diff --git a/ch09.asciidoc b/ch09.asciidoc index 207bde40..1139eed2 100644 --- a/ch09.asciidoc +++ b/ch09.asciidoc @@ -220,16 +220,16 @@ Proof of stake is a system by which existing owners of a currency can "stake" cu ===== Gridcoin -((("Gridcoin")))Gridcoin was introduced in October 2013. It supplements scrypt-based Proof-Of-Work with subsidies for participation in((("BOINC open grid-computing"))) BOINC open grid-computing. BOINC is an open protocol for scientific research grid-computing, which allows participants to share their spare computing cycles for a broad range of academic research computing. Gridcoin uses BOINC as a general-purpose computing platform, rather than to solve specific science problems such as prime numbers or protein folding. +((("Gridcoin")))Gridcoin was introduced in October 2013. It supplements scrypt-based proof of work with subsidies for participation in((("BOINC open grid computing"))) BOINC open grid computing. BOINC—Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing—is an open protocol for scientific research grid computing, which allows participants to share their spare computing cycles for a broad range of academic research computing. Gridcoin uses BOINC as a general-purpose computing platform, rather than to solve specific science problems such as prime numbers or protein folding. * Block generation: 150 seconds * Total currency: No limit -* Consensus algorithm: Proof-Of-Work with BOINC grid-computing subsidy -* Market capitalization: $122,000 USD in mid-2014 +* Consensus algorithm: Proof-of-work with BOINC grid computing subsidy +* Market capitalization: $122,000 in mid-2014 -==== Anonymity-Focused Alt-Coins: CryptoNote, Bytecoin, Monero, Zerocash/Zerocoin, Darkcoin +==== Anonymity-Focused Alt Coins: CryptoNote, Bytecoin, Monero, Zerocash/Zerocoin, Darkcoin -((("alt-coins","anonymity focused", id="ix_ch09-asciidoc3", range="startofrange")))((("currencies, alternative","anonymity focused", id="ix_ch09-asciidoc4", range="startofrange")))Bitcoin is often mistakenly characterized as "anonymous" currency. In fact, it is relatively easy to connect identities to bitcoin addresses and, using big-data analytics, connect addresses to each other to form a comprehensive picture of someone's bitcoin spending habits. Several alt-coins aim to address this issue directly by focusing on strong anonymity. The first such attempt is most likely _Zerocoin_, a meta-coin protocol for preserving anonymity on top of bitcoin, introduced with a paper in the((("IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy"))) 2013 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy. Zerocoin will be implemented as a completely separate alt-coin called Zerocash, currently in development. An alternative approach to anonymity was launched with _CryptoNote_ in a paper published in October 2013. CryptoNote is a foundational technology that is implemented by a number of alt-coin forks discussed next. In addition to Zerocash and CryptoNotes, there are several other independent anonymous coins, such as Darkcoin that use stealth addresses or transaction re-mixing to deliver anonymity. +((("alt coins","anonymity focused", id="ix_ch09-asciidoc3", range="startofrange")))((("currencies, alternative","anonymity focused", id="ix_ch09-asciidoc4", range="startofrange")))Bitcoin is often mistakenly characterized as "anonymous" currency. In fact, it is relatively easy to connect identities to bitcoin addresses and, using big-data analytics, connect addresses to each other to form a comprehensive picture of someone's bitcoin spending habits. Several alt coins aim to address this issue directly by focusing on strong anonymity. The first such attempt is most likely _Zerocoin_, a meta-coin protocol for preserving anonymity on top of bitcoin, introduced with a paper at the((("IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy"))) 2013 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy. Zerocoin will be implemented as a completely separate alt-coin called Zerocash, in development at time of writing. An alternative approach to anonymity was launched with _CryptoNote_ in a paper published in October 2013. CryptoNote is a foundational technology that is implemented by a number of alt-coin forks discussed next. In addition to Zerocash and CryptoNotes, there are several other independent anonymous coins, such as Darkcoin that use stealth addresses or transaction re-mixing to deliver anonymity. ===== Zerocoin/Zerocash