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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Seriously, guys?

    Cryptocurrency? Facebook account? Own up, who's let the body snatchers into El Req HQ.

    1. SVV

      Re: Seriously, guys?

      Just beat me to it - was going to invest,then read what you had to do and..... sighed.

      I understand that money must and should be made here but can we please just be able to buy it with, y'know, actual money? Jumping through pointless hoops to get simple things done with tech is what many of us get paid for, it's not nice to have to do this for.leisuretime enjoyment This is pointless irritating geekdom, the book is celebrating wonderful historic geekdom.

      1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

        Re: Seriously, guys?

        It's not pointless hoops. It enables you to do something that wasn't possible before: Buy as little as one article for the equivalent of only £0.24. This wouldn't be possible with credit cards or Paypal because it would cost The Reg more than what they're getting from one sale.

        Charge up your wallet with, y'know, actual money, just like your Oyster card, and that's all you need to worry about! :-)

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Seriously, guys?

      Is this some sort of tax-avoidance scam?

      1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

        Re: Seriously, guys?

        Believe me, if anything, it gives us (the payment provider) additional tax and compliance issues to worry about, rather than helping avoid any.

    3. Pen-y-gors

      Re: Seriously, guys?

      This requires that you connect your Facebook account, which is used to confirm whether you have received your credits.

      Wut? This is El Reg. How many of us are likely to have Facebook accounts?

      1. Dan 55 Silver badge

        Re: Seriously, guys?

        El Reg: When commentards say they don't have a Facebook account, they really don't.

        If I need to confirm I've received my Scorchiocoin™, what's wrong with clicking link sent through e-mail?

        1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

          Re: Seriously, guys?

          > If I need to confirm I've received my Scorchiocoin™, what's wrong with clicking link sent through e-mail?

          How many email addresses do you have? How many *could* you have?

          Stellar is giving away free Lumens, basically free money, but they'd like to limit it to one grant per person. The Facebook verification is their way to try and minimize fraudsters spinning up 1000 email accounts and leeching the pot dry for everyone else.

          1. Pen-y-gors

            Re: Seriously, guys?

            Multiple addresses?

            Of course we all have multiple e-mail addresses. Probably thousands. This is El Reg. We own our own domains.

            But, and this is important, although most of us avoid FB like the plague for personal use, sometimes we need to set up an account as part of a client project. At the last count I had six FB accounts, all dodgy and full of fake info.

            1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

              Re: Seriously, guys?

              > At the last count I had six FB accounts, all dodgy and full of fake info.

              And that's exactly why Stellar wants access to your pictures, post history etc. to see how real the account is before they hand out free money to you.

      2. Sven (SatoshiPay)

        Re: Seriously, guys?

        A Facebook account is required ONLY for the free giveaway of the Lumen units. If you want to BUY the Geek’s Guide book, you don't need a Facebook account. Not even an email address!

        1. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
          Coat

          I'm sorry, Sven

          I haven't a clue about these things. Perhaps you could ask Samantha to come round and show me

          1. Pen-y-gors

            Re: I'm sorry, Sven

            @Fruit

            Sorry, Samantha will be busy - she wants to go home and play with her own magic bean.

    4. Sven (SatoshiPay)

      Re: Seriously, guys?

      You do not need to worry about cryptocurrency and you do not need a Facebook account.

      We (SatoshiPay, the payment provider) use a cryptocurrency under the hood to enable you to buy as little as one article for the equivalent of only £0.24. This wouldn't be possible with traditional payment methods, as merchant fees for credit cards, Paypal etc. would cost The Reg more than what they're getting from one sale.

      But you can top up your wallet with those traditional methods and think of it as buying credits, points, miles - whatever you wanna call it. Ever played online games and paid for in-game credits? Charged up an Oyster card? Prepaid phone minutes? Same concept. You never have to think about the crypto parts working in the background.

      And no, you don't need Facebook. Stellar is giving away some credits, called Lumens, for free. Only if you want in on the free Lumens, Stellar is asking for your Facebook account to prevent fraud. If you buy Lumens the regular way or get them elsewhere - no Facebook involved!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Seriously, guys?

        "We (SatoshiPay, the payment provider) use a cryptocurrency under the hood...

