Yes block chains predate bitcoin and are very useful. Git uses them. A currency is a perfect use case for a block chain. You need to robustly store balances and transactions so they can’t be tampered with.
I would say it’s insane to have a currency which is not block chain based. Too easy to fiddle your finances.
Proof of work isn’t a necessary part of it. You need to answer the question “how does money get created”. Proof of work is a very robust way to create and allocate new money. Fiat currencies just answer " i nominate one entity who is allowed to create as much money as he likes”. Other answers are possible.
It’s also possible to use a proof of work algorithm which doesn’t consume much energy. The usual proposal is for a “proof of doing work and allocating RAM and storing something on disk”. Bitcoin just chose the most robust and simplest algorithm, which does consume a lot of energy.
In a future currency, the proof of work algorithm could allocate money to people who sequester carbon or plant trees. The thing about inventing a new type of money is that you can do anything. Bitcoin is a great leap of progress for humanity, but has a couple of flaws. Those flawed features can be reinvented, while still keeping all the benefits.
For a start, bitcoin is revolutionary. It solves all the problems with the banking system.
For example, people’s card details get stolen all the time. Bitcoin had solved this by using a new public key for each transaction.
When something is purchased using a credit/debit card, you are effectively using the same public key for every transaction. So what is happening is replay attacks. This type of scam is inevitable because the banking system is insecure by nature. It’s built on a foundation of insecurity.
Bitcoin fixes all that. Bitcoin or similar is necessary for money-based economies to continue to work in the future.
Bitcoin and crypto are more than this. This is just one of the important innovations bitcoin makes.
Yes please I’ve been looking out for a way to make a removable rear camera cover. Something mite durable than just tape
You make a lot of points. To explain all of those things, I would news to make a very long post. i think i will do that when i get time.