Bitcoin Foundation is doubling the size of its staff -- to four

Technically savvy people may be the coin of the realm at the Bitcoin Foundation these days.

The foundation, which handles most of the back-end development work for the digital currency, currently has just two full-time staff members and is seeking a full-time lead quality assurance professional and a project manager.

Chief scientist Gavin Andresen said code review and testing has proven to be a bottleneck in the development process as the foundation eyes the addition of new services such as enhanced security features for mobile wallets.

A more robust back end could provide other benefits, such as the ability to thwart cyberattacks on Bitcoin systems. Mt. Gox, the largest Bitcoin exchange, was hit with a denial-of-service attack in April.

Many online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores accept Bitcoins, and it's estimated that Bitcoins have been used in 18 million transactions in the four years since the currency was introduced. Some estimates peg the total number of users in the millions, but it's difficult to determine an exact number because the currency is unregulated and is obtained through various online exchanges.

This version of this story was originally published in Computerworld's print edition. It was adapted from an article that appeared earlier on Computerworld.com.

Read more about internet in Computerworld's Internet Topic Center.

Join the newsletter!

Or

Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more.

Membership is free, and your security and privacy remain protected. View our privacy policy before signing up.

Error: Please check your email address.

Tags mobileinternetwirelessNetworkingmobile paymentsMobile/WirelessMt. GoxBitcoin Foundation

More about Topic

Show Comments
[]