Many of those you listed were covered specifically in the article, and I believe the author cites sound reasons why the supposed differentiation doesn't add the

Many of those you listed were covered specifically in the article, and I believe the author cites sound reasons why the supposed differentiation doesn't add the claimed value. I tend to agree with the author for the most part, though I think some of his refutations are as theoretical as the assertions of claimed value he is refuting. Grain of salt though, as I don't claim expertise with these altcoin beyond general familiarity. I would be curious to know what you think of his opinions re: the altcoins you mentioned. Still, I think the overarching point (at least in my view) is that what is overlooked most is that Bitcoin's greatest value at this point is the network effect. By far, it is the closest thing we have to a consensus on an alternative currency. So, it is not enough for a new coin to present some incremental benefit. It most be unquestionably superior in some fundamental ways. Remember, these altcoin aren't just competing with Bitcoin. They are competing with fiat. So, the sheer number of altcoin popping up tends to devalue the lot. BTW, I actually believe that Bitcoin has some fundamental weaknesses that need to be addressed. Some of these may be so foundational to Bitcoin, that it may actually require a new altcoin to fix them. For instance, confirmation time is one such issue. So, it's not that I am swooning over BTC as the perfect currency. I just haven't yet seen anything that offers a compelling alternative when the BTC ecosystem, network effect, and inertia are considered. EDIT: BTW, the idea of having a bunch of different altcoin, each catered to a certain "niche" strikes me as especially odd for a currency. As we've seen with BTC, it is difficult enough to gain widespread adoption for even a single alt currency. It is hard to see multiple niche currencies gaining the necessary critical mass to breakout, nor the desirability of managing such from a user perspective.. I am not being facetious in saying that the idea of assigning some niche value to a particular currency seems an excuse for the lack of true differentiation, and an acknowledgement that the currency represents only some minor or incremental benefit.