NoSQL. Bitcoin for beginners, Part 1: The economics and use of Bitcoins. Whether you are interested in Bitcoin as an open source software project, peer-to-peer network, or decentralized virtual currency, insight into its many facets will help you make sounder decisions about implementing it.
In this article (one of three parts) Dirk Merkel gives an overview of Bitcoin, discussing its characteristics as a peer-to-peer network and decentralized currency. He also explores motivations for contributing to the project or implementing it in online transaction systems, as well as some of the pitfalls of doing so. Since its inception in 2007, Bitcoin has captured the imagination of many people, including software developers, consumers, and economists. Numerous factors have contributed to the project's popularity and mystique, not least the fact that its creator used a pseudonym to remain anonymous and has publicly withdrawn from the project (see Resources). This three-part article attempts a well-rounded introduction to Bitcoin.
Processing. Programming. Field-programmable gate array. A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by a customer or a designer after manufacturing – hence "field-programmable".
The FPGA configuration is generally specified using a hardware description language (HDL), similar to that used for an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) (circuit diagrams were previously used to specify the configuration, as they were for ASICs, but this is increasingly rare). Technical design[edit]