Bitcoin Protocol

Cryptography

Bitcoin Hash Functions Explained

Everything you always wanted to know about bitcoin hashing, but were afraid to ask.

Tech  ·  19 February 2017
Bitcoin

Why Bigger Might Not Be Better For Bitcoin Scaling

The block size debate, long one of the defining challenges hanging over bitcoin’s tech community, took an interesting twist late last month. A years-long discussion about how best to scale the functioning $15bn economic network mid-flight, the debate has largely been characterized by a face-off between those who would increase the 1MB block size via an efficiency […]

Tech  ·  16 February 2017
Bitcoin

A Bitcoin Hard Fork? The Science of Contentious Code is Advancing

Developers are probing deeper into how best to execute a hard fork – a contentious upgrading tool that promises numerous benefits for bitcoin.

Tech  ·  10 February 2017
Bitcoin

What Makes Bitcoin Great? One Scientist is On a Quest to Find Out

Academics still aren't sure why bitcoin is so robust, but one Cornell professor has made it her mission to find out.

Tech  ·  8 February 2017
Bitcoin

Inside MAST: The Little-Known Plan to Advance Bitcoin Smart Contracts

Bitcoin could soon be endowed with a range of new technical improvements including greater smart-contract functionality.

Tech  ·  7 February 2017
Bitcoin

Greg Maxwell Breaks Down Blockchain: The ‘Uncontrollable Noun’

Blockstream CTO Greg Maxwell addressed the growing blockchain hype in a nuanced talk at Construct 2017 today.

Business  ·  31 January 2017
Bitcoin

Construct 2017: Life After SegWit? Bitcoin Gridlock Takes the Stage

Construct's open-source developer conference saw notable discussions, though talk of bitcoin's scaling issues was a persistent theme.

Tech  ·  31 January 2017
Proof-of-Work

Rethinking Proof of Work: The Quest to ‘Improve’ Bitcoin Heats Up

The system that secures bitcoin, proof of work, demands vast amounts of energy – and that's a prize problem to solve, say researchers.

Tech  ·  29 January 2017
Bitcoin Protocol

Scaling Revisited: What If Bitcoin’s Big ‘Problem’ is Its Great Strength?

Day one of the Satoshi Roundtable conference saw fervent debate on a range of topics, though scaling once again took the center stage.

Business  ·  25 January 2017
Bitcoin

How Ethereum Smart Contracts Could Replace Mining Pool Managers

Ethereum smart contracts might one day be used to combat 'mining centralization', if a new project called SmartPool comes to fruition.

Tech  ·  24 January 2017
Bitcoin

Bitcoin Devs Are Feeling More Optimistic About MimbleWimble

Work is advancing on a highly anticipated bitcoin project originally proposed by an anonymous cryptographer going under the French name of Harry Potter’s nemesis. Named after one of the book series’ spells, MimbleWimble has quickly became one of the more anticipated bitcoin R&D initiatives, since it is believed it could help improve upon the scalability and fungibility of bitcoin in […]

Tech  ·  23 January 2017
Bitcoin Protocol

Julian Assange Just Read Out a Bitcoin Block Hash to Prove He Was Alive

In an attempt to disprove theories about his own death, controversial media mogul Julian Assange turned to the bitcoin blockchain today.

Markets  ·  10 January 2017
Bitcoin

Bitcoin in 2016: The Year Politics Challenged Apolitical Money

Bitcoin Core developer Eric Lombrozo recaps a fraught year in bitcoin development, one that he believes could give way to a less contentious 2017.

Tech  ·  7 January 2017
Bitcoin

Will 2017 Bring an End to Bitcoin’s Great Scaling Debate?

CoinDesk's Corin Faife recaps how last year saw one of bitcoin's biggest technology debates, setting the stage for a potentially pivotal 2017.

Tech  ·  5 January 2017
Bitcoin

New Bitcoin Software Update Boasts 55 Fixes

A new bitcoin software update boasts more than 50 changes to the digital currency's codebase.

Tech  ·  4 January 2017