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Seven years ago today, Hal Finney, legendary computer programmer and beneficiary of the very first Bitcoin transaction, passed away from complications from ALS.
Finney worked as a video game developer and then as a developer for PGP Corporation, one of the first providers of public key cryptography software. He was also an active member of the cypherpunks mailing list, and in 2004 created the world’s first reusable proof of work (RPOW) system, a variation of the proof of work system that would later define Bitcoin.
But Bitcoiners probably remember Finney best for his first idea of the Project Revolution. As our Aaron van Wirdum reported last year, Finney was one of the first members of the crypto mailing list to recognize its potential.
“Bitcoin appears to be a very promising idea,” he wrote in 2008, responding to an email Satoshi Nakamoto sent to the list sharing the Bitcoin white paper. “I like the idea of basing security on the assumption that the CPU power of the honest participants outweighs that of the attacker… I also believe that there is potential value in some form of tamper-proof token whose production rate is predictable and cannot be swayed by corrupt parties.
Finney would continue to work regularly on the project, becoming one of the world’s first Bitcoin miners, helping with technical contributions and, infamously, receiving the first Bitcoin transaction directly from Nakamoto.
On January 10, 2009, Finney tweeted a simple post that has since become a favorite in the Bitcoin community, garnering over 31,000 likes and 15,000 retweets to date: “Running bitcoin”.
Finney was diagnosed with ALS that year and the disease quickly confined him to a wheelchair, ultimately crippling much of his body. Still, he used eye tracking software to keep writing Bitcoin code.
“Today, I am essentially paralyzed. I’m fed by one tube and my breathing is assisted by another tube, ”Finney wrote on the Bitcointalk bulletin board on March 19, 2013, just 17 months before his death. “It’s been an adjustment, but my life isn’t too bad… I still love programming and it gives me goals… I’m comfortable with my heritage. ”
Although Bitcoin was designed as a system free from the influence of a single ruler, Finney remains one of its most famous and revered individuals. His foreknowledge, optimism, and passion for creating a digital form of cash continue to inspire all of us who believe that when Bitcoin fixes money, it can fix the world.
To celebrate Finney’s legacy, we’ve compiled Bitcoin Magazine’s best stories about the pioneering cryptographer. On this day, more than any other, his contributions should be remembered.
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Sources 2/ https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/bitcoin-hal-finney-memorial The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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