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The Best Reasons to Go Open Source – TechNadu

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Open Source software is incredibly popular, but many people still dont really understand what all the fuss is about. If you didnt know, Open Source software is published with the entire source code for anyone to look at and modify. Generally, you dont have to pay for this software. There are Open Source alternatives to packages like Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop that wont cost you a penny and very nearly do the same job. Thats why weve put together the most important reasons you may want to go Open Source.

This is the most obvious reason people come up with in support of Open Source software. After all, who wouldnt want to get something as good as a paid software package for nothing? Of course, this is just one part of why Open Source software is great, but for the struggling student or developing nation citizen these programs can make a massive difference. You can buy an inexpensive laptop and load it with Linux, OpenOffice and a slew of other Open Source packages to make it a complete work or study machine for very little money. That sort of technological democratization isnt just free, its priceless.

From a privacy and security perspective, Open Source software is particularly appealing. Since the source code is completely open, anyone can go through it and make sure there are no back doors or any sort of malicious code. You can take that source code and compile it yourself, to make extra sure that you only get what you want. You can remove things from the code you dont want. Total transparency unlike anything else is something you get with Open Source software.

Even the largest software companies in the world only have a few thousand coders. So the more complex software becomes, the more likely that bugs and other problems will slip through. One of the strengths of Open Source software is the vast number of community members who contribute code, check for bugs and decide what new features should be added.

While the development process might not be as cohesive as smaller proprietary development projects, the sheer massive wisdom of crowds effect has produced some shockingly good software.

While this only applies to a handful of people, Open Source software lets those with the right knowledge make any changes to the software they like. Which means they have total control over the software they use. Whether for personal or business use, its often much easier to take a piece of software thats close to what you need and modify it, than it is to start from scratch.

Open Source frees you from the legal restrictions that commercial software companies place on users. You dont actually own the software that you buy. Instead, you have a very specific set of privileges that the owner of the software can revoke. You are definitely not allowed to modify anything since its not yours to mess with.

Open Source software doesnt belong to anyone and its license is designed to protect that fact. While people who contribute to Open Source projects must be credited, it will always be free and open to the public.

The world of software is changing. Companies like Adobe will no longer sell you something like Photoshop as a once-off boxed product. If you want to use their virtually industry-standard software you have no choice but to take out a subscription. This is not a bad thing. The subscription model comes with its own advantages. However, in the case of Adobe and other consumers no longer have a choice. Thanks to cloud computing and cheap broadband, proprietary software houses are now using a model that aligns more with the spirit of closed-source user agreements. Even operating systems such as Windows 10 are turning into cloud services. Which is one reason you dont really have a say anymore when it comes to features, updates, and their timing.

If you use something like the GIMP instead of Photoshop or Ubuntu Linux, instead of Windows, you are no longer dependent on a company mother ship to keep you going. While there are plenty of advantages to the software-as-a-service model, its important to have an open alternative like this that can be used independently.

While the allure of Open Source software is strong and its one of the best parts of the modern computer world, there are some real problems that come with the territory. So in the interest of balance, we should talk about a few reasons Open Source might not be for you.

The first one is that Open Source software can still cost money. Since there is no company that owns a specific Open Source application, no one is responsible for it. So if you want to use Open Source software for a mission-critical purpose you need to come up with a solution. You can rely on the community, but theres no contract binding them to help you.

In a professional setting, companies end up having staff who are experts in the specific software packages or operating systems on staff. Alternatively, they will have a support contract with an outside expert. So although they dont have to pay for software licenses, they do end up paying in the form of support.

The other major reason you may want to avoid Open Source software is ease of use. For all their good points, FOSS applications tend to be a little user-unfriendly, although this isnt always true. In general, however, Open Source is a positive development in the computer world. In a very real sense, much of what we all enjoy (such as the web itself) would not be feasible without it!

Do you already love Open Source Software? Let us know down below in the comments. Lastly, wed like to ask you to share this article online. And dont forget that you can follow TechNadu on FacebookandTwitter. Thanks!

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The Best Reasons to Go Open Source - TechNadu

Linux shows its mettle when it comes to new cloud and edge applications – Data Economy

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In 1991, something called the Linux kernel made its first appearance among what was then a largely hobbyist software community, but it has since been the driving force for anything useful in managing the internet, the cloud and now the edge.

