&gt; hey are independent (trust and mining).<p>Oh but they are not.  People wish it so but it just ain&#x27;t so.<p>&gt; Mining is just one solution to minting<p>Yes, the only successful one.  Every other solution that tries to remove mining comes with bigger flaws which why no other coin has taken off.  Every alt coin that exists today is a failed experiment.<p>&gt; Other solutions exist.<p>Other failed solutions that have prevented any other coin from being able to process payments of the scale Bitcoin processes.<p>Mining is core to Bitcoins success as it&#x27;s the only solution that actually works well enough to have gained traction.