What do I need to start?
The first thing that you should install is a so called Bitcoin
wallet. Bitcoins are a decentralized currency. No bank
account is needed. For that reason, a Bitcoin wallet is
the counterpart to your real money wallet. You can store
your Bitcoins in it, use it to send Bitcoins to other persons,
and of course receive Bitcoins even if you are offline. If you
lose your wallet, forget your password, or (heavens forbid)
somebody steals it, then your contained Bitcoins are lost.
Bitcoins are like real banknotes, they belong to the person
that owns them. So keep your wallet secure, make
regular backups and choose a secure password!
A wallet in itself is a very small piece of software for
windows, linux, or your smart-phone. You can see the
transactions in it, you can receive Bitcoins and send
Bitcoins using it. There is nothing more, small, simple, easy
to use.
Bitcoin.org is a good starting point if you need a wallet. You
can find several different wallets there. We recommend the
use of an open source version of a wallet, don’t use web-
based wallets or versions where the source is not available.
Remember: the web is dark and full of terrors (Yes,
nerdling, this is a direct quote from GoT).