Were only two yearsoff the 30th anniversary of the Linux kernel, which gavethe open source software movement a turbo boost. At the annual OpenSource Summit Europe run by the Linux Foundation this week in Lyon,France, Data Economy attended to find out how open source willaddress the evolving needs of cloud, edge and IoT connectivity.

The first time thiswriter saw Linux creator Linus Torvalds give a presentation aboutopen source it was at an Informix database conference in Seattle in1998, and the big news from that event was that Informix hadintroduced an open source version of its database. Not that longafter the event IBM acquired Informix to confirm its own interest insupporting the open source development community, as well as makingmoney out of it.

And 20 years afterSeattle, IBM splashed out $34bn in 2018 on acquiring one of thebiggest names in open source Red Hat. And that same year,Microsoft, once a fierce opponent of open source, as it saw it as athreat to its proprietary software, spent $7.5bn on acquiring themain open source software development platform GitHub anotherLinus Torvalds creation.

Thats an awful lot ofmoney spent in two transactions, further confirming that open sourceis the environment that will support future productivity andconnectivity applications, whether in the cloud or at the edge which was demonstrated at the Open Source Summit.

Speakers at theconference repeatedly stated that open source is present at somelevel in 99% of new software being produced, with containers, cloudmanagement software Kubernetes and the Linux kernel continuing tobuild on top of the Apache servers that were already responsible forpowering most of the internet over 20 years ago.

Linus Torvalds (pictured left below) was interviewed on stage in front of many hundreds of conference delegates and was given the opportunity to again address the ever present niggling doubt in some quarters around the security of open source, particularly in relation to its use in embedded devices in safety critical environments.

The many tens ofthousands of Linux developers around the world arent concerned aboutthe safety of Linux of course, and thats not just because the Linuxkernel helps some of them put a little food on their table. AsTorvalds pointed out, when it comes to bugs that are regularlydiscovered in the constantly changing kernel, its not the kernelthat is simply deployed in the commercial and safety critical arena.

He said: Operatingsystems are complicated things. People are still cleaning up codethat has been around for years. The kind of bugs we see on desktopsare not the kind of thing we see in safety critical systems that arerepeatedly tried and tested. The kernel that we continually work onis not what is distributed by others for applications for automobilesand industrial environments. There are years of testing on thesoftware before it ends up in safety critical or real-time systems.

For his part, despitethe conference showing off various useful open source projectsdesigned to support and power new markets in the cloud and at theedge, Torvalds said he wasnt a programmer anymore and that henow wrote more email than code these days, advising Linuxdevelopers on how to get software updates across the line and managenew projects.

One of those projectsnow making its name at the edge is Zephyr, which is a small footprintpiece of software that can be used to manage devices ranging from IoTgateways and data storage solutions to gadgets including headsets,building security systems and even hearing aids located at the edge.

The Linux Foundationjust keeps churning such solutions out, and this one allowsorganisations to use open source where the Linux kernel is just toobig to be used in sensors and small circuits. Kate Stewart of theLinux Foundation helps to run the project and paints a rosy pictureon its takeup and future cloud industry backing.

She says: The likesof Google and Amazon Web Services are showing big interest in Zephyr,along with project members that include chip makers Intel and NXP.

A number of IoTproviders are building ecosystems to enable comprehensive solutionsthat address all segments of the market. This includes theinvolvement of Google, Microsoft and Amazon that have tailored IoTsolutions of their own. Each of these three can help partners andcustomers to securely provision, authenticate, configure, control,monitor and maintain all of their IoT devices.

Zephyr will make iteasier to process data at the edge where it is created, instead ofhaving to send it into the public cloud first, reducing latency andspeeding analytics performance.

Companies including Armare also expected to get seriously involved, as Zephyr will integratenicely with its Pelion Device Management offering, which aims toprovide simple, secure and flexible IoT management capabilities for arange of devices.

The Pelion IoT Platformconsists of three major components covering device management forprovisioning, identity and access management and updates;connectivity management to support wireless connectivity standardsfor any device; and data management for the analysis of trusted datafrom individual devices and enterprise-wide big data deployments.

Jim Zemlin, executivedirector of the Linux Foundation, enthused to conference delegates:Open source is now the building block for almost all products andservices. And we now want to extend the ecosystem to push standards.

Cloud service providers, telcos and other data connectivity providers should perhaps be grateful they can tap into the work of thousands of open source developers, who usefully dont even have to be on their payroll.

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Linux shows its mettle when it comes to new cloud and edge applications - Data Economy

LG and Qualcomm want smart cars to run the same software as your TV – TrustedReviews

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LG and Qualcomm have inked a deal to work on a new WebOS software to power smart car systems.

