On the other hand – how many other businesses have a guaranteed product/market over an 11-years-into-the-future timeframe?
And keep in mind too – if what they're doing is long-term worthwhile, there'll still need to be people hashing to authenticate the blockchain after the last bitcoin is mined, they'll just be relying entirely on transaction fees to support their work. If there is a "bitcoin economy" in 2015 (and whether or not that's likely is a different discussion), then it's inevitable that participants will overall need to pay sufficient transaction fees to support enough "mining type activity" to maintain ongoing signing of the blockchain.
[+] [-] imahboob|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bigiain|12 years ago|reply
And keep in mind too – if what they're doing is long-term worthwhile, there'll still need to be people hashing to authenticate the blockchain after the last bitcoin is mined, they'll just be relying entirely on transaction fees to support their work. If there is a "bitcoin economy" in 2015 (and whether or not that's likely is a different discussion), then it's inevitable that participants will overall need to pay sufficient transaction fees to support enough "mining type activity" to maintain ongoing signing of the blockchain.
[+] [-] venomsnake|12 years ago|reply