doc: Explain Bitcoin Core instead of Bitcoin in README.md #25090

pull MarcoFalke wants to merge 1 commits into bitcoin:master from MarcoFalke:2205-doc-intro-🥒 changing 1 files +6 −10

MarcoFalke commented at 12:28 PM on May 9, 2022: member
Currently the README doesn't explain what Bitcoin Core is. Fix that.

Further reading / Inspired by:
fanquake added the label Docs on May 9, 2022
MarcoFalke commented at 12:29 PM on May 9, 2022: member
Bike shedding and NACKs welcome.

The goal is, once and if this is merged, to propagate the description to the package metadata:
- https://github.com/bitcoin-core/packaging/blob/96794f2447e3357b847d879b53ead044d0e029b1/snap/snapcraft.yaml#L5
- https://github.com/flathub/org.bitcoincore.bitcoin-qt/blob/acad29d13868e98de48c2e4317294e5aa46d5a24/org.bitcoincore.bitcoin-qt.metainfo.xml#L21
MarcoFalke force-pushed on May 9, 2022
kristapsk commented at 12:37 PM on May 9, 2022: contributor

Why not keep also "What is Bitcoin" part above "What is Bitcoin Core"?
laanwj commented at 12:42 PM on May 9, 2022: member

ACK fa0a6ed14d6a486b79a9fe7ede7ffb69e6527720

Motivation the same as I explained in #25012:

"What is bitcoin" is very much up for discussion. There's no need to try to resolve, nor explain that here, definitely not anymore. Replace it by a short, nonambigious blurb what this project is.
MarcoFalke commented at 12:44 PM on May 9, 2022: member

Why not keep also "What is Bitcoin" part above "What is Bitcoin Core"?

At this point, I don't think it is not up to this project to prescribe what Bitcoin is. If you mean a description, I am wondering what the goal of it would be, considering that (likely) anyone finding this project would already know about Bitcoin. See also #25012#issue-1218432612
mzumsande commented at 3:16 PM on May 9, 2022: member

Concept ACK Though I think that it would be good to at least mention in the title or description that this replaces the old description of Bitcoin (e.g. "explain Bitcoin Core instead of Bitcoin ...").
MarcoFalke renamed this:
~~doc: Explain Bitcoin Core in README.md~~
doc: Explain Bitcoin Core instead of Bitcoin in README.md
on May 9, 2022
MarcoFalke commented at 3:33 PM on May 9, 2022: member

Thx, changed title

in README.md:12 in fa0a6ed14d outdated

  16 | -Bitcoin is an experimental digital currency that enables instant payments to
  17 | -anyone, anywhere in the world. Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate
  18 | -with no central authority: managing transactions and issuing money are carried
  19 | -out collectively by the network. Bitcoin Core is the name of open source
  20 | -software which enables the use of this currency.
  21 | +Bitcoin Core connects to the Bitcoin P2P network to download and fully validate

prusnak commented at 4:00 PM on May 9, 2022:

Nit: Maybe we can expand the P2P abbreviation? Two lines below we use "graphical user interface" instead of "GUI" and I think it's important to be super clear in this one sentence which describes what Bitcoin Core is.

Bitcoin Core connects to the Bitcoin peer-to-peer network to download and fully validate

MarcoFalke commented at 5:51 AM on May 10, 2022:

Thanks, taken

cjfranca commented at 4:26 PM on May 9, 2022: none

I understand Bitcoin is a coin and bitcoin core is off the technologie.

in README.md:14 in fa0a6ed14d outdated

  18 | -with no central authority: managing transactions and issuing money are carried
  19 | -out collectively by the network. Bitcoin Core is the name of open source
  20 | -software which enables the use of this currency.
  21 | +Bitcoin Core connects to the Bitcoin P2P network to download and fully validate
  22 | +blocks and transactions. It also includes a wallet and graphical user
  23 | +interface, that can be optionally built.

jonatack commented at 4:57 PM on May 9, 2022:

suggestion: "a wallet and a graphical user interface (GUI), both of which can be optionally built." (or without "both of " but "which" follows a comma)

MarcoFalke commented at 5:51 AM on May 10, 2022:

Thanks, switched to "which"

brunoerg commented at 5:00 PM on May 9, 2022: member

Strong Concept ACK
doc: Explain Bitcoin Core in README.md faeb5b59a0
MarcoFalke force-pushed on May 10, 2022
laanwj commented at 7:47 AM on May 10, 2022: member

re-ACK faeb5b59a098578b3e8c552d35b5ba02b12af14d

in README.md:12 in faeb5b59a0

  16 | -Bitcoin is an experimental digital currency that enables instant payments to
  17 | -anyone, anywhere in the world. Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate
  18 | -with no central authority: managing transactions and issuing money are carried
  19 | -out collectively by the network. Bitcoin Core is the name of open source
  20 | -software which enables the use of this currency.
  21 | +Bitcoin Core connects to the Bitcoin peer-to-peer network to download and fully

prusnak commented at 8:20 AM on May 10, 2022:

Nitpick: Maybe it's obvious, but shouldn't the question "What is X?" answered by a sentence that starts with "X is ..." before answering what X does?

Bitcoin Core is a software that connects to the Bitcoin peer-to-peer network to download and fully

laanwj commented at 8:56 AM on May 10, 2022:

Sure, though given the context, I mean it's github, there's only software on here. (I'd also say is software that not is a software that)

MarcoFalke commented at 9:03 AM on May 10, 2022:

It is explained in the previous sentence: "the Bitcoin Core software", so I am going to reject the change for now.

brunoerg approved
brunoerg commented at 10:24 PM on May 10, 2022: member

ACK faeb5b59a098578b3e8c552d35b5ba02b12af14d
unknown approved
unknown commented at 11:53 PM on May 10, 2022: none

ACK https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/25090/commits/faeb5b59a098578b3e8c552d35b5ba02b12af14d
ghost commented at 11:55 PM on May 10, 2022: none

I understand Bitcoin is a coin and bitcoin core is off the technologie. @cjfranca

Since Bitcoin is both a currency and a protocol, capitalization can be confusing. Accepted practice is to use Bitcoin (singular with an upper case letter B) to label the protocol, software, and community, and bitcoins (with a lower case b) to label units of the currency.

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Help:Introduction#Capitalization_.2F_Nomenclature
w0xlt approved
w0xlt commented at 12:19 AM on May 11, 2022: contributor

ACK https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/25090/commits/faeb5b59a098578b3e8c552d35b5ba02b12af14d
fanquake merged this on May 11, 2022
fanquake closed this on May 11, 2022
MarcoFalke deleted the branch on May 11, 2022
MarcoFalke commented at 6:55 AM on May 11, 2022: member
Follow-ups in:
- https://github.com/bitcoin-core/packaging/pull/157
- https://github.com/flathub/org.bitcoincore.bitcoin-qt/pull/20
sidhujag referenced this in commit 40e0ed4a4d on May 11, 2022
DrahtBot locked this on May 11, 2023

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#25012 doc: Update blurb in README.md