wanted to throw this out there: What, in your opinion, shouldn't people do? And how does that answer change from the time that they first hear about Bitcoin, to when they become knowledgeable and want to make some kind of informed disagreement?

-Paul

P.S. I agree that you won't live down Hard F*&K.

[BitCoinDream]

Is BIP100 still under consideration?

BIP 100 will be presented at Scaling Bitcoin in Hong Kong on December 6/7...

...however it seems unlikely to be adopted.

That's a news to me. Why do you think so ?

I heard BlockStream devs are going to push BIP 103 at Scaling Bitcoin Hong Kong. Do you have any such info ?

There have not been much discussion regarding BIP 105 & BIP 106. I'd like to know your opinion regarding these two.

[cypherdoc]

Is BIP100 still under consideration?

BIP 100 will be presented at Scaling Bitcoin in Hong Kong on December 6/7...

...however it seems unlikely to be adopted.

Jeff, why don't you join forces with XT, a currently working implementation?

[JGarzik]

How much power do the miners have in attacking the network? Either for their own interests or colluding together? What security safeguards are there preventing a majority stake?

The main safeguard is economic. Miners are paid in bitcoin.

There are always selfish mining strategies - but they are self defeating long term, as it attacks one's own stream of income.

Collusion is possible; part of the strength of Proof-of-Work is that new miners and new mining pools may enter the game at any time, and exit the game at any time.

[JGarzik]

Thanks for your contributions to resolve the blocksize issue!

What do you think will happen after the Hong Kong Conference regarding Bitcon Core?

It is my hope that there is a clear consensus on block size moving forward.

[JGarzik]

What is your advice to kids and parents about coding and getting kids interested in computer work? Can you elaborate about your early coding?

Despite lots of efforts we still have a gender bias towards men from young age into adult professional careers. How can we get more young women, kids and female adults to be involved in coding?

Great question. I'm passionate about getting younger children, and notably girls, involved in coding and tech at an early age. Even just an understanding of How Things Work as a user gives kids a boost in the IT world.

Ideally, get kids involved in tech early - 3 years - and create an environment where they feel comfortable "geeking out", learning about code with as minimal social pressure as is possible. Create an environment where it's possible for kids to explore subject matter for hours at a time if they choose; encourage that focus when it lands on a positive subject.

[JGarzik]

Word on the Reddit is that with the hectic week Bitcoin is having in price speculation that blocks are already maxing out as we speak. What would be the timeline for upgrading the block size? Are we 6 months away? 90 days? A year?

I think a doubling every year should work through 2020. Going from 1MB to 8MB sounds like trouble.
Maybe 2 MB next year, 4 MB in 2017, 8 MB in 2018, and so on......

My stock answers

* Never ever comment on price

* Let's watch Scaling Bitcoin proposals and discussions - that's the planned Next Step

* In general the most important bit for the Bitcoin community and protocol is a hard fork that progresses beyond 1M, in my opinion.

[JGarzik]

So I just wanted to throw this out there: What, in your opinion, shouldn't people do? And how does that answer change from the time that they first hear about Bitcoin, to when they become knowledgeable and want to make some kind of informed disagreement?

I have no idea how to answer this question, so I'll respond with a hand-wavingly related observation.

In my past life as a Linux kernel maintainer, I saw Fortune 500 companies use the Linux kernel & OS as a battleground for their competing products. Block size debates and stuff we see today, in bitcoin's early days, are minuscule molehills of drama compared to what's coming in 5-10 years.

I tend to roll my eyes at a lot of the hyperbole tossed about in the block size debates.

This is open source and just part of the game. People have different opinions, and it is a very human, very social, inevitably political process. People want bitcoin to be this pure abstract software entity - realists will observe that bitcoin is an approximation of that. Ultimately bitcoin's network is a social network and we have social consensus.

P.S. Love your work.

[essofluffy]

Hi Jeff,

I noticed you are on the advisory board for the Chicago Bitcoin Center. I am a high school student in the Chicagoland area and I was wondering if there is anything I could do to help out with the Bitcoin Center?

Also, I was wondering what your thoughts are on Bitcoin's lack of representation in the W3C community web payments group? Who do you think would make good representative?

Cheers!

[MBilalDar]

Based on your the information that you have or have come across, talking to various stakeholders and also based on your Montreal scaling session . What do you think would happen to the large mining pools based out of china and other places in July ~ Aug 2016 , ( next block halving) ?

Also what do you think would be the outcome for major mining operations who have raised VC/outside in case bitcoin price comes under pressure (below 150 ) for an extended time period.

[Possible]

What new thing excites you, and can you explain it in dumbed down pseudocode?

I've been around Bitcoin since April 2012, but lack the coding background and depend on others in this area. Let's just say I feel pretty lucky to be along for the ride.

[TheCryptoShow]

Hi! Ladies and gents, ask me anything.

A little bit about myself...
- Coding since the age of 8
- First stock trading at 12, first business at 16
- Coding open source software - GNOME, Linux, cloud and more - for over 20 years
- Discovered bitcoin in the "Great Slashdotting" of July 2010
- Initially a bitcoin skeptic; had to study the software to convince myself it would work.
- Quit 10+ year job at Red Hat to work full time at Bitpay in June 2013
- Recently wound down space project Dunvegan Space Systems; now at stealth bitcoin startup Bloq.
- Bitcoin's greatest legacy is a catalyst, kicking off the current crypto revolution
- It's just the early days of bitcoin. Bitcoin interests me as a base layer for enabling automated AI entities to function in the real world, hiring humans and running corporations via decentralized markets.

Outside of computing, I enjoy "future stuff" - self driving cars, 3D printing, narrow AI - and "outdoorsy stuff" - bicycling, hiking, backpacking, whitewater canoeing.

Twitter @jgarzik

. Hello Jeff would you care to come on The Crypto Show? Email me at the1cryptoshow@gmail.com

[TheCryptoShow]

Hello Jeff would you care to come on The Crypto Show? Email me at the1cryptoshow@gmail.com thanks.

[2DaHilt]

You have made quite a few sarcastic, some would say mean spirited comments in the past about other cryptocurrencies, DASH previously known as Darkcoin in particular. Have you changed your mind about DASH?