Bitcoinica
Finance and crypto
bitcoin trading platform
SHOW HN2011
How HN took it
6 positive, 16 neutral or asking, 4 mixed, 21 critical, out of 47 comments about the project. Thread score -0.22.
Idea: 0 for, 10 againstExecution: 0 for, 9 againstDesign: 3 for, 0 againstDocs: 1 for, 0 againstPricing: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Site looks slick and well designed
From 3 comments
This seems far more advanced than usual for Bitcoin. Nice! I have little insight into the security of your software, but I hope you have also considered the peculiarities of…
JoachimSchipper on HNVery very cool! The idea is great and the interface looks slick! However, what do you do in terms of protecting people's accounts? You say that the money is stored in your…
steve8918 on HNQuestion for @zhoutong ... When did you start working on this project and have the negative events (guy losing 500K, MtGox hacking, etc) of the last few months affected your…
dclaysmith on HN
Impressive for a teenager's project
From 1 comment
I'm the creator of Bitcoinica. I'm not so established here. To be honest, I'm only 17. You're 17 and you've already created something like this? I see a very bright future ahead…
mootothemax on HN
Useful for trading practice without real money risk
From 1 comment
That's a great site and will help people that haven't got any trading experience to 'play' a little bit without having to do all sorts of things in the 'real' money market A…
rb2k_ on HN
Objections
Maker is 17, so commenters doubt competence to handle customer money
From 3 comments
This is true, I expect him (or her?) to go far! Unfortunately, seeing his age put me off depositing money into the account I just created. When dealing with my money, I want a…
dkersten on HNTo be honest, your age isn't a problem, because the average above-average developer is still not competent to write this sort of software. If you had been doing security and…
jerf on HNA brand new financial trading platform written by a lone teenager in China? Here let me give you lots of my money! Not. :-) Somewhat tongue in cheek. I wish you luck and admire…
mkramlich on HN
Customer funds are held in one pooled account; no segregated funds
From 2 comments
I already mentioned below that I thought your site was nicely done. But you didn't answer my questions directly which makes me a bit wary. My questions aren't site security…
steve8918 on HNVery very cool! The idea is great and the interface looks slick! However, what do you do in terms of protecting people's accounts? You say that the money is stored in your…
steve8918 on HN
Security is a major concern for a money-handling site
From 3 comments
Without meaning to put a damper on your technical work, you should keep in mind a few things: -- systems that work with money are attacked hard and often, by intelligent skilled…
jellicle on HNConsidering all the security issues with the Bitcoin ecosystem and the resulting mistrust, I think you need to be very explicit about your security.
arkitaip on HNI like the site. A few notes: - Running on Heroku is not really an asset security wise. I would put something more significant to ensure users that your site is secure. - Make…
ByteMuse on HN
No margin call policy was visible on the site
From 1 comment
Sadly, I have to agree with this. You're very smart, zhoutong, and your eager and polite acceptance of feedback does you great credit. But I would not attempt what you're doing,…
ScottBurson on HN
Spread seems high
From 1 comment
Spread seems high.
Estragon on HN
Requests
Allow bitcoin withdrawals
From 1 comment
why don't you allow to withdraw bitcoins? Isn't bitcoin built because it's easy to make transactions? Why withdrawal can be done only through mtgox redeemable codes in US dollars?
ithkuil on HN
Add a tour page and screenshots
From 1 comment
It looks great. It's good to see more things appear in the Bitcoin space. I would add a tour page, perhaps with screenshots so people can see how it works without signing up.
ianpurton on HN
Add a security section and terms or privacy policy
From 1 comment
Looks pretty cool. I dislike the random pink highlighting, it's noisy. Avoid smiles, as cool as it is, you must look professional in business ;) That said, maybe a security…
Joakal on HN
Support PayPal deposits
From 1 comment
Hi, does it support PayPal?
samrat on HN
Add tooltips and a visible logout button
From 2 comments
That's a great site and will help people that haven't got any trading experience to 'play' a little bit without having to do all sorts of things in the 'real' money market A…
rb2k_ on HNHow do I logout without a logout button?
ArchD on HN
Questions
How is margin liquidation and margin call handled?
From 2 comments
Sadly, I have to agree with this. You're very smart, zhoutong, and your eager and polite acceptance of feedback does you great credit. But I would not attempt what you're doing,…
ScottBurson on HNCan you explain your margin fees somewhere on the site? Thanks!
vessenes on HN
How can users trust the operator with their money?
From 1 comment
I already mentioned below that I thought your site was nicely done. But you didn't answer my questions directly which makes me a bit wary. My questions aren't site security…
steve8918 on HN
How are the margin accounts funded?
From 1 comment
I already mentioned below that I thought your site was nicely done. But you didn't answer my questions directly which makes me a bit wary. My questions aren't site security…
steve8918 on HN
What is a Mt. Gox redeemable code?
From 1 comment
I like the site. A few notes: - Running on Heroku is not really an asset security wise. I would put something more significant to ensure users that your site is secure. - Make…
ByteMuse on HN
Alternatives named
Mt. Gox
From 2 comments
I don't want to use mt.gox, I moved all my money out of them because the way they treated me and other customers, blocking my account and my money for a lot of time; that's why…
ithkuil on HNYeah, I understand your concern. Bitcoinica has several features/characteristics that make itself like no other: - There's no Bitcoin wallet. Most incidents happen with stolen or…
zhoutong on HN
Tradehill
From 1 comment
I think only alternative is tradehill, and their interface/features suck.
jerguismi on HN
Intersango
From 1 comment
i run intersango.com we have a solid platform that is rapidly advancing sign up and give it a try
phantomcircuit on HN
Ruxum
From 1 comment
http://ruxum.com (also http://campbx.com). Fwiw, I've seen one or two posts over on reddit.com/r/bitcoin offering invite codes to Ruxum in the past few weeks.
SkyMarshal on HN
CampBX
From 1 comment
http://ruxum.com (also http://campbx.com). Fwiw, I've seen one or two posts over on reddit.com/r/bitcoin offering invite codes to Ruxum in the past few weeks.
SkyMarshal on HN