        You never have to think about the crypto parts working in the background"

        So what you're saying is it's a black box implementation that requires us to trust you? What value are the "crypto parts" adding then?

        "Buy as little as one article for the equivalent of only £0.24"

        Can I actually buy one article for 24p, because all I'm seeing is a button to buy 20 magic beans for about six quid. Six quid is not 24p.

        1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

          Re: Seriously, guys?

          > So what you're saying is it's a black box implementation that requires us to trust you?

          No, unlike Paypal or your bank, you don't have to trust us. You can independently verify. As with most cryptocurrencies, you can (and should!) backup your private key that controls your funds from the SatoshiPay browser wallet. No one else, not even SatoshiPay, has access to that key. It's yours and yours alone. You could import it elsewhere. And you can look up the value stored on it on any third-party explorer.

          Try that with Paypal. How do you know they actually have your funds? THAT is a true "black box implementation that requires us to trust [them]".

          > Can I actually buy one article for 24p, because all I'm seeing is a button to buy 20 magic beans for about six quid. Six quid is not 24p.

          Through our system, the minimum top-up is 20 lumens (credits). For that amount, we eat the credit card or Paypal processing fees. You could get lumens on exchanges like Kraken where you could indeed exchange as little as one. But you would have to set up a separate account with them, go through their KYC ID verification and fund the account through a bank transfer. Most exchanges also charge a trading fee.

          Once you have a couple lumens, whether from us, from an exchange, from a friend or from the Stellar giveaway, you can spend them one by one on publishers that use our system.

          We think buying a pack of 20 with a simple credit card charge is worth the convenience of avoiding these extra steps, but the choice is yours!

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Seriously, guys?

            "No, unlike Paypal or your bank, you don't have to trust us...."

            Well, I do. I've got to trust you're not going to just leg it with my cash. I've got to trust you're not doing anything dodgy with it. I've got to trust you're paying the vendors as promised. I've got to trust your little JavaScript widget isn't doing anything nefarious or insecure. I've got to trust your blockchain has been properly implemented. I've got to trust the keys are being appropriately handled. I've got to trust you're not going to be eliminated by the inevitable regulation of alternative currencies. I've got to trust you're not going to hike all your prices. I've got to trust you're never going to be hijacked. I've got to trust your blockchain is never going to collapse under the volume of transactions.

            At the end of the day you could just use a database for all of that and for either myself as the customer and el reg as the publisher, absolutely nothing at all would change. I suspect like many here I'd actually trust you more if you were doing that, because anything "crypto" has the distinct whiff of snake oil about it.

            "but the choice is yours!"

            Let's put it this way chap. If I were you I wouldn't be betting my house on it.

            1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

              Re: Seriously, guys?

              > I've got to trust you're not going to just leg it with my cash.

              No, you don't. Your "cash" in the form of lumens is controlled by a private key. This key sits in your browser's local storage. We can't get to it, we can't leg it with it. BTW, that's also why it's so important to backup. YOU are in charge. If you lose your key, we can't recover it for you.

              > I've got to trust you're not doing anything dodgy with it.

              No, if we can't get to your cash / lumens, we can't do anything dodgy with it.

              > I've got to trust you're paying the vendors as promised.

              No. You can see all transactions live on any explorer you choose. Buy an article here, go e.g. to https://steexp.com/ and you can immediately see how your payment arrived at El Reg's wallet.

              > I've got to trust your little JavaScript widget isn't doing anything nefarious or insecure.

              No, you don't have to trust. JS is open source, you can inspect our code any time. Of course, realistically, most people are not going to invest the time for a couple p at stake, maybe you won't, but YOU COULD. Keep in mind though that you get JS served left and right as you browse around the web. If you're really concerned about nefarious or insecure scripts, turn JS off, but you'll have to live without most forms of modern e-commerce, online entertainment and productivity tools.

              > I've got to trust your blockchain has been properly implemented.

              It's not our blockchain. We use the Stellar blockchain. It's the 8th-largest in the world today and has been around since 2014 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_(payment_network) We've done an extensive evaluation when we switched our backend from Bitcoin to Stellar last year and feel confident about its implementation. It is all open-source, and again, you don't have to trust, you can verify. Many devs who work with Stellar have.

              And how do you know the Paypal backend has been properly implemented?

