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  3. is there any legitimate use of blockchains?

is there any legitimate use of blockchains?

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  • S [email protected]

    There is debate over whether a git history is a blockchain or a DAG (Directed Acyclical Graph). I'd say it was the latter.

    thann@lemmy.dbzer0.comT This user is from outside of this forum
    thann@lemmy.dbzer0.comT This user is from outside of this forum
    [email protected]
    wrote last edited by [email protected]
    #98

    Who says blockchains cant also form a DAG?
    Its a blockchain because each block contains a digest of the previous block(s), which creates a tamper-evident chain of digests for all history.

    Its just a type of blockchain, just like a subaru is a type of car.

    You might have grown up thinking "all cars have 4 wheels", but my subaru has a fifth wheel in the back and its still a car because having exactly 4 wheels it not the defining charcteristic of cars.

    S 1 Reply Last reply
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    • thann@lemmy.dbzer0.comT [email protected]

      Who says blockchains cant also form a DAG?
      Its a blockchain because each block contains a digest of the previous block(s), which creates a tamper-evident chain of digests for all history.

      Its just a type of blockchain, just like a subaru is a type of car.

      You might have grown up thinking "all cars have 4 wheels", but my subaru has a fifth wheel in the back and its still a car because having exactly 4 wheels it not the defining charcteristic of cars.

      S This user is from outside of this forum
      S This user is from outside of this forum
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      wrote last edited by
      #99

      Personally I'd say the distinction comes with the decentralisation being enforced. Git has it as a feature but each copy of a git repository isn't reliant on every other copy. It's asymmetric.

      thann@lemmy.dbzer0.comT 1 Reply Last reply
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      • C [email protected]

        It was an innovative way to use a blockchain/Merkle path, too. Even if you'd argue money but made in a different, harder to police way is a bad thing, it was new.

        G This user is from outside of this forum
        G This user is from outside of this forum
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        wrote last edited by
        #100

        It's really clever. I also think it was unintentional. They did not want to create a money laundering tool but a currency in its own right. That failed.

        Also, this scheme only works with money involved. The miners run the system, and they get paid by creating new coins. If they cannot sell the coins to cover their costs, then there is no blockchain.

        C J 2 Replies Last reply
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        • G [email protected]

          It's really clever. I also think it was unintentional. They did not want to create a money laundering tool but a currency in its own right. That failed.

          Also, this scheme only works with money involved. The miners run the system, and they get paid by creating new coins. If they cannot sell the coins to cover their costs, then there is no blockchain.

          C This user is from outside of this forum
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          wrote last edited by
          #101

          Sort of? Satoshi had anti-government objectives for sure, although you're right that Bitcoin was supposed to be usable for small and everyday transactions as well.

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          • M [email protected]

            I would argue against blockchains being a database... its more of a 'signed sequential log' than a database.

            M This user is from outside of this forum
            M This user is from outside of this forum
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            wrote last edited by
            #102

            Well, Wikipedia describes it sufficiently vague: "a database is an organized collection of data". But is a linked list on its own a database? I'd say the blockchain itself is the data structure but any software using it is most likely a database.

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            • P [email protected]

              Gods unchained is a digital TCG that is the only good use of NFTs (and thus Blockchain) that I can think of.

              The idea of NFTs is you have a specific instance of a thing that you can trade around. NFT art is stupid, because at the end of the day it's a jpg. However, with a digital TCG, each NFT can represent a singular copy of a digital trading card. It brings back the "trading" aspect of a digital TCG, made more convenient than physical cards due to digital transfers.

              M This user is from outside of this forum
              M This user is from outside of this forum
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              wrote last edited by
              #103

              No way. There are many ways to introduce artificial scarcity to digital goods, and no it is not a new or good use of the tech.... Artificial scarcity is a huge part of all of the world's problems.

              P 1 Reply Last reply
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              • S [email protected]

                because it means that the majority controls the data and not a centralized authority.

                Only until it doesn't. A centralized authority could overwhelm and become the majority. Or more concretely, the US government has the resources to more than double the contribution to Bitcoin, thus giving it complete control.

                M This user is from outside of this forum
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                wrote last edited by
                #104

                Nothing is perfect, but once a blockchain network is big enough it becomes near impossible to overtake.

