Received-SPF: fail (sog-mx-4.v43.ch3.sourceforge.com: domain of swipeclock.com
	does not designate 74.201.97.201 as permitted sender)
	client-ip=74.201.97.201; envelope-from=mcaldwell@swipeclock.com;
	helo=mxout.myoutlookonline.com; 
From: Mike Caldwell <mcaldwell@swipeclock.com>
CC: Bitcoin Dev <bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net>
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2014 14:11:18 -0400
Thread-Topic: [Bitcoin-development] "bits": Unit of account
Thread-Index: Ac9cw+3cw/e+xzXlR+ygsh2ClPDIQQ==
Message-ID: <1C408C12-B39B-46E4-B997-153D566158B1@swipeclock.com>
References: <CAJKMfeQO6pyi5b-83FyMSHcq0Sa1QkP+RouQVBdCYPtXXboY8A@mail.gmail.com>
	<53540715.7050803@xylon.de>
In-Reply-To: <53540715.7050803@xylon.de>
Accept-Language: en-US
Content-Language: en-US
acceptlanguage: en-US
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
MIME-Version: 1.0
Subject: Re: [Bitcoin-development] "bits": Unit of account
Precedence: list

It is a paradigm that is easy to explain and grasp for neurotypical people.=
=20

The average mind has no problem overloading words and distinguishing the in=
tended meaning from context. For most people, overloading a single syllable=
 word with a new meaning is much less complicated than using a unique 3+ sy=
llable word like satoshi or micro-anything.

Doing software development warps our minds to demand fully qualified names =
for everything. We know our compilers would say "bit? Fatal error 0xaaabbbb=
wtf, can't continue, not sure if you mean a Boolean or a dog bite".  But th=
is peculiarity should not be projected onto the people we are trying to get=
 bitcoin to appeal to, not if we want them to feel like we think about thei=
r experience.=20

If I were to say "a Bitcoin can be divided into a million bits", less than =
0.1% of average joes would think I was talking about German beers or the th=
ing that goes in horses mouths. Really, most people are good at using conte=
xt to relate this to "a dollar can be divided into 100 cents" and accepting=
 it.  This requires much less of their mind resources than using SI prefixe=
s correctly or learning 3 syllable words that (to them) have no instantly a=
pparent relationship to Bitcoin.=20

Mike

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 20, 2014, at 11:44 AM, "Arne Brutschy" <abrutschy@xylon.de> wrote:

>> I propose that users are offered a preference to denominate the
>> Bitcoin currency in a unit called a bit. Where one bitcoin (BTC)
>> equals one million bits (bits) and one bit equals 100 satoshis.
>=20
> There have been many proposals for more or less arbitrary subunits. What
> would be the merit of your proposal? I don't really follow the reasoning
> that it's better if it's uncommon for everyone rather than just uncommon
> for people not used to metric units.
>=20
> Regarding the label of a "bit": I have to agree with the others that bit
> is heavily overused as a unit, but I am a computer scientist, so I don't
> have the "average joe's" perspective on this. I find it weird to use as
> it's already in use in English - "a bit of work" etc