The news was announced today and will see LG work to develop an Auto version of WebOS to work with Qualcomms snappily named Snapdragon Automotive Development Platform (ADP).

Both platforms are open source so developers can work on innovative ways to use the tech now but downloading the source code, tools and guides at http://webosose.org. WebOS is an open source software LG uses to power its line of smart TVs. It was also used by HP to run its Palm line of PDAs and phones.

The release didnt specify what specific features the new version will add to Qualcomm powered smart cars. It only gave a vague indication the two want to create and advance a more convenient in-car experience for drivers and passengers alike.

LG Electronics president and CTO, Dr. I.P. Park hinted the firms will have a focus on developing new tech thatll take advantage of the UKs newly launched 5G network.

We very much value this collaboration with Qualcomm expands the ecosystem of the webOS Auto platform and with the latest solutions from Qualcomm such as 5G networks and multimedia, customers will be able to experience the same entertainment at home in connected cars, he said.

Together, webOS and Snapdragon ADP will provide a high-performing, comprehensive hardware and software platform for future vehicle infotainment systems.

Related: Best TV 2019

Qualcomm senior vice president and president of global business operations, Jim Cathey was a little more vague, promising the collaboration will lead to improved automotive user experiences.

The work between LG and Qualcomm Technologies builds on the long-established and successful relationship between the two companies, creating a great synergy effect in next-generation automotive software, she said.

We are confident that our combined experiences and expertise in developing automotive technologies will aid in delivering the best in-vehicle and next-generation user experiences customers demand.

LG and Qualcomm promised to release further details about the collaboration and a new unnamed reference platform for smart car tech at CES 2020 in Las Vegas in January.

Deputy Editor

After graduating from Kings College London, Alastair started his career covering government technology policy and cyber security at The International Business Times. He later joined Incisive Media as

Unlike other sites, we thoroughly review everything we recommend, using industry standard tests to evaluate products. Well always tell you what we find. We may get a commission if you buy via our price links.Tell us what you think email the Editor

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LG and Qualcomm want smart cars to run the same software as your TV - TrustedReviews

In Is This a Room, Becca Blackwell Brings Awareness to a Whistle-Blower Case – TheaterMania.com

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Becca Blackwell first came to the attention of the mainstream theater crowd in Madeleine George's Hurricane Diane, a queering of The Bacchae where Blackwell played a Greek god disguised as a landscaper who seduced suburban housewives and made them aware of global warming.

While Hurricane Diane, which ran earlier this year, was many people's first introduction to this trans writer and performer, Blackwell has been on the scene for at least 20 years. Despite the theater industry's relatively recent commitments to diversity, Blackwell has either had to make their own art for decades just to be seen (like their acclaimed solo show They, Themselves, and Schmerm) or relied on theater-makers like George, Young Jean Lee, and Tina Satter to put them in shows.

Blackwell's longtime collaboration with Satter has led to the role of "Unknown Male" in Satter's Is This a Room at the Vineyard Theatre. The new work brings to the stage the real-life FBI interrogation of Reality Winner, an NSA contractor charged with leaking a classified report suggesting that Russian hackers had access to American voting software. Is This a Room stages the transcripts of Winner's grilling verbatim.

Winner currently sits in jail, having been sentenced in 2018 to five years and three months. The production, as Blackwell views it, is bringing awareness to this case, of which not many people know the intricacies. At the same time, Blackwell's appearance itself is bringing an equal amount of awareness to the struggles of performers who don't fit in regularly prescribed boxes. "I feel bad sometimes," Blackwell admits of the rehearsal process for Is This a Room, "because I think I was a real pain in the ass. But this story is important, and that's why I'm doing it.'

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

When did the Reality Winner case first capture your attention?I read the same New York Magazine article about it that Tina did. They linked to the public domain FBI transcripts, and she called me up saying she wanted to read through them. I remembered how Reality Winner was being made out to be an idiot in the media, but the article was a little more nuanced. We read through the transcripts, and it was like "Holy s*it, this is real? This reads like a play." It was insane.

The interrogation happened June 3, 2017. We were looking at the transcript in December 2017 after it became public domain. Tina and [cast member] Emily Davis then went to Berkeley and really worked on taking the transcript and putting it in more of a script-ish form. But we kept it as it was written in the transcript. It says "unidentified sound," "overlapping," all of that.