              > I've got to trust the keys are being appropriately handled.

              Again, the keys sit in your local storage. They are handled by your browser. Feel free to check. No trust required.

              > I've got to trust you're not going to be eliminated by the inevitable regulation of alternative currencies.

              As you can imagine, we've been working closely with lawyers and regulators to ensure we're fully compliant. But sure, nobody can foresee future laws. However, how much is at stake here? A few p? A couple quid? Laws don't change over night. In the unlikely event that new regulations were announced that make our business infeasible, you'd have enough time to spend or withdraw your credit.

              > I've got to trust you're not going to hike all your prices.

              Prices are set by the vendor, in this case El Reg, not us. We just facilitate the payments.

              > I've got to trust you're never going to be hijacked.

              Again, your funds live ONLY on your own computer. If we get hijacked, it has no effect on your money. You might not be able to buy content from our publisher network anymore, but with your private key, you could withdraw your funds to another wallet. You won't lose anything.

              > I've got to trust your blockchain is never going to collapse under the volume of transactions.

              See above. Very unlikey. Unlike Bitcoin, Stellar scales extremely well. That was one of the main criteria in our evaluation.

              > At the end of the day you could just use a database for all of that and for either myself as the customer and el reg as the publisher, absolutely nothing at all would change.

              If you read my above responses, it should be clear what the difference is. With a central database, you would indeed have to trust us with all the points you mentioned. With our system, you don't. You are in charge of your own money.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: Seriously, guys?

                >Your "cash" in the form of lumens is controlled by a private key.

                And before that my "cash" in the form of "cash" is sat in your bank account. You're a young upstart firm. How do I know it's not going to go the way of Carillion in the morning? The answer is trust.

                >If you're really concerned about nefarious or insecure scripts, turn JS off, but you'll have to live without most forms of modern e-commerce, online entertainment and productivity tools.

                Oh, you really don't know your audience, do you?

                >It's not our blockchain.

                Fine, *their* blockchain. I'm not a crypto expert. Almost no one is. I lack the competence to verify either its theory or function. I have to trust it.

                >And how do you know the Paypal backend has been properly implemented?

                I don't. I trust them.

                >Prices are set by the vendor

                I meant your cut. Currently 10%, right? Which is nice. But you're not going to build a business on 10% of 24p, and we both know that.

                >your funds live ONLY on your own computer

                Except for the times when you're taking my money or when you're (presumably) paying out in cash or when your little widget is doing its thing to sling funds between me and you. Again, I'm *trusting* that this is all happening correctly.

                >Very unlikey.

                So say you. Again, I'm *trusting* that all this new fangled Lightning lark is enough to scale Stellar to practical transaction throughput, rather than the hilariously pedestrian rates we currently see.

                Please, please, please don't try and pretend blockchains (or distributed consensus protocols or whatever we're calling them this week) are a silver bullet that mean I don't have to trust you. It makes the whole venture look starry eyed and foolish. Blockchains change precisely one thing in the transaction and that's granting external verification of the transaction, which isn't even something many people want. Most people prefer their shopping history to be private, not public.

                1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

                  Re: Seriously, guys?

                  When you buy a pair of shoes, you get the shoes and the vendor gets your money. "Your" money then sits on the vendor's bank account but it's not your money anymore, it's the vendor's. You have the shoes. Why would you still worry about the money in the vendor's bank account?

                  I won't comment on business agreements with the Reg or other publishers, but I'm sure you understand it's a volume game. Either way, what does it matter to you as an end user what the terms are between us and El Reg? When you top up your mobile phone at the corner store, do you also enquire about the commission the store gets from the phone company? When you pay anything by credit card, do you always ask how much the processing fee is for the vendor?

                  Cryptocurrencies are not a silver bullet, but they enable things that wouldn't be possible otherwise. Buying individual articles for a few p, for example. Or us not having to maintain a central database loaded with monetary value that could be hacked. Or El Reg getting paid immediately from each purchase instead of once at the end of the month or week.

                  Ideally, we wouldn't even advertise the use of cryptocurrency in the background. It should just be "Buy a few publisher credits and redeem for content from these great publications." But if you're uncomfortable, don't use our system. I'm sure you'll hear about more cryptocurrency use cases though, perhaps you'll change your mind some day.

