Within distributed computing, there is a significant issue called the Byzantine Generals Problem. This problem, in a nutshell, is a problem that arises when multiple systems inside a network need to connect but communication channels and messages cannot be totally trusted. Why does this problem arise and how this can be solved? This article will explain the Byzantine Generals Problem and how does Bitcoin helps solve it. The Byzantine Generals Problem Assume you’re a general in the Byzantine Empire’s army. Around an enemy city, there are several other armies camped and you’re all trying to figure out when to strike. Attack at the same time will benefit both parties. You will be successful in your retreat if both parties retreat together. If only one of you attack while others retreat, you’ll fail and lose a lot of people on your side. The issue is with the generals’ communication because to communicate with one another, each army utilizes the same messenger. The courier can only move between armies by sneaking past the enemy city, which renders the messenger untrustworthy because there is no way of knowing whether or not the message you are receiving is accurate. The messenger might be kidnapped, a general might be a traitor, or you might not get a piece of news at all. This situation is a crucial difficulty in distributed computing and multi-agent systems, in which numerous methods cannot reach a 100% confident agreement. Byza...
