[AZLiberty]

:: Bitcoins are created out of thin air by running known-to-be-difficult computations on computers. Because the total number of bitcoins (existing + to be mined) is fixed ::

The former puts the lie to the latter.

Not really. Built into the bitcoin software is a cap of about 20 million on the total number of bitcoins that can ever be mined. As the total number mined gets closer to the cap, the software increases the degree of difficulty to mine a new bitcoin.

Reminds me of Zeno's paradox.

[reed13k]

So why can’t the software be modified to increase the cap to 30 million or 100 million in the future? Makes it no different from printing currency today.... so not nearly as resistant to inflation as the coiners make it out to be.