      2. Pen-y-gors

        Re: Seriously, guys?

        @Sven

        So, can I seriously charge up my account by buying ONE "Lumen" for 24p via Paypal? How is that different to just buying the goods for 24p via Paypal?

        When I charge up my Bip! card I know that the contents won't change in value on an hourly basis.

  2. SkippyBing

    Shhhhh

    'five years on, you're still reading'

    If my employer finds out they'll put me in an open plan office!!

  3. wolfetone Silver badge

    Provide a printed version of the book and then we'll talk.

    1. Marco Fontani

      Have you tried clicking on the "paperback" tab?

    2. Joe Werner Silver badge

      Re: printed version

      There seems to be a printed version as well - at least it is listed on the page.

      1. Aladdin Sane

        Re: printed version

        I want my paperback paperback paperback paperback paperback paperback paperback book.

        I want my paperback paperback paperback paperback paperback paperback paperback book.

        El Reg's paperback book.

        1. wolfetone Silver badge
          Coat

          Re: printed version

          I didn't click on the link to view the item, I just read the article.

          Consider me told.

  4. Pen-y-gors

    Paperback £19.00 ??

    Are you pulling my chain here?

    I've self-published a 180 page book via Createspace, and the unit printing costs on that are $2.65. We're selling via Amazon as print-on-demand at £6.95 and still making money.

    You need to find an alternative print provider!

  5. iron Silver badge

    You can shove it where the sun don't shine

    "All it takes are some Lumens – which can you can purchase via quick credit card or PayPal transaction from SatoshiPay – and a SatoshiPay wallet that is generated for you, on the fly."

    Errr... NO!

    Not only have I never heard of this particular scamcoin but I wouldn't buy them if I had. Plus there's apparently a Facebook requirement?!? WTF? Do you read your own articles? I do not now, nor have I ever had an account on Facebook and any product or website that requires it is banned in my house.

    1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

      Re: You can shove it where the sun don't shine

      If you've never heard of it, how did you determine it's a scamcoin?

      And no, you don't need Facebook. Stellar is giving away some quite un-scammy credits, called Lumens, for free. Only if you want in on the free Lumens, Stellar is asking for your Facebook account to minimize double-dipping. If you buy Lumens the regular way or get them elsewhere - no Facebook involved!

  6. Alister

    Me too!

    Just to jump on the bandwagon, I'd be very interested in buying this book, and quite happy to pay for it, but NOT if it requires using cryptocurrencies or Facebook. Sorry.

    You've really misjudged your audience on this one.

    1. ArrZarr Silver badge
      Joke

      You've really misjudged your audience on this one.

      Maybe they should have added it into their big survey from last week.

    2. Pen-y-gors

      Re: Me too!

      But for fans of "Elvis working in a burger-bar" type theories, it could just be a cunning bit of research by El Reg, to see how many of us will succumb. They've priced the paperback so high that no-one will buy it, but many of us would like it. So, how far will we go? Will we invest a squid or two in a previously unheard-of crypto currency (I like the fake 'market price' site.). Will we go a step further and set up a FB account to get it for free?

      We're just lab rats to the mekons at El Reg Towers!

    3. Sven (SatoshiPay)

      Re: Me too!

      It doesn't require "using" cryptocurrency (in the sense that you have to do anything special) and you do not need Facebook.

      We (SatoshiPay, the payment partner) use a cryptocurrency under the hood to enable you to buy as little as one article for the equivalent of only £0.24. This wouldn't be possible with traditional payment methods, as merchant fees for credit cards, Paypal etc. would cost the Reg more than what they're getting from one sale. As far as we're concerned, the fact that a cryptocurrency provides the plumbing, shouldn't even be advertised, but I guess the Reg wanted to explain how it works to a tech-savvy audience.

      You can top up your wallet with those traditional methods and think of it as buying credits, points, miles - whatever you wanna call it. Ever played online games and paid for in-game credits? Charged up an Oyster card? Prepaid phone minutes? Same concept. You never have to think about the crypto parts working in the background.

      And no, you don't need Facebook. Stellar is giving away some credits, called Lumens, for free. Only if you want in on the free Lumens, Stellar is asking for your Facebook account to minimize double-dipping. But since you said you're happy to pay for it, just buy the Lumens - no Facebook involved!