                Maybe currently, if the US government really wants to, they could dedicate a few trillion dollars to take over the bitcoin network. But it would make no sense to put that much effort into what would be mostly pointless. And if bitcoin ever reaches a point where it is a full on threat to the dollar then it's network would probably be too big for any nation to overtake alone.

                So you are not wrong in theory, but in practice it is near impossible.

                1 Reply Last reply
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                • thann@lemmy.dbzer0.comT This user is from outside of this forum
                  thann@lemmy.dbzer0.comT This user is from outside of this forum
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                  wrote last edited by
                  #105

                  Git doesn’t sign commits, at least not cryptographically.

                  Yeah, it does...
                  If you barely know shit about git why wouldnt you at least try googleing before posting??

                  M 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • S [email protected]

                    Personally I'd say the distinction comes with the decentralisation being enforced. Git has it as a feature but each copy of a git repository isn't reliant on every other copy. It's asymmetric.

                    thann@lemmy.dbzer0.comT This user is from outside of this forum
                    thann@lemmy.dbzer0.comT This user is from outside of this forum
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                    wrote last edited by
                    #106

                    Git uses signed blocks for centralization... you can see that the official linux kernel is signed by linus torvalds... but all of this is irrelevant because blockchains are a datastructure that is indepenant from the concept of centralization. It is just a chain of blocks... proof-of-work and signing are about centralization but they are different concepts.

                    S 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • G [email protected]

                      Could you elaborate a bit how blockchain enables something unique here? I see that it enables trade between users, but if a single company controls the game and I assume supply of new cards, does the blockchain aspect for trading really matter?

                      Trading itself is basic and doesn't need a blockchain. I guess with it you have it implemented in a public and tamper proof way, but that second part doesn't seem to matter to me if the source is centralized.

                      So what exactly is gained from this approach over just your average ingame auction house?

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                      wrote last edited by [email protected]
                      #107

                      but that second part doesn't seem to matter to me if the source is centralized.

                      That's the thing, it's not centralized - in this game, for the first time ever in a digital TCG, if the company hosting it closes it's doors, you still have something in your ownership that corresponds to your cards, opening up the possibility of others re-implementing everything.

                      It ain't much, and it's a long shot, but for the first time ever it's possible.

                      G 1 Reply Last reply
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                      • B [email protected]

                        How is this different from MODO?

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                        wrote last edited by [email protected]
                        #108

                        Not sure what that is, searching doesn't help

                        B 1 Reply Last reply
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                        • M [email protected]

                          No way. There are many ways to introduce artificial scarcity to digital goods, and no it is not a new or good use of the tech.... Artificial scarcity is a huge part of all of the world's problems.

                          P This user is from outside of this forum
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                          wrote last edited by [email protected]
                          #109

                          Before we start blaming a digital trading card game for the sins of capitalism, let's both acknowledge that "artificial scarcity" is built into games. Mario suffered "artificial scarcity" when he didn't have a red mushroom at the ready. Anything that requires "unlocking" can be argued to be artifical scarcity. At the end of the day it doesn't really matter because these are aspects of a game and not real world resources.

                          Every digital TCG - Hearthstone, mtg arena, etc. all already have artificial scarcity.

                          This is just allowing for you, as a player, to actually have a semblance of ownership over the digital goods you obtain, independent of the company you purchased it from, which is far more than any other digital platform will allow for.

                          M 1 Reply Last reply
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                          • P [email protected]

                            Not sure what that is, searching doesn't help

                            B This user is from outside of this forum
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                            wrote last edited by
                            #110

                            Magic Online with Digital Objects, also known as Magic Online

                            P 1 Reply Last reply
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                            • K [email protected]

                              Hello,

                              I have been researching about blockchains and stuff and it all seems like a big scam. It's not sustainable and can be replaced by a simple database.

                              is there any legitimate use cases of blockchains or it is all just a big scam?

                              N This user is from outside of this forum
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                              wrote last edited by
                              #111

                              it's really difficult to be anonymous with a credit card

                              1 Reply Last reply
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                              • K [email protected]

                                Hello,

                                I have been researching about blockchains and stuff and it all seems like a big scam. It's not sustainable and can be replaced by a simple database.

