This is an editorial opinion by Arman The Parman, a Bitcoin educator who is passionate about privacy.
Bitcoiners are having trouble establishing a unanimous choice for the sats symbol. I’ve seen several suggestions without a clear winner.
I believe I have found a symbol that we can agree on – it seems obvious. But wait until you hear the reasoning and symbolism before deciding. Here is the symbol I propose:
The symbol is made with an inverted “S” which is like writing a “2” (but not quite), and a vertical strikethrough, which is like a “1.” The numbers two and one together also make 21, a reference to the 21 million bitcoin hard supply cap.
Sitting symbol. It’s a beautiful poem in my opinion.
What’s more, it’s a vertically reversed dollar sign, which represents the anti-dollar, or dollar killer. Or, it’s a dollar sign horizontally-inverted (it can’t be both, otherwise it will end up back to the dollar sign).
One of the most important things about symbols is that they exist reasonable chances are that most people will naturally agree to use it. It has a very fast response and a lot of positives for a tweet announcing the symbol, posted on my public Twitter account.
Here is a typical response:
And more:
Another Twitterer commented that the reversed “S” and strikethrough could represent the first and last letters of “Satoshi,” which is interesting. Others say it contains elements of Knut Svanholm’s “infinity” shared by 21 million memes:
Source
A real “2” is recommended instead of an “S” but it can look a bit messy when written in front of a real number, and it’s unlikely to get support like I’ve seen with an inverted dollar sign. It’s also unpleasant to my eyes:
To me, it looks better with “S”:
We have agreed on 21 million bitcoins, or 2.1 quadrillion satoshis – anchoring this Schelling point for a new one I have a great chance of success.
Others recommend it looks like “L2” – fitting because sats are the standard unit in the primary Layer 2 protocol, the Lightning Network.
It is also important to consider the ease and speed of writing this symbol. It only takes two strokes of the pen. You only need to lift the pen once. The more decorative symbols, the more disturbing it is to write by hand, and then, it will only ask for abbreviated.
I like the idea of ​​strengthening the “brain virus” of 21 million people every time they write the sats symbol. At least for me, it will bring great satisfaction to write every time.
No matter which symbol you like best, everyone agrees it’s a problem. Because there are many reasons that this is a good symbol, I think there is a good chance that we can settle on this one.
This is a guest post by Arman The Parman. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.