  7. Alvar

    Cryptocoin and iBook? no thanks.

    I'd love to buy this in any sensible ebook format (Epub, mobi, basically anything that doesn't require me to tie this to Apple) and with real money. Until then I'll pass.

  8. Roq D. Kasba

    Really? This is bizarre.

    I hope this actually is a joke, I did even check if it was a ¡Bong! article.

    So I am invited to use pay pay to pay for a thing, which I then use to pay for a thing.

    1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

      Re: Really? This is bizarre.

      Yea, just like your Oyster card on the London tube.

      1. Little Mouse

        Re: Really? This is bizarre.

        When I visit, I use my credit card on the London tube. It works like a charm.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hi guys

    Book sounds interesting. Won't be signing up to previously unheard of cryptocurrency. Try emailing my gran. Meanwhile, it may interest you to know that I am a Nigerian prince and would like to put $45M US dollars in your bank account. You'll be able to keep 12%

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Micro transactions?

    You can pay as little as 24p, OK. But how do you buy 24p of the cryptocurrency in the first place if not with your debit card?

    1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

      Re: Micro transactions?

      Through our system the minimum top-up is 20 lumens (credits) or about £4.70 as of today. For that amount, we eat the credit card or Paypal processing fees. You could get lumens on exchanges like Kraken where you could indeed exchange as little as one. But you would have to set up a separate account with them and go through their KYC ID verification and fund the account through a bank transfer. Most exchanges also charge a trading fee.

      We think buying a pack of 20 with a simple credit card charge is worth the convenience of avoiding these extra steps, but the choice is yours!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Micro transactions?

        Sven: Whilst I admire your persistence in responding to so many El Reg commentards being up in arms about this. I will also point out that your responses have just ruined my ongoing game of bullsh1t bingo, resulting in everyone getting a "house" call off a single El Reg article.

        Seriously though, it seems you might end up winning a lifetime achievement award in the "Rube Goldberg Award for most Convoluted Payment Systems".

  11. imanidiot Silver badge

    How much is El Reg getting paid?

    What's the pay for marketing SatoshiPay? This feels way too much like a marketingploy. (And no, I won't put my money into any crypto business.)

  12. cosymart
    WTF?

    Why????

    I quite fancy this book to stick in the car glove box with the out of date maps etc. Can I buy a tree based version? If so how?

    1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

      Re: Why????

      By clicking on the Paperback tab.

    2. Marco Fontani

      Re: Why????

      https://forms.theregister.co.uk/gg2b/

      Click the "Paperback" tab.

  13. handleoclast
    Coat

    All these flames

    I love the smell of napalm in the evening.

    Which seems appropriate, given the FAQ:

    SDF accesses your User ID (anonymised), name, last nam, email, current city and photos.

    You want our last 'nam? You're welcome to it. It's contaminated with a lot of dioxin from Agent Orange.

    1. cosymart
      WTF?

      Re: All these flames - There's More

      "SDF accesses your User ID (anonymised), name, last nam, email, current city and photos."

      WTF do you need anything other than my name? Photos - really????

      Go see what happened to Joan of Arc when she tried trickery like this - https://www.cartoonstock.com/cartoonview.asp?catref=ctan44

      1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

        Re: All these flames - There's More

        The Stellar Foundation is using Facebook as a way to minimize double- / triple- / 100-dipping on their free lumen giveaway. I don't really know the details of their system, but I assume they check to see if it's an active account that looks like a real person with friends, posts, pictures etc. Otherwise, it'd be easy to spin up 1000 new FB accounts with throwaway email addresses.

        1. Dan 55 Silver badge

          Re: All these flames - There's More

          Up there it would apparently be easy to spin up 1000 e-mail addresses so a Facebook account is needed. Now down here it's apparently easy to spin up 1000 Facebook accounts so your photo album is needed.

          It's stunts like this that brought about GDPR in the first place.

          1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

            Re: All these flames - There's More

            Dan, believe we'd much prefer to facilitate this giveaway without Facebook too. But it's the Stellar Foundation who actually gives away the money, so it's their rules.

