Full nodes vs Miners. What is the difference?

[vlgk]

Guys, could you please specify the difference between full node and miner in your article "Running a full node" https://bitcoin.org/en/full-node. There are a lot of discussions and opinions in internet, but it seems logical to have official description in your article in the first part.
Thank you in advance.
PS The most questionable points are whether miners are full nodes too or not, if yes why there is the need in full nodes too.

[NotCobra]

There are three kind of full nodes; Mining nodes (MN), nodes run by merchants, nodes run by normal users as wallet (UN). In short, if you are not economically incentivized, you shouldn't run full nodes.

For the network, only mining full nodes matter. Miners are incentivized by the Bitcoin network to run full nodes, and they are responsible for verifying transactions for the network.

Full nodes are useful for some big merchants. One use case is to accept zero confirmation safely in real Bitcoin network. Such nodes contribute nothing to the network directly. From the angle of game theory, it could benefit or harm the network indirectly.

Running full nodes is very dangerous for normal users and contributes nothing to the network. For example, hackers can easily know your IP and find your computer on the internet. By running nodes or SPV or some other ways, normal users can verify transactions for himself, yet the Bitcoin network doesn't care.

Normal users had not been expected to run full nodes until Blockstream was founded. After the formation of that cartel, this propaganda that everyone should run full nodes suddenly was spread under censorship. Yes it's illogical and ridiculous, and with common sense will you see through such stupid lies easily. However, the censorship was so effective.

Don't underestimate this propaganda. Many more lies such as the anti-HardFork ego were derived from this propaganda.

As one member of that cartel, the owner of bitcoin.org domain is a loyal supporter of Blockstream's Bitcoin version. People who are politically incentivized won't care about truth any more. She believes that the network should not rely on POW (miners), but should follow the central plan of her cartel's consensus. Actually, I appreciate this courage and I agree with her on changing POW asap on the bitcoin version of Blockstream.

Anyway, Bitcoin is here to stay. You can commit suicide on one Bitcoin version. But the original/superior version will emerge and show you why Bitcoin is censorship-resistant.

[vlgk]

Here you can find totally opposit opinion: https://www.reddit.com/r/BitcoinBeginners/comments/7qtvan/full_nodes_vs_miners_what_is_the_difference/dsrz83z/
so still the best solution is to have official clarification on bitcoin.org

[NotCobra]

@vlgk That's not "opposite opinion". Actually, it's an echo of that propaganda.

Like any other propaganda existed in the history of human beings, you can easily find the logical fallacy no matter how hard they twist the facts.

Let's take the link you provided as an example.

Beyond long and tedious nonsense, this is what that guy actually made as the premise.

This (the nodes running by end users as wallet) is what keeps the network honest.

This is a blatant lie. So that guy proved that propaganda with this lie.

Stupid? Yes it's so stupid that it can only fool morons. However, it's very successful with the help of censorship. For more information, you could read The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind written by Gustave Le Bon.

If we look at the bright side, I can assure you, soon you will realize why Bitcoin is so great. The current darkness is only temporary. Soon we Bitcoin community will regain the brand of Bitcoin from that cartel. And I am pretty sure that bitcoin.org will stop promoting the fake Bitcoin sooner than most people expect.

Cheers.

[vlgk]

@NotCobra anyway, once again the only solution to stop such discussions or propaganda - write clear answer on bitcoin.org

[NotCobra]

@vlgk The only solution is to stick with truth, math, and logic. Frankly speaking, what the owner of bitcoin.org has done in past three years contradicts to everything Bitcoin stands for. Sorry for my frankness, but the harm has been done. The Bitcoin network, no matter fake Bitcoin or real Bitcoin, even the combination of them, has been surpassed for months.

Not only must Justice be done; it must also be seen to be done.