Zcashers are getting a reputation for being positive

Hey folks! I just wanted to share two independent bits of feedback I got from two different people recently:

One person said:

I also want to commend you for your leadership and positivity in the Zcash community. In particular I’m thinking about the message you sent in [channel] asking [person] to not say that [developer of other coin] doesn’t care about accuracy. I’ve seen you make similar suggestions in other channels too.

Little nudges like this to be more polite make a difference in the overall tone of the community and make it a more welcoming place for new people and outsiders. So thank you for striving to set a good example.

And about the same time another person independently told me:

them:

If anyone tries to compare the core dev teams of Zcash vs [other coin], keep this in mind (toxicity): [link to developers from other coin insulting and flaming them]

me: [reading the link] Eww. I’m sorry you’ve been treated so badly. You don’t deserve that.

them:

I have thick skin. I just wanted to let you know that your community is doing a comparatively stellar job even if it seems like you’re all merely being what you perceive as “common everyday respectful” to folks.

It matters a lot.

They went on to say that they might be hanging around our github more in the near future. :slight_smile:

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Agree with the sentiment here.

It is however somewhat tiresome that on all other discussion boards where ZEC is mentioned it soon becomes flooded with the same comments 1). The trusted setup was compromised 2). Privacy in Zcash is optional 3). Zcash is backdoored. Constant disinformation like this is somewhat pervasive [see other coin].

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I guess the best response is to have a reply to point to for each of those three things. The reply should show the readers either that the accusation is false (“Zcash is backdoored”), or that we’re aware of the issue, that there is a reason for it, and that we’re working on improvements (“Privacy is optional”).

Oh and also point out that users of t-addresses can get added privacy, thanks to their friends and business partners using z-addresses (A Shielded Ecosystem - Electric Coin Company).

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@zooko really interesting. So If more of the Zcash community and big businesses start to use z addresses can it directly benefit t-address users (privacy wise)? How much added privacy in theory could be added to t-address users if x% of the network was using z-addresses? Would it provide enough privacy at some % point for daily use of t-addresses and eliminate the need for the use of z-address as often?

It wouldn’t really be quantifiable in that sense. t-addresses are always transparent, so I presume the point is if others use shielded transactions then linkability gets broken and you can’t do stuff like this Neighbourhood Pool Watch: 18.1 Who owns 1HTM4TYSXF5yZKLpco6MTUUNfSBCiiwGsU ?.

Your last question I would actually rephrase to - will the tech evolve enough where we don’t need t-addresses as everyone can use z-addresses for everything. It’s looking promising! https://www.coindesk.com/better-faster-zk-snarks-zcash-developers-release-new-privacy-tech/

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