How did the "Unknown Male" character that you play come into it?The play is literally verbatim, so it became clearer and clearer that there was a character called "Unknown Male," [as there was in the transcript]. This "Unknown Male" was something that I, just by nature, would play, because what Tina does in most of her work is elevate the feminine or queer or non-cis male, and the masculine people she uses are usually trans-masculine or nonbinary people.

I feel like a lot of people don't know much about this particular situation.It's because no one is talking about this woman. I think [fellow whistle-blower] Chelsea Manning had way more support because she's trans, and there's a huge trans contingency on Twitter that's very vocal and loud and powerful in their online presence. They were elevating her. There wasn't a huge contingency of 20-year-old white, blond, blue-eyed women being like, "This is our sister." Reality doesn't fit any "good liberal" modes: She's a gun-enthusiast, military, white woman from Texas, so in those terms, who cares? She wasn't gonna get the outliers or marginalized or nonwhite or cis people to make noise for her.

It goes to show how in this kind of politics, we aren't unified. If you're fighting the system for the marginalized, you're always like, "Let me fight for my people before I start caring about other people" and that's when you realize that we're all interconnected. You can't not think that you're all pieces in the Jenga game.

Reality is a 25-year-old and she played those guys like a fiddle. You can see it in the transcript. She has more clearance than all those men. She's smarter than all those men. And all those guys kept doing was take her down intellectually, over and over and over. There is huge misogyny in it. Nationalism is based on the patriarchy. No one listens to women.

Over the course of your career, have things evolved in the industry for trans performers like yourself?Most of the work I've gotten is because there were no other actors who had a long-term body of work. I have 20 years of experience just because I didn't drop out. There were years when I only did one piece of work because there was nothing for me or people weren't willing to put me in stuff. My trajectory has always been, "How can I even get in this business when no one even wants to admit I exist?"

Young Jean Lee, Tina Satter, Erin Markey, Madeleine George, Leigh Silverman, those are people who put me in their plays. I didn't get "cast." No institution gave me a chance, quote-unquote, because I'm not mainstream. I'm too queer. There are people who are more palatable to larger institutions, and that's how it's always been.

If I change my name to Brad, I'm sure it'll [get easier]. [laughs] Gay men are way more palatable to the world than gay women; because everything is based on what men think is hot. They want hot divas, not burly dykes, because c*ck is currency in the patriarchy. There's more representation of trans-women of color than there are bull dykes of any race. I do think it's changing in a way, but it's hard to wrap our heads around.

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Bitcoin Just Hit $1 Billion in All-Time Transaction Fees – CoinDesk

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On Oct. 30, 2019, the bitcoin blockchain reached $1 billion in cumulative transaction fees.

This milestone is a really cool milestone just because it shows how much people value block space, said Bryan Aulds, founder of bitcoin wallet Billfodl. And that its something people dont mind paying for, which I think is really important moving forward.

According to data from blockchain analytics startup BlockChair, the amount of bitcoin transaction fees collected annually has actually decreased in recent years. This is due to the advent of scaling solutions on bitcoin including Segregated Witness and the Lightning Network.

And while the cumulative amount of bitcoin transaction fees converted to USD amounts to roughly $1 billion, the amount is actually much larger if you consider the market value of bitcoin today. According to Coin Metrics data, 204808.3479 BTC has been doled out in transaction fees to miners since 2009. At todays price, thats equivalent to $1.86 billion.

The cumulative size of transaction fees on the bitcoin network is only set to grow larger in the coming years especially as alternative mechanisms for rewarding miners such as block subsidies gradually decline.

Over the long run, the transaction fees will eventually have to replace the block [subsidy], said Jameson Lopp, CTO of bitcoin management startup Casa. Theres a reason why its called the block subsidy in the code. Its because it is subsidizing the security of the network, adding:

The understanding all along is that this subsidy via inflation will have to be replaced by the people who are paying to use the network via transaction fees.

Stepping back, transaction fees play three key roles on the bitcoin blockchain all of which serve to secure the integrity and censorship-resistance of the network.

First, attaching fees to bitcoin transactions discourages denial of service attacks, also called spam attacks, from slowing down the network.

When you create a transaction, youre able to use bandwidth and write data onto the hard drive of anyone running a node on the network, said Lopp. If theres no cost to doing that then you can saturate everyones bandwidth and fill up everyones hard drive.

Second, fees serve to prioritize which transactions get confirmed and written onto blocks faster than others.

