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It should be noted that the Bitcoin protocol is more difficult to change, compared to other crypto currencies, simply because it's the most widely used. The mor
by runeks 10y ago
It should be noted that the Bitcoin protocol is more difficult to change, compared to other crypto currencies, simply because it's the most widely used. The more users/implementations a protocol has, the more expensive change will be, simply because it affects more users (more software needs to be rewritten).
Similarly, changing the SQL protocol is orders of magnitude more difficult than changing, say, the GraphQL protocol, but does that mean GraphQL is likely to take over SQL? Or is it just a symptom of the fact that SQL is more popular than GraphQL in the first place?
A crypto currency that no one uses is really easy to change, because no one will be affected. Framing this as a significant competitive advantage, however, misses the point, since the nimbleness is a direct result of no one using it.
- chii 10y agoSql is a bad example, because you don't have to follow the new sql standard if you choose not to. Your existing app will continue to work on existing databases that implement the old SQL standard. A more salient example is the TCP/IP protocol! You cant juat update it, since it's required for everyone to agree on it!
- runeks 10y agoI agree with you, but I wasn't commenting on that aspect of it. I was pointing out that popular protocols are much harder to change than unpopular ones. But claiming that this fact will cause the unpopular protocols to take over the popular ones doesn't make much sense. By that logic the least popular protocol is the most likely to win -- completely backwards, as far as I can see.