Are Bitcoins The Future?
Bitcoins are not the future. But they're a great start.<p>Bitcoins have two major problems stopping mainstream adoption; excessive volatility that isn't managed and the fact that is a deflationary monetary system, with the latter being a much bigger issue.<p>Fundamentally a currency needs to move around fungible value. That's it. If it doesn't do that - it's useless.<p>Bitcoin incentivises hoarding - the opposite of value transmission - and that's the main reason it'll remain as nothing more than a mere speculative currency, like modern day tulips, and why it won't ever become an actual alternative to actual cash.<p>Now - this isn't a knock against crypto-currencies - which are awesome - it's merely a knock at the fact that monetary supply in the bitcoin system isn't adaptive. Bitcoin needs a central decentralized bank that will help to stabilise the system and inflate (punish hoarders) as the economy grows in fits and starts.<p>I'm sure that one day in the not too distant future, another crypto-currency will come about that takes all the advantages provided by bitcoin, and combines them with stability/incentives of a nation-backed currency such as the US dollar. When that happens, we can finally end the monopoly held by large financial institutions that so clearly have literally no idea what they are actually doing (see Deutsche bank just recently).<p>Bitcoins are just the beginning of a whole new financial world, free from restriction, fees and abuse (hopefully :).<p>But they most certainly are not the end.