David Steinberg, VP of crypto mining consultancy Navier, said:

Its very simple: you pay more, you get your transaction accepted more quickly. So that mechanism is a fair way to participate in a pending transaction pool.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, transaction fees also ensure transaction finality. Coupled with the bitcoin block subsidy which yields 12.5 BTC per block and decreases by 50 percent every four years transaction fees incentivize bitcoin miners from purposefully stalling or editing the blockchain.

Without this monetary incentive, miners could easily be bribed by malicious actors to unfairly withhold all or certain transactions from being committed to the blockchain.

In aggregate, the transaction fees plus the block subsidy provide for the probabilistic transaction finality of the bitcoin system, said Pierre Rochard, founder of consultancy startup Bitcoin Advisory, adding:

The greater this finality is, the less time transactors have to wait before having confidence that the transaction will not be censored or double-spent.

We have another 10 to 13 years of decent subsidies left before it drops away to pretty negligible amounts, said Billfodls Auld.

When this happens, miners will have to start adjusting profitability measures around the comparatively more volatile values of transaction fees as opposed to block subsidies.

You have to start thinking more about the game theory around miner profitability and what would happen if the profitability of a miner becomes a lot more volatile from hour to hour, day to day, said Lopp. For example, we already know there are both daily and weekly cycles of demand for block space.

Bitcoin image via Shutterstock

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Bitcoin Just Hit $1 Billion in All-Time Transaction Fees - CoinDesk

Bitcoin Is Approaching the Optimal Buy Zone, According To Analyst – BeInCrypto

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The sudden popularity regarding blockchain technology in China is exciting. However, these positive stories arent having the expected effect on Bitcoins price.

For example, the China Merchants Bank has recently announced that it has made an investment in the crypto wallet BitPie, arguably one of the most popular wallets used by Chinese investors. Even though the company operates out of Australia, it has deep roots in Beijing.

However, Bitcoins price may soon start heading upward. According to our analysis, BTC is likely to make a final downward move before resuming its uptrend.

Crypto trader @davthewave stated that according to a fractal which successfully predicted the December 2018 bottom, Bitcoin will continue decreasing for a few more weeks.

According to the chart, the Bitcoin price will make a bottom around $6500 by the end of November, right at the 0.5 fib level of the entire upward move beginning in December 2018.

Lets take a closer look at this movement.

Looking at the logarithmic chart for the Bitcoin price movement since 2011, we can use curved trendlines to connect each top and bottom.

As we can see, while BTC touched the support line in December 2018, it has not reached this since.

This has not been the case in previous accumulation phases after a long bearish market, in which the price consistently traded near it before eventually beginning an upward move.

The support line is currently near $6500.

If we make a comparison with dates of halving (vertical lines) the price is likely to decrease once more to the support line, consolidate close to it, before eventually beginning an upward move.

This final decrease fits with the fractal presented by @davthewave and the movement of the moving averages (MA). The decrease would cause the 100-week MA to do the same, causing a bearish cross rejection a short-term before halving, similar to what transpired during the 2016/2017 movement.

Disclaimer: This article is not trading advice and should not be construed as such. Always consult a trained financial professional before investing in cryptocurrencies, as the market is particularly volatile.

Images courtesy of Twitter, TradingView.

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Bitcoin Is Approaching the Optimal Buy Zone, According To Analyst - BeInCrypto

As Bitcoin Price Drops To $9K, Here Are the Targets Traders Are Watching – newsBTC

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Bitcoin price continues to fall after a massive surge late last week sent the price of the first-ever crypto asset skyrocketing, blasting through resistance and revisiting five-digit prices briefly before it began to cool off.

Now, Bitcoin is flirting with a drop below $9,000, but thus far $9,000 has provided strong support. Here are the price levels crypto traders are watching in case Bitcoin falls below $9,000 or if it bounces from current prices.

Bitcoin price is currently trading in the low $9,000 range after a powerful push to above $10,000 was stopped short of setting a new, higher high.

Late last week, news broke that Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the citizens of China to support the development of blockchain technologies to ensure the country is at the forefront of innovation.

Related Reading | Chinese Interest in Bitcoin Remains High Post Crypto Rally According to Data

When Satoshi Nakamoto first created Bitcoin, they didnt just create the worlds first decentralized digital currency, he or she also created the distributed ledger technology the asset operates on. This technology, is called blockchain, and can be applied to a number of industries to streamline operations, remove the need for trusted third parties, and to improve efficiency and transparency.

