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A comment on “We already store data. In a database. It works well”. Parent comment

Re:“We already store data. In a database. It works well” by neilalexander on Tuesday February 11, 2020 @06:04AM (#22297573)
> I'm not sure using this definition of blockchain (i.e. optional consensus protocol) is very useful

Honestly, "blockchain" as a word feels ill-defined and badly understood at the best of times. You could argue that "blockchain" deconstructs to nothing more than a "chain" of "blocks". What "blocks" actually are is up to the imagination, proof-of-work or other algorithms aside.

I get frustrated when people hail "blockchains" as the solution to everything because the term is so vague in everyday use that it's effectively meaningless.

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Re:“We already store data. In a database. It works well” by icebraining on Tuesday February 11, 2020 @10:19AM (#22299105)
I always thought it was clear: it was the combination of Merkle chains with a proof of investment (work, stake, etc), since that combination was the real novelty, worthy of a new name. It was quite confusing to see people calling "blockchain" to one of the pre-existing concepts. It's like calling any wheel a "bicycle".
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