1617 sats \ 15 replies \ @kr 31 Jan
⚡️
reply
That's the sats symbol Bitkit uses today, but it'll soon be gone forever hahaha. Enjoy it while you can!
reply
128 sats \ 9 replies \ @kr 31 Jan
in what ways is the current symbol not working for Bitkit?
reply
Seeing a balance of ⚡ 502 000 implies that all the funds are spendable on Lightning, even if they're not (which's the case for wallets like Bitkit that also support on-chain balances). Lightning might not be the main method for transacting bitcoin in the future, so associating "sats" so closely with it is limiting.
reply
You could make the UX better by treating onchain and LN balances as a unified balance and allow spending from both.
But I'm sure this symbol is the bigger UX problem affecting users of Bitcoin /s
reply
You could make the UX better by treating onchain and LN balances as a unified balance and allow spending from both.
That doesn't solve the overarching problem. What about wallets that don't have Lightning?
But I'm sure this symbol is the bigger UX problem affecting users of Bitcoin /s
The lack of a sats symbol is certainly not the "bigger UX problem affecting user of Bitcoin". We don't believe that. There are many problems to be solved, and we can work on solving all of them!
reply
what about wallets that don't support LN
Small UTXOs are becoming dust due to high fees. But we need another symbol to represent those units which are now unspendable /s
reply
Small UTXOs are becoming dust due to high fees. But we need another symbol to represent those units which are now unspendable /s
There are many problems to be solved in Bitcoin, and a sats symbol is not the only one or the main one, but it's one of them. Many Bitcoiners are working on solving different, independent issues. That's the beauty of decentralization. There's no Bitcoin Foundation dictating which issue of the roadmap should be prioritized!
100 sats \ 0 replies \ @kr 31 Jan
good point
reply
Another issue is that the ⚡ Unicode symbol gets rendered as an emoji when typed. A currency symbol that is an emoji will never be taken seriously. We could use ϟ instead, but it looks Harry Potter's scar reversed. There's ↯ as well, but it's too bearish.
reply
Seeing a balance of ⚡ 502 000 implies that all the funds are spendable on Lightning
I think that won't matter in the long run.1 A lot of words we use don't really make sense but words change their meaning all the time.
Most people won't even know about lightning. They'll just use the symbol without thinking about it. And if anyone asks why we use a lightning bolt as the currency symbol, we'll just respond with: "For historical reasons."

Footnotes

  1. I don't even think it implies that. It's already just a symbol for sats for me.
but it'll soon be gone forever hahaha
Oh yeah, because Bitkit will be going full shitcoinery with tether? Will be gone like Bitkit itself hahahaha
reply
Bitkit will be here for a long time, no plans to add USDT anytime soon, and it'll never go full shitcoinery. We're working hard to build a great Bitcoin wallet and hope you're open to giving Bitkit another chance!
reply
0 sats \ 1 reply \ @aoeu 1 Feb
Maybe I missed something, but what did bitkit do in the past for people to get this impression about it?
reply
Bitkit is developed by Synonym, a Tether-owned company. Synonym was the first company to put USDT on Lightning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfaqYeyake8
Initially, Synonym had plans to add USDT to Bitkit but has since deprioritized it.
reply
Another one? Funny how people constantly try to reinvent the wheel.. curious to see what's will come out next week
In the meantime https://satsymbol.com/
reply
170 sats \ 0 replies \ @anon 31 Jan
Instead of finding a fix for those damn force closed channels, some people are more concerned about the sat symbol.
reply
This meme is second only to Bitcoin obits. Symbols, names, and unit campaigns are some of our favorite bikesheds.
reply
An endless source of bikeshedding, indeed! In a few days, we'll publish another post delving deep into past proposals (including the kebab).
reply
I like that one a lot.
reply
It looks like the ETH symbol!
reply
Is the other way around, is that symbol that looks like the sats one
reply
The ETH symbol (Ξ) dates back to the early days of Ethereum in 2013. The kebab is from 2021.
reply
.org > .com 👀
reply
A post that is just a countdown to someone releasing a new proposal for a symbol for sats got 15k sats? whaaat?
reply
it seems like people want a new sats symbol! 🤠
reply
reply
699 sats \ 6 replies \ @fred 31 Jan
The lightning symbol⚡️ is enough for me
reply
I got an email the other day from people who misused it, probably having never heard of either sats or LN.
reply
indeed... it's impossible to lock in the meaning of such ambiguous symbols
reply
That's the sats symbol on Bitkit today, and it'll soon be gone forever hahaha. Enjoy it while you can!
reply
As far as it is not trademarked, we good
reply
hahaha don't worry, it won't be!