While Xis comments are in favor of blockchain, and the country was quick to clarify that the support was for blockchain and not cryptocurrencies, the price of Bitcoin still surged and Chinese altcoins followed, all spiking 40% or more in a matter of a couple of days.

But once the buzz cooled off, so did the price of these key crypto assets. Bitcoin has fallen from highs around $10,500 to a recent local low of $8,850, before making another attempt at $10,000 that fell short to the target, and fell back downward to retest lows.

But Bitcoin seems to have found support at $9,000, and despite a few attempts to break below it, bulls have been able to defend the level thus far.

Bitcoin is once again at a critical junction. While the momentum and trend almost certainly appeared to be down, the recent move has revived confidence in bullish traders.

For Bitcoin to be truly bullish, it must reclaim resistance above $9300 to $9600 for a chance to push higher. If BTC is forming a bull flag, and the level is breached, then a retest of recent highs near $12,000 and higher could in the cards. A breach of those levels puts a new all-time high on the table.

However, if the recent move proves to be nothing more than a retest of the descending triangle Bitcoin broke down from, then further downside may be possible. Bitcoin would need to fall through former resistance turned support from $8500 to $8800 before new lows could be considered.

Related Reading | Not So Fast Bulls: Latest Bitcoin Pump May Be Wyckoff Distribution Throwback

If Bitcoin price drops further into its downtrend, then lows of $5,800 could be tested as support. The price level also coincides with a convergence of Bitcoins downtrend channel, and a diagonal support line from Bitcoins bottom in December 2018. This area is a potential for a final low or bottom to be in of the recent downtrend before Bitcoin rebounds back into a bull run. However, if this trendline breaks, chances of $3,100 not actually being the bottom becomes a reality that all crypto investors must face.

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As Bitcoin Price Drops To $9K, Here Are the Targets Traders Are Watching - newsBTC

Bitcoin: The Calm Before Its Next Wave Higher – Seeking Alpha

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Source: Techcentral.com

Roughly 24 hours after putting out my latest "Bitcoin Likely Bottoms Again" article, Bitcoin and many other alt-coins surged rapidly. Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was at around $7,400 when I wrote my last article, now we're looking at Bitcoin $9,400, with a top of nearly $10,400 in between.

Source: Binance.com

That is an extraordinary 42% gain from trough to peak in a very short time frame. However, now Bitcoin is quiet again, trading between $9K-$10K. Is this another calm before the next move higher?

I believe so. It appears that Bitcoin is consolidating here and is setting up for another move higher. Also, it's not just Bitcoin. There are several other promising alt coins to look at.

China is becoming more Bitcoin friendly

Source: CNBC.com

Just to be clear, this is only part of the reason why Bitcoin surged recently, but it is likely the most prominent one at the moment. So, it is worthy of discussion.

President Xi recently expressed praise for blockchain technology, saying that China should "seize the moment" when it comes to blockchain. In fact, China's central bank has been working on creating its own digital currency.

This appears to be a net positive for Bitcoin and other systemically important coins as it essentially weakens the dollar's global dominance and should help boost digital currencies into the mainstream sooner than anticipated. Simultaneously it also should reflect positively on digital asset prices.

Moreover, due to the limited supply of Bitcoin and other mineable digital assets, demand should increase and owners could become governments, not just individuals and institutions. In fact, the U.S. government is reportedly one of the largest holders of Bitcoin already.

Source: Bitcoincharts.com

Bitcoin's latest wave higher essentially began around at the start of this year. Yes, we had a rapid rise from about $3,200 to nearly $14,000. However, this rapid spike was partially influenced by the Libra-induced craze which thus far has failed to materialize due to U.S. government and Fed intervention.

Therefore, it's not a surprise that BTC had a correction of nearly 50% after the Libra surge, and veterans in the Bitcoin market have seen similar "corrections" in previous up waves.

The important factor is that we are only about 10 months into the latest wave, and this could be akin to something like a second inning of a very long ball game. In other words, Bitcoin is likely to go much higher before this multi-year wave is over.

I've mentioned in prior articles why the current wave is likely to last several years, and could drive BTC's price up to roughly $76-$100K, before the next bear market arrives. Conservatively speaking Bitcoin could be trading between $50K-$100K within the next 2-5 years.

Now, I know everybody is talking about Bitcoin and roughly 50-60% of my digital asset basket is usually allocated to Bitcoin. But I want to talk about some Altcoins that still look relatively cheap, have substantial growth potential going forward, and are likely to outperform Bitcoin percentage wise in the future.

