What this book covers

Chapter 1, Bitcoin Wallets and Mining Software, gives an overview of Bitcoin wallets: hardware, software, full and thin clients. The chapter also discusses mining software.

Chapter 2, CPU Mining, looks at Bitcoin mining using a CPU. It covers everything you need to get started.

Chapter 3, GPU Mining, concentrates on GPU mining. It covers GPU driver setup, mining software setup, and it touches upon practical mining issues. Examples are included.

Chapter 4, FPGA Mining, examines FPGA mining, including software, drivers, and a discussion of best practices.

Chapter 5, ASIC Mining, looks at ASIC mining in detail. We set up the software that is needed to mine and we show you practical examples of mining with ASICS.

Chapter 6, Solo Versus Pool Mining, explains solo and pool mining and weighs the pros and cons of both ways of mining.

Chapter 7, Large Scale Mining, looks at mining as a business. There are a handful companies that decided to mine for profit. They represent the bleeding edge in mining techniques.

Chapter 8, The Future of Bitcoin Mining, speculates how mining may evolve in the future. We look at the possibility of mining becoming more centralized and the possibility of mining becoming decentralized.