reply
Officially that's high voltage
What was wrong with the previous one?
reply
Seeing a balance of ⚡ 502 000 implies that all the funds are spendable on Lightning, even if they're not (which's the case for wallets like Bitkit that also support on-chain balances).
reply
OP might be talking about this: https://satsymbol.com/
reply
The kebab was introduced in 2021, yet today it's only used by a handful of products (Envoy/Passport, Lightspark, LNMarkets, Thunderhub). There isn't even consensus around it among bitcoiners, so there's almost zero chance of it ever becoming a Unicode symbol, which puts it on a death spiral it has been in the past years (no unicode symbol > no adoption > no unicode). On top of that, the kebab resembles the ETH symbol (Ξ).
reply
Yeah, I've never been a fan. Confused the fuck out of me when I saw it on Thunderhub the first time. Just wanted to clarify bc I've never thought the lightning bolt represented sats... just LN in general.
reply
Bitkit and Coinos use ⚡ as the sats symbol.
reply
The reason I am less on SN is probably because posts like this reach the top.
In 6 days I will explain further!
reply
just zapped you [?]10k so you don't abandon us! in 6 days you'll hopefully realize that posts like this are one more reason to be more on SN!
reply
ha
reply
this is dumb and unnecessary.
reply
It'll hopefully look less dumb and more necessary when you see it in 7 days!
reply
This is my first zap I clicked on lightning symbol and there was lightning. PS - I am new here.
reply
welcome!
reply
Whatever symbol they agree on will be globally accepted
reply
Yes... In the end, the ultimate sats symbol will be whatever people use!
reply
Why people still looking for a sats symbol when is already there?
reply
welcome back! Hope you enjoyed... Bermuda?
I think eventually the .
reply
there's going to be a long period of time with both in the system and it won't fly culturally or technically, as the books all record dollars with $.
yes, the moment when !
reply
WTF! Welcome back @DarthCoin
reply
Why associate sats with a symbol that today represents fiat? We're trying to build a new monetary system, not a new version of what already exists! Wouldn't it be more symbolic to let $ become a relic from the past? Something that our grandgrandkids learn about on museums?
reply
Sometimes you need to step back and look at the surrounded things from a broader perspective...
reply
😂
We're building on Bitcoin to get rid of the dirty, oil-soaked, blood-dripping fiat money.
We have the opportunity to create a new sats symbol that carries none of this negative connotation.
Let's get rid of $ just like we're getting rid of fiat!
reply
Bitcoin is currency. $ is the symbol for currency.
It was actually first used for Spanish Pesos silver coins. It does not mean fiat nor dollars.
reply
the origin of $ is disputed/unknown, yes
but still, the meaning it carries today is not only that of its origin but of what it became
and today, $ doesn't mean good things 🤷‍♂️
besides, sats and other currencies that use won't be well-defined. $ will remain ambiguous for many people around the world. the turkish lira, argentine peso, and nigerian naira are still being used today despite, in practice, being dead!
is $1000 = 1000 sats? 1000 NZD? 1000 MXN? As we approach sat:usd parity, this will get more blurry!
reply
"sats" is the symbol
reply
We can use "sats" and have a symbol! It's not mutually exclusive
Also, "sats" is fine when texting, but it takes up too much space on screens. It looks as awkward as "dollars" instead of $:
reply
SAT, USD - same length. However, as a UI designer, I understand the need have a symbol taking up just one character. Not always there is a space for "SAT"
reply
Indeed. And even when there's enough space, $ looks better than USD on pretty much every screen. The same will go for an SAT symbol compared to "SAT"...
reply
"Dollars" is dumb. It should use USD, AUD, CAD, etc. because there are many "dollars" with different exchange rates.
There are only sats. Whats a worse UI? Using a symbol nobody has seen before? And is difficult to type on a standard keyboard? Or writing 4 letters that are instantly understood?
Money symbols are a relic of pen and paper when number of penstokes needed to be optimized. These days we optimize for keystrokes.
If I need to use a new symbol for "sats", here's how I'd do it 90% of the time:
Google the phrase "sats symbol", Then Copy paste. What an UX improvement! /s
reply
Why not just use the metric system to represent fractions of Bitcoin? 1μ₿ = 100sats. 1m₿ = 100,000sats I liked when milliBitcoins and "bits" were a trend. Using Satoshis as fractions is confusing because it is neither a microBitcoin not nanoBitcoin but something in between. To add more confusion to the mix milliSats is now a thing too. So maybe we should just say 100MegaSats instead of 1BTC and drop the bitcoin as a unit altogether?
reply
What is the "logical" denomination will change over time. At one point a car cost a million bitcoin, now it costs one. So likewise we will go through denominations of sats.
