First Mining Pool Celebrates Another Year Today!
The 27th of November 2010 marks a significant milestone in cryptocurrency history – the launch of the very first Bitcoin mining pool, Slush Pool. It was a pivotal moment that rallied the most ardent crypto enthusiasts. Let's revisit how it all started.
Before the creation of mining pools, individual miners were in a race against each other, tackling mathematical puzzles essential for adding new blocks and earning rewards. However, as the network expanded, the cryptographic challenges grew more complex, diminishing the returns of solo mining. The increasing costs for equipment and power, coupled with the reduced probability of mining a block, made it less profitable.
Marek Palatinus. Source: e15.cz
Slush Pool addressed the challenges faced by solo miners, offering them a team-based platform. The reward for successfully validated blocks was shared among the pool's participants proportionate to their computational contributions. This collective approach provided smaller miners with a more stable and predictable revenue stream, moving away from the luck-dependent nature of solo mining.
The creation of Slush Pool significantly influenced the decentralization of Bitcoin mining. As the pool grew with more miners joining, the overall network hash rate increased, leading to enhanced stability and security. This evolution allowed smaller miners to stay competitive in the face of escalating mining complexities.
Despite enduring a significant setback in March 2012, losing over 3,000 BTC in a hack, Slush Pool has remained a prominent figure in the mining industry over the years. The pool has resiliently bounced back and continued its operations.
Subsequently, the pool underwent a rebranding. Now operating under the Braiins brand, the team consolidated its suite of mining tools. In its 13-year history, the pool's participants have mined 1,304,321 BTC, with its current hash rate standing at 6.18 EH/S.
If someone loots all the toilet paper from the public toilet, is the solution to double the amount of toilet paper stocked each day?
