Hi. I'm Paul. I've consulted on some of Hive account@faddat's projects. I don't follow Steem development closely, because I'm not on the technical side. I am not a cryptographer, cryptologist, or mathematician. My background is in US taxation and networking/systems.

I think we should acknowledge that there's history. I've witnessed Jake agonize over this code, trying valiantly (does anyone use that word anymore?) to make Steem work from other websites. It's been frustrating for him, and also for many others who've poured a lot of time and resources into what they expected to be a straightforward task. And when he's spoken about it openly (as I would too) there's been some icy reception.

Ultimately, we're talking about his tone here. If he had said essentially the exact same thing without mentioning how unsettling he found it, we wouldn't be having this discussion. And if he turned out to be wrong, so much the better. I think all of us are happier knowing the blockchain is uncompromised.

If he comes off as brusque -- yeah, he does that. He gets a pass from me, because I know his intentions are honest. I also get it if you don't see that.

Can we put this behind us? The world needs blockchain technology, and it needs it badly. Any Steemit hackers are invited to come have a coffee with us here in Siem Reap. Let's make magic happen.