Questions tagged [whitepaper]

33 questions
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Is pruning transaction history implemented in Satoshi's bitcoin client?

The original bitcoin paper suggests a method to discard old transactions. One should compute the Merkle Tree of the entire transaction history, and store only part of the tree. However, I didn't notice this method implemented. BuildMerkleTree stores…
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When was the paper of bitcoin announced?

When examining about this, it is said that many are November 1, 2008, but on the other hand, there are sites that are on October 31st. Which one is correct?
type
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Is Merkle tree pruning described in the whitepaper feasible/useful? If not, would there be any alternative?

When I was reading bitcoin-paper-errata-and-details.md written by David A. Harding, I realized that there's probably a common misunderstanding or over-simplification about Merkle tree pruning. What Nick ODell had said might be a live example: A…
Chris Chen
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From where does the 2 hours limitation on bitcoin time stamp come?

Bitcoin wiki says that: A timestamp is accepted as valid if it is greater than the median timestamp of previous 11 blocks, and less than the network-adjusted time + 2 hours My question is why 2 hours? WHy not 1 or 3? Is there any calculation…
n0unc3
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Possible error in the white paper Calculations section?

Section 11 presents calculations of the probability of double spending, P(z, q), given an attacker relative hash rate q and a block count z. P(z, q) can only be understood by knowing exactly what z represents. From the Calculations section: The…
Rich Apodaca
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Has the Timestamp Server from the original whitepaper ever been developed?

In the original whitepaper Satoshi proposes a creation of a timestamp server to authenticate that Bitcoin blocks were not created later than at a given time. Has this feature been ever implemented or planned to be implemented? Why would the…
ThePiachu
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At most two outputs according to Bitcoin whitepaper. Multiple outputs in real transactions. How come?

The original Bitcoin whitepaper mentions that there can be at most two outputs: Normally there will be either a single input from a larger previous transaction or multiple inputs combining smaller amounts, and at most two outputs: one for the…
Piero
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Can anyone delineate a phrase in the Satosh's white paper?: limiting the minimum practical transaction size

Can anyone explain what the phrase below, from the Satoshi Nakamoto white paper, means? Introduction The cost of mediation increases transaction costs, limiting the minimum practical transaction size and cutting off the possibility for small…
cronus
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Where was the term "coinbase" first coined, who first used it?

The white paper doesn't mention the term "coinbase" (in reference to the reward transaction). I see the first version of the software main.cpp does: // First transaction must be coinbase, the rest must not be if (vtx.empty() ||…
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Is history reversal a concern if the absence of attackers is assumed?

As described in the Bitcoin paper, the Bitcoin network may temporarily diverge, or "fork," as nodes may work on different blockchains. The network reconverges, however, as a node will always continue working on the longest blockchain it learns…
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Understanding simplifying payment verification

I'm studying the paper "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System" and I've gone through many questions on this site. Still I cannot fully understand the contents of the Simplified Payment Verification section. It is possible to verify…
user1868607
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why verification of transaction after proof of work?

I have question about bitcoin protocol. In Satoshi's paper it is mentioned that: New transactions are broadcast to all nodes. Each node collects new transactions into a block. Each node works on finding a difficult proof-of-work for its block. When…
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Where can I find the Bitcoin white paper in plain text markdown format?

Is there a place where I can find the Bitcoin whitepaper by satoshi in plain text markdown format?
Patoshi パトシ
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Major changes to Bitcoin since original paper

Is there a history of the major changes/additions (as well as perhaps major proposals) to Bitcoin since the original paper by Satoshi? I realize of course that one can read through the BIPs and Bitcoin-Core release notes, but I was wondering if…
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What is the current state of the Hashcash protocol that is cited in the Bitcoin whitepaper?

I have been reading the Hashcash paper which is referenced in the Bitcoin whitepaper. I would like to know what is the current state of the Hashcash protocol and what are the services that are actively using it?
Abrar
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