                                is there any legitimate use cases of blockchains or it is all just a big scam?

                                A This user is from outside of this forum
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                                wrote last edited by [email protected]
                                #112

                                Why is mining a nessecary part? Is it only to keep the quantity of units in circulation in check? And why is that nessecary? Is there an equivalent fixed amount of USD that is in circulation?

                                Why can't it just be a ledger of fixed qty where nodes get paid a fee for handling transactions and keeping the blockchain updated instead of proof of busywork? Why does it need to be so wasteful of electricity? Why is it so slow? Will it ever be as fast and cheap as an osko payment? I can (and have) sent $40,000 to another person from my bank account and it took under 10 seconds for them to receive it, even though they bank with a different entity.

                                tuuktuuk@sopuli.xyzT G 2 Replies Last reply
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                                • K [email protected]

                                  Hello,

                                  I have been researching about blockchains and stuff and it all seems like a big scam. It's not sustainable and can be replaced by a simple database.

                                  is there any legitimate use cases of blockchains or it is all just a big scam?

                                  T This user is from outside of this forum
                                  T This user is from outside of this forum
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                                  wrote last edited by
                                  #113

                                  its always been a ponzi scheme, the people still pedaling it, are right wingers thinking they will still strike it big some day.i once followed a yotbers channel one guy pedal lost 1mil+ from SBF crisis, and hes still doing it to this day.

                                  Y B D 3 Replies Last reply
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                                  • B [email protected]

                                    Magic Online with Digital Objects, also known as Magic Online

                                    P This user is from outside of this forum
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                                    wrote last edited by
                                    #114

                                    If wotc closes down modo, you're left SOL.

                                    Because transactions and ownership are not controlled by the hosting company, I believe there's opportunity to keep the game going even after the company closes doors.

                                    Long shot, but it's the first peek at "digital ownership" where you actually own something, independent of the company that gave it to you, they can easily be traded.

                                    B 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • K [email protected]

                                      Hello,

                                      I have been researching about blockchains and stuff and it all seems like a big scam. It's not sustainable and can be replaced by a simple database.

                                      is there any legitimate use cases of blockchains or it is all just a big scam?

                                      M This user is from outside of this forum
                                      M This user is from outside of this forum
                                      [email protected]
                                      wrote last edited by
                                      #115

                                      Yes. Tracking stock shares would prevent dark pools and naked short selling to some degree.

                                      That's also why it will never happen.

                                      1 Reply Last reply
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                                      • thann@lemmy.dbzer0.comT [email protected]

                                        Git uses signed blocks for centralization... you can see that the official linux kernel is signed by linus torvalds... but all of this is irrelevant because blockchains are a datastructure that is indepenant from the concept of centralization. It is just a chain of blocks... proof-of-work and signing are about centralization but they are different concepts.

                                        S This user is from outside of this forum
                                        S This user is from outside of this forum
                                        [email protected]
                                        wrote last edited by [email protected]
                                        #116

                                        I'm not sure I follow how (de)centralisation can be a different concept from blockchains when the definition of a blockchain is something like a ledger-like data structure which is immutable, decentralised and distributed.

                                        Meanwhile with git, one user can unilaterally change the history by hard resetting and force pushing; then the other "nodes" just have to accept the changes.

                                        thann@lemmy.dbzer0.comT 1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • S [email protected]

                                          I'm not sure I follow how (de)centralisation can be a different concept from blockchains when the definition of a blockchain is something like a ledger-like data structure which is immutable, decentralised and distributed.

                                          Meanwhile with git, one user can unilaterally change the history by hard resetting and force pushing; then the other "nodes" just have to accept the changes.

                                          thann@lemmy.dbzer0.comT This user is from outside of this forum
                                          thann@lemmy.dbzer0.comT This user is from outside of this forum
                                          [email protected]
                                          wrote last edited by
                                          #117

                                          Idk where you got that definition.... a block chain is just a chain of blocks....

                                          If someone unilaterally forces a history change, that will be apparent to everyone and they can choose to reject those changes...

                                          S 1 Reply Last reply
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