Source: NewsBTC.com

1. LiteCoin (LTC-USD) - A great transactional as well as a store of value coin. It's sometimes referred to as the silver to Bitcoin's gold, but it's far more efficient when it comes to transacting.

I believe many people refuse to or don't understand/believe that cryptocurrencies will be the medium of exchange/transactional vehicles of choice for many people in the future. Nevertheless, I'm convinced that they will due to their efficiency, decentralized nature, and extreme compatibility with internet technology.

So, back to LiteCoin. LTC also had a nice bounce back of 20%, but it still looks relatively cheap and is likely headed much higher. LTC is still down by roughly 85% from its all-time high in late 2017.

Source: Coinmarketcap.com

Source: Coincentral.com

2. XRP (XRP-USD), despite its 30 cent price tag, XRP is the No. 3 coin by market valuation. Now, this is not a true, mineable cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, LiteCoin and others I will be discussing, but I believe it has a place in a diversified cryptocurrency portfolio.

XRP is primarily used by banks and other financial institutions to make interbank transactions faster, cheaper, more efficient, etc. This coin is essentially created for this purpose, and its price could explode much higher in the future. In fact, it's likely that over 200 banks and other financial institutions will be using XRP by the end of this year.

XRP is still down by around 91% from its all-time high. Nevertheless, I'm more a fan of transactional coins, so let's take a look at some of the likeliest to succeed going forward.

Some of my favorites digital medium of exchange vehicles include, Dash (DASH-USD), Zcash (ZEC-USD) and Monero (XMR-USD).

Source: Hacked.com

3. Dash is promising because it's built on a very solid platform, has a high level of encryption, and may be widely adopted much like LiteCoin as a worldwide medium of exchange instrument. Remarkably, Dash is still down by 95% from its all-time high reached in late 2017/early 2018.

Source: CCN.com

4. Zcash is very similar to Dash but is even more encrypted (thus more difficult to trace), is efficient, low cost, and can handle a large quantity of transactions much like Dash and LiteCoin. Likewise, Zcash is still down by more than 95% from its high in late 2017/early 2018.

Source: Nulltx.com

5. Monero's encryption level makes it essentially impossible to track or trace based on the available information. Thus, it's the king of anonymous coins. There's a market for such coins now, and it will become much bigger in my view going forward. Monero is still down by roughly 88% from its high in early 2018.

It is not too late to get into Bitcoin as well as into a lot of alt-coins with enormous long-term potential. Many are still down by 95% or more since their all time highs, and they will likely return to much higher levels in time.

Nevertheless, I still believe that no more than 50%-40% of a cryptocurrency basket should be allocated to alts, and the entire basket may only represent a fraction of a diversified portfolio.

Depending on your risk tolerance, roughly 5%-20% could be allocated to digital assets, in my view, and most of that should probably be in Bitcoin right now. Also, for most investors 5%-10% should be enough, but there are some with higher risk tolerance and more risk appetite that may want to allocate more.

For more detailed information regarding Bitcoin, altcoins, and how to integrate them into a modern portfolio, please visit here.

Potential Risks to Consider

Possibly the No. 1 long-term threat Bitcoin faces is detrimental government regulation or an all-out Bitcoin ban. If major Bitcoin-friendly governments like the U.S., E.U., Japan, South Korea, and others follow the footsteps of China and essentially make Bitcoin use and trading illegal, it could have catastrophic consequences for Bitcoin's price.

Continued Functionality Issues

Another risk factor is the concern that Bitcoin may never become a widely-used transactional currency due to its issues with speed, cost, and scale. Yes, the Lightning Network promises to solve many of the issues associated with speed, cost, and scale, but there's no guarantee that the LN will become widely adopted, even over time.

Therefore, there's the risk that newer and more efficient digital currencies like Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and others may make Bitcoin somewhat obsolete as an actual medium of exchange for the masses.

Continued Security Breaches and Fraudulent Activity

Continued security breaches in the Bitcoin world concerning exchanges and individual wallets are a constant concern. If significant breaches continue, investors and users may start to lose confidence in the system and demand could decrease as well.

Likewise, there are fraud cases. In an industry that's still loosely regulated, substantial fraudulent activity is a persistent risk factor. Just like with security breaches when people get ripped off, it reflects poorly on the entire industry and demand along with prices can suffer.

