For a while I have been testing LN in the main net, I got some issues but they got resolved, I learned a lot.
I have used Peach lightning, zap wallet and eclair those three in a windows computer. You will need to run a full bitcoin node with eclair, peach and zap will connect to their own nodes meaning you will have to trust them but so far they work, the only problem I found was that LND tx fees are chosen by default meaning you can't customized your fees making the opening of channels a very expensive endeavor.
With Eclair for windows you can choose your fees but you have to run the whole bitcoin node you need at least 500gb of hard drive for that.
Well I tested it but to tell you the truth I don't see why would I spend my bitcoin today but for testing bitcoin ln in a windows computer was fun. Now comes mobile.
I like to use wallet of satoshi because is really easy you just send your coins to the address they give you and there you have it but this a custodial wallet, so now entering Eclair Mobile. With this wallet the funds are control by you and the fund are in your wallet because you the the 12 word, the password and the PIN, so you have to be responsible for your coins, to me this is the solution so far, I do understand you have to connect to their nodes and servers but you have portability your coins go with you where you go. You can have a lot of coins in your hardware wallet for safe keeping, have 0.01 in your Eclair wallet on a channel and only send what you are going to use in Wallet of Satoshi, that way your fund are not all in one single place.
Since I am a user of the network to me going mobile is a important part of my life, I am not a developer so for people who only which to use LN, Ledger + Eclair Mobile + Wallet of Satoshi could be a good way to adopt LN in the go without spending much money to be part of the movement.
I still like to run the bitcoin node just because I don't have any need to run the node but just for the heck of it.
The other reason I like those 3 wallets (LedgerNano, Eclair, Wallet of Satoshi, zap and peach) is because they are all GUI or really easy to use no command everything is in a graphical way, a lot of people have issues using computers so GUI easy to use apps is the way to go.
Mass adoption.
By to way about my going to Bitcoin Cash, well I didn't, but the higher fees because of the block size still a issue to me, I still hate Bitcoin for that, but I do understand miner have to make money for the use of their electricity, I understand how important is to run the nodes and the miner, but for god sake I do hate paying those fees. I know a friend who his boss was a bitcoin miner and now is selling his ant miner s9 because the profits from mining is going down. They are selling the miners with the power supply for $400.
The place is in California, want some miners and you think $400 is cheap contact me, for my taste mining is a no go.
It is the 13.5t and the 14t that the guy is selling. Even some L3+ 504 $225 with power supply
To my mining is not profitable, but if I can sell it and get some commission that is good for me. But I wouldn't recommend mining it is too risky I have learned to buy and hold. The market for mining its just too competitive
I don;t think so, the guy was trying to sell the s9 not s17 or s15. I bet those last two are still profitable. I bet miners are trying to dump the s9 because they are losing money instead of making money.
Thanks for clarifying the BCH thing. Was a little weird/suspicious. As BTC is the biggest macro economical experiment so far I'm not surprised to see problems like the price but I hope the next few updates of the protocol will make the situation better. As soon as Schnorr signatures are here the overall size of any single transaction should shrink.
The main problem I see with the transaction cost is that people are too lazy to choose a proper SAT/byte price. By the situation we have today I assume most people take whatever their wallet recommends .... no one checks the mempool anymore. I never paid more than 50% of the "recommended" transaction fee.
Even at the all time high where people complained about the 50$ fees I paid ~6-10 $ (304 SAT/byte which is insane but I needed to get this through in the NEXT block) and got trough (maybe got lucky with a very small transaction (1 input 2 outputs) but thats the price you pay for freedom and a save asset. Its bad for a currency no question because only me as a first world person can affort 5$ to send money but on the other side I pay more if I withdraw money with my credit card.