I like kSats as a denomination because I think it's logical, not too big, and it sounds like a radio station!
I also like the idea of a cultural standard for a "zap", like 10 sats. But that might be confusing.
reply
bitcoin is the first currency ever where a redenomination would add, not remove digits. hyperdeflation. fascinating!
reply
What is the "logical" denomination will change over time. At one point a car cost a million bitcoin, now it costs one. So likewise we will go through denominations of sats.
That's the point of the metric system. It can adapt.
reply
It's indeed confusing to navigate all possibilities! We should definitely aim to simplify things. There's enough complexity around Bitcoin!
reply
I kind of like Parman's sats symbol, a 2 and a 1 overlaid.
reply
Dazzle me
reply
We will!
reply
Agreed, you are trying to make it a unique brand.
reply
Bitcoin behaves like a brand, sats should too!
reply
Agreed, you are trying to make it a unique brand.
reply
Satsymbol.com is the correct link. Similar as to when Taro pulled a CMYK on RGB. Shitcoiners gonna shitcoin.
Well, you got everyone reacting. Mission accomplished.
reply
There's nothing shitcoiny about satsymbol.org, and you'll see it in a few days. We hope you like it!
reply
Oh i know. Just wanted to illustrate i can be disingenuous too. i hope you liked it!
reply
A solution in search of a problem.
reply
There are bigger problems to be solved, sure, but this doesn't mean that the smaller ones should be forgotten!
reply
Shitcoin mentality
reply
reply
the idea is obviously a lightning bolt, with a division symbol thrown in as the dots.
Of course we could be off track with the lightning bolt, as it's possible lightning won't even be the standard operating area for most people.
I think I'd like something with a "Z" for "zaps"... but that's already used for zcash
I prefer $ as sats symbol.
reply
We're building on Bitcoin to get rid of the dirty, oil-soaked, blood-dripping fiat money.
We have the opportunity to create a new sats symbol that carries none of this negative connotation.
Let's get rid of $ just like we're getting rid of fiat!
reply
Benefits of $ is that it's part of standard 7-bit ASCII character set.
reply
true! one of the biggest reasons the kebab never got adopted is that it's not an unicode symbol...
reply
I really like the actual one. It’ll be difficult to make it better. I’ll keep an eye.
reply
the actual one
you mean the one that looks like the ETH symbol (Ξ)?
reply
丰 This one I mean. Btw I donno know how the Eth logo is exactly but i think is like rombe.
reply
that's the ETH symbol overlapped with | hahahaha
reply
reply
that looks like the ETH symbol (Ξ), a vertical wreck symbol used on nautical charts and multiple Chinese Mandarin characters 
reply
0 sats \ 1 reply \ @go 31 Jan
🤮
reply
Kabeb
reply
0 sats \ 1 reply \ @dgy 31 Jan
There is already a Sats symbol used at different places as for instance at boltz.exchange or at the satoshistore.io.
The only thing that seems not to be standardized yet is the "angle of slope" ;-)
However if it would be something completely different, it would be quite confusing.
Overall I think that a new symbol to get rid of the many decimal points would be a good thing.
I think using $ or 🗲 is confusing for adoption.
reply
There is already a Sats symbol used at different places as for instance at boltz.exchange or at the satoshistore.io.
It's also on Envoy/Passport, Lightspark, LNMarkets, and Thunderhub. But not much adoption for a symbol introduced back in 2021...
I think using $ or 🗲 is confusing for adoption.
Agree!
reply
I brought this up on Nostr last year. It's a little weird because it could become the mainstream currency, but at the same time, it's too small for people to bother with a symbol for most purposes. When I was a kid, we actually used the "cents" symbol for stuff. Now I don't even think people know what that symbol is.
reply
It's a little weird because it could become the mainstream currency, but at the same time, it's too small for people to bother with a symbol for most purposes.
True! And if there's a time when we can settle on a symbol, that time is now. It'll only get harder as more people come onboard...
reply
Announcement of the announcement. Of an unnecessary change.
Well done on getting our attention.
reply
Announcement of the announcement. Of an unnecessary change. Well done on getting our attention 😂 it'll sound more necessary and well deserving of your attention soon™
reply
Speaking of lightning.... you sure are a lightning rod, @mattcrv !
reply
I hope that's a good thing! ⚡
reply
reply
The free market will fegure it out
reply
Yes! And this is the free market figuring it out! There's no Bitcoin Foundation forcing anyone to adopt this upcoming sats symbol, it's entirely voluntary!
reply
deleted by author
reply
The hype will pay off 🫡!
reply