4 ms·

PoW is just one of available consensus algorithms. Blockchain doesn’t imply decentralised consensus, you can run it on paxos, raft, authority round or something

PoW is just one of available consensus algorithms. Blockchain doesn’t imply decentralised consensus, you can run it on paxos, raft, authority round or something else, especially for internal, private or semi-private networks. What you get is trail log with proofs that’s immutable and strongly protected against temper.

hudon 9y ago
If your definition of "blockchain" is any distributed database with signed rows and a public read-only API, it's miles away from what Satoshi was talking about... Why don't you just call it a "distributed database with signed entries" or something.
- dilyevsky 9y ago
  or simply "git"
  - majewsky 9y ago
    When meeting my company's Head of Blockchain (not sure if the pun is intended) a while ago, I asked him if git would qualify as blockchain technology. He replied that "blockchain is not a technology, It's a paradigm shift". Literally. That statement was so absurd I didn't even know what to say, so it worked out well for him.
    - s73v3r_ 9y ago
      That is exactly the kind of thing I would expect to hear from a "Head of Blockchain". Your company made a great hire, and they will clearly push the boundaries of marketing bullshit with regard to blockchain.
    - radicalbyte 9y ago
      This is exactly what's driving my skepticism. The people who I've met who are most vocal about "blockchain" are also the ones who know little to nothing about the algorithm itself (and algorithms in general).
    - dilyevsky 9y ago
      I’m with on that but i feel like the punchline of that story should be “my company has a Head of Blockchain”.
      - smacktoward 9y ago
        In their defense, they tried the title "Blockhead" first but that didn't look as good on the résumé.
    - darpa_escapee 9y ago
      Please start a blog and write more about what goes on in this company.
    - FireBeyond 9y ago
      Whenever I hear someone say that, I'm reminded of this Dilbert strip: http://dilbert.com/strip/1995-08-25 http://dilbert.com/strip/1995-08-25
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
dozzie 9y ago
> PoW is just one of available consensus algorithms. No, because blockchain is not a consensus protocol.
- sadgit 9y ago
  Blockchain does imply a consensus protocol, though. Thats what the block is for.
  - dozzie 9y ago
    No, very much not. There is no such thing as consensus in blockchain. Can you (you in particular) even define the term "consensus"? Can you explain how does your definition relate to what is commonly used in computer science and how it works with the impossibility proofs?

hudon 9y ago

If your definition of "blockchain" is any distributed database with signed rows and a public read-only API, it's miles away from what Satoshi was talking about... Why don't you just call it a "distributed database with signed entries" or something.

dilyevsky 9y ago
or simply "git"
- majewsky 9y ago
  When meeting my company's Head of Blockchain (not sure if the pun is intended) a while ago, I asked him if git would qualify as blockchain technology. He replied that "blockchain is not a technology, It's a paradigm shift". Literally. That statement was so absurd I didn't even know what to say, so it worked out well for him.
  - s73v3r_ 9y ago
    That is exactly the kind of thing I would expect to hear from a "Head of Blockchain". Your company made a great hire, and they will clearly push the boundaries of marketing bullshit with regard to blockchain.
  - radicalbyte 9y ago
    This is exactly what's driving my skepticism. The people who I've met who are most vocal about "blockchain" are also the ones who know little to nothing about the algorithm itself (and algorithms in general).
  - dilyevsky 9y ago
    I’m with on that but i feel like the punchline of that story should be “my company has a Head of Blockchain”.
    - smacktoward 9y ago
      In their defense, they tried the title "Blockhead" first but that didn't look as good on the résumé.
  - darpa_escapee 9y ago
    Please start a blog and write more about what goes on in this company.
  - FireBeyond 9y ago
    Whenever I hear someone say that, I'm reminded of this Dilbert strip: http://dilbert.com/strip/1995-08-25 http://dilbert.com/strip/1995-08-25
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

dozzie 9y ago

> PoW is just one of available consensus algorithms. No, because blockchain is not a consensus protocol.

sadgit 9y ago
Blockchain does imply a consensus protocol, though. Thats what the block is for.
- dozzie 9y ago
  No, very much not. There is no such thing as consensus in blockchain. Can you (you in particular) even define the term "consensus"? Can you explain how does your definition relate to what is commonly used in computer science and how it works with the impossibility proofs?