Want to know more? If you would like full articles that include technical analysis, trade triggers, portfolio strategies, options insight, and much more, consider joining Albright Investment Group!

Disclosure: I am/we are long BTC-USD, BCH-USD, LTC-USD, DASH-USD, ZEC-USD, XMR-USD, BTG-USD, XRP-USD. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: This article expresses solely my opinions, is produced for informational purposes onlyand is not a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. Please always conduct your own research before making any investment decisions.

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Bitcoin: The Calm Before Its Next Wave Higher - Seeking Alpha

BTC Bears Are Back, Bitcoin Slowly Weakens as Altcoins Beat a Retreat – newsBTC

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Bitcoin has managed to hold on above $9,000 for another day but it is slowly weakening and likely to drop below that support level by the weekend. The altcoins meanwhile are already sliding further and may well dump all recent gains.

The pattern is pretty clear when looking at the Tradingview charts. A down trend has formed on the week and Bitcoin is slowly losing ground as it slides back towards $9k this Halloween day. The highest it could manage over the past day is $9,250 and a couple of hours ago BTC dropped to its intraday low of $9,050 for the second time.

BTC price 1 hour Tradingview.com

Lower highs and lower lows indicate a continuation of this trend in the short term. Trader and analyst Big Chonis has been doing the TA

Yesterdays daily candle had a nice bounce reaction to the MA200, todays current bitcoin follow up looks to retest again, RSI drifting into mid 50s, MACD with another lower high with volume continuing to decline, so far nothing says $9K is strong support just yet

The bearish sentiment is starting to return to crypto twitter as analysts start to agree that down is more likely than up. Credible Crypto added that a fall back to the low $8,000 level is likely.

Either way I expect 8600-8800 to be hit sooner or later and if we clear the lows now I ultimately expect 8000-8200 to be met.

China fever is waning and it is back to business on Bitcoin markets which were heading downwards before the huge weekend boost.

Ethereum has declined by 2.5% over the past 24 hours as it drops back to $185. ETH really needs to keep hold of these gains to prevent an eventual collapse to $150. There has been no indication that it is ready to break free from the shadows of its big brother though.

XRP just cant break over $0.30 and has fallen back below it again today as the Ripple token loses 2%. Bitcoin Cash has also dropped 2% but it has been very bullish over the past week holding on to most of its gains. BCH is currently trading just below $290 but is primed to fall if BTC does.

Litecoin and Binance Coin are flat, hovering around $60 and $20 respectively while EOS is dumping again in another 3% fall. Following its Samsung induced pump yesterday, Tron is dumping today as a 7% slide drops TRX back to $0.020.

Around $5 billion has exited crypto markets over the past 24 hours as total capitalization falls to $245 billion. Markets are still up $40 billion on the same time last week but the bears are slowly returning and those gains are starting to erode.

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BTC Bears Are Back, Bitcoin Slowly Weakens as Altcoins Beat a Retreat - newsBTC

Bitcoin Is Not Deflationary, According to This Crypto Analyst – U.Today

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Wall Street is getting nervous aboutElizabeth Warren's surging poll numbers.

Billionaire Paul Tudor has joined the list of financial big-wigs who predict a stock market crash if theMassachusetts senator wins the presidency.

Tudor is certain that theS&P 500 index, which recently reached a new all-time high, could plunge by an eye-popping 25 percent if Warren gets past the much-coveted 270 electoral votes, Market Watch reports.

Meanwhile, another billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen believes that the fallout could start happening even if she wins the Democratic party'snomination, predicting double-digitlosses for stock market investors.

Warren is known as a hard-liner when it comes to the super-rich. She's had spats with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg (to name a few).

Her proposed "wealth tax" would impose an annualtwo percent levy on households whose net worth exceeds $50 mln (those who are worth more than $1 bln have to shell out three percent).The lawmakerbelieves that this initiative would help the government fund different programs in the realm of education, medical care, and environmental protection.

Warren's crackdown on the onepercentis perceived as quite extreme even within her own party. During his recent appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box,"Democrat Ron Baron said that her wealth-tax was "pretty nuts."

"Warren says if you're successful because this country has allowed you to be successful ... then you shouldn't be as successful as you are," said Baron.

However, it might be too far-fetched to paint Warren as a Marxist insurgent. As a former Republican, she described herself as a capitalist "to her bones" unlike her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders who doesn't shy away from democratic socialism.

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Bitcoin Is Not Deflationary, According to This Crypto Analyst - U.Today


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