            The giveaway is worth about 12 quid per user and in some places that's a lot of money and a big incentive for the wrong people. We had an earlier round:

            https://medium.com/@SatoshiPay/satoshipay-launches-giveaway-program-for-1-million-users-561a4499d1fe

            ... and had a lot of problems with scammers. Yes, email addresses are easy to generate and yes, you can also easily generate or buy a bunch of fresh FB accounts if you know where to look. As a long-time Reg reader, I'm sure you know. It's much harder to fake aged accounts with real activity. "Thank" the scammers who spoil good things for everyone and if you have a better idea to handle this, by all means suggest it to Stellar.

            In the meantime, remember, a FB account with access to photos is only needed if you want free money. It's NOT needed to use our micropayment system.

  14. Chozo
    Coat

    UK locations that are covered in scientific or engineering glory

    Having a nostalgic moment...

    I wonder if the (jet) engine test cell on the back of Staverton Airport still has the ejector seat in the control room.

  15. Myro117

    A) Stellar lumens is number 8 on the global Cryptocurrency list so it's hardly unknown. Most people only really know Bitcoin which is expensive transaction-wise (hence why Steam dropped it as a payment method) and Bitcoin is probably the worst coin to use for just about anything.

    B) You can see you do NOT need a facebook account. I cant stand facebook. You can use paypal,visa or your stellar wallet. (did anyone actually read or click the link?)

    C) International Business Times are also trailing Satoshi pay here:

    http://ibtimes.satoshipay.xyz/

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge

      Posting history of one post. Keep digging, I'll lend you a spade.

      1. Myro117

        This actually interest me, and this deal has actually brought me to this site. You must have noticed how publications are going more and more towards requiring monthly subscriptions or bombarding you with ads? This is clearly a way to support websites due to the decline in revenues.

        This site, like many others, are having their revenue streams shattered by ad blockers (which you or others are probably using, contributing to their lost revenues). This is a way of countering that decline and actually helping the sites you use out.

        Things cant continue how they are with publication websites. The register is trying to be forward thinking and evolve.

    2. Ken Y-N
      FAIL

      > http://ibtimes.satoshipay.xyz/

      No HTTPS? Obscure spam-riddled .XYZ domain? Astroturfing commentard? Sounds like a business I can trust!

  16. Free from advertising

    .

    Sounds like you guys are scared of change and there is no facebook login required ffs. Go to https://satoshipay.io/faq to find out how their widget works. This gets rid of the barrage of advertising that readers have to put up with so publishers are able to financially survive. Get your heads out the sand ffs, ffs.

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge

      Re: .

      Posting history of one post. Perhaps you intend to spin up 1000 El Reg accounts to convince people?

  17. Mark 85

    Sounds like you guys are scared of change and there is no facebook login required ffs.

    You think? We're IT, paranoia goes with the turf. Even moreso if you hang around security. Now, having said that, why the hell would a money site (OK, cryptocurrency) want to access my photos?

    1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

      > why the hell would a money site (OK, cryptocurrency) want to access my photos?

      The Stellar Foundation is using Facebook as a way to minimize double- / triple- / 100-dipping on their free lumen giveaway. I don't really know the details of their system, but I assume they check to see if it's an active account that looks like a real person with friends, posts, pictures etc. Otherwise, it'd be easy to spin up 1000 new FB accounts with throwaway email addresses.

  18. Fungus Bob
    Thumb Down

    SatoshiPay...lumens...Kraken...?

    Reminds me of flooz and beenz

    1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

      Re: SatoshiPay...lumens...Kraken...?

      What's in a name?

      Orange, O2, Oyster ... Fungus is pretty good too, Bob! ;-)

      1. Fungus Bob

        Re: SatoshiPay...lumens...Kraken...?

        What's in a name? Absolutely nothing.

        Unfortunately, there is nothing (of value) in SatoshiPay, just like there was nothing of value in flooz and beenz - you have no unique selling point, you solve no problem, therefore, the inconvenience you add to a simple financial transaction gives me nothing so I am unlikely to even consider your service. Your oft repeated example of buying one article instead of the book is a non-solution to a non-problem as I can simply go to the Register and print the article a lot more easily and with less expense than the jumpitty-hoopity nonsense I'd have to go through to use your payment service.. Having all the Geek Guide to Britain articles gathered together into a book which may be paid for easily using existing payment methods is something of value as it is more convenient than collecting the whole series myself.

        1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

          Re: SatoshiPay...lumens...Kraken...?

          I'm sure you realize we didn't create our solution exclusively for the Register's Geek Guide. Try to "simply go to the [Financial Times] and print the article a lot more easily and with less expense than" with their subscription that puts you on the hook for several quid week after week. Good luck!

          1. Fungus Bob

            Re: SatoshiPay...lumens...Kraken...?

            And if the Financial Times is behind their own paywall, I pay them and not you. If I value their content enough to pay for it ahead of time.

            Or is SatoshiPay supposed to be some sort of alternate universal paywall for sites that charge for access? If so, the same problem exists for you as for every site behind a paywall - they are too much bother.

  19. Mr Humbug

    I'll buy this

    But I want to buy it in epub format, or something that Calibre can convert to epub, as I do not have any iDevices. I would also like to pay for it in a way that doesn't involve me spending considerable time to ffind out what I'm letting myself in for by signing up to some cryptomoneywebwalletcoin thing that I've not heard of until now.

    A fiver sounds about right (since you have already monetised the articles) for a non-DRM version. I'll give you three quid if I have to strip the DRM off it.

    1. Sven (SatoshiPay)
      Happy

      Re: I'll buy this

      > signing up to some cryptomoneywebwalletcoin thing that I've not heard of until now.

      There's a first time for everything! :-)

      1. Mr Humbug

        Well done. You entirely missed the point.

        Before I sign up to your thingumycryptopaywotsit I would have to find out how it works and whether I could trust it. That means I have to spend, probably, several hours researching it. How many times am I likely to use it after buying this book? As far as I can tell, none.

        Now if everybody accepted your iron money I'd be more willing to invest the time and effort needed to join your game, but even bitcoin hasn't achieved that ubiquity yet.

        1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

          Of course we'd be happy if you wanted to learn about our system and cryptocurrencies in general. The more solid knowledge instead of second-hand hearsay half-truths out there, the better.

          But if you don't do it out of personal interest, perhaps I may suggest you weigh the value of your time against the value at stake. I wouldn't spend several hours researching something that will cost me at most a few quid. But I understand not everyone is comfortable trying new things before others. That's fine. Then sit back and hopefully you will hear more of us in the near future! :-)

  20. Pen-y-gors

    Kudos to @Sven

    @Sven

    You're making a brave and valiant effort to explain the inexplicable and defend the indefensible - but this is El Reg - what might work for the Mail Online does not work here.

    Good try though!

    1. Sven (SatoshiPay)
      Happy

      Re: Kudos to @Sven

      Thanks mate!

  21. bygjohn

    No sale...

    Sounded really interesting until the payment shenanigans was explained.

    Just let me buy an un-DRMed epub download via PayPal, or Apple Pay, or stick it on Amazon or something. Otherwise no deal.

    Want to sell stuff? Use well-known reliable mechanisms. Otherwise it's just a barrier.

    1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

      Re: No sale...

      If you want to buy the whole book at, what, about 5 quid, sure Paypal or ApplePay could do that.

      But El Reg also lets you buy just one article for the equivalent of about 24p. Most of our other publishers also charge such tiny amounts instead of inundating you with intrusive ads. That wouldn't be economically possible with traditional methods. The publishers would end up paying more in processing fees than they get from the sale.

  22. Charles83

    Very interested in SatoshiPay

    Hello Sven,

    I am an PSD designer, I want to sell psd file .

    How can i do it?

    1. Sven (SatoshiPay)

      Re: Very interested in SatoshiPay

      Thanks for your interest, Charles! :-) If you have a site that runs on WordPress, you can set it up yourself. Go to our website satoshipay.io and click on Install WordPress Plugin. It'll show you what to do. If you still have questions, email us at hello@satoshipay.io

      1. Charles83

        Re: Very interested in SatoshiPay

        Thank for your reply,

        I think i should setup a website wordpress to sell my psd file now

        Hope SatoshiPay is future

  23. Detective Emil

    Specifically, your plan fails to account for

    ( ) Public reluctance to accept weird new forms of money

  24. Charles83

    Very had to register an account

    I can't register an account publisher

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