After you have downloaded the Monero software (GUI and CLI alike), your antivirus or firewall may flag the executables as malware. Some antiviruses only warn you about the possible menace, others go as far as silently removing your downloaded @wallet / @daemon. This likely happens because of the integrated miner, which is used for mining and for @block verification. Some antiviruses may erroneously consider the miner as dangerous software and act to remove it.
After you install a wallet, you need to get some Monero. There are multiple ways to acquire some coins to spend, like mining or working in exchange for Monero, but the easiest way is to use an exchange and convert your fiat money into XMR. Many exchanges, centralized and decentralized, list Monero (XMR).
A full @node requires a considerable amount of storage and could take a long time to download and verify the entire blockchain, especially on older hardware. If you have limited storage, a pruned node is recommended. It only stores 1/8th of unnecessary blockchain data while keeping the full transaction history. If plenty of storage is available, a full node is recommended but a pruned node still greatly contributes to the network and improves your privacy.
A guide through the seemingly complex world of Monero.<br> It includes: <ul><li>A broad introduction to blockchains and the importance of privacy - ideal for non-technical users.</li> <li>Discussion of Bitcoin’s shortcomings and specific solutions provided by Monero.</li> <li>User stories (illustrating how Monero protects your privacy), analogies, examples, legal/ethical discussions, and code snippets illustrating key technical concepts.</li> <li>Details of the Monero decentralized network, peer-to-peer architecture, transaction lifecycle, and security principles.</li> <li>Introductions to technical foundations of Monero, intended for developers, engineers, software architects, and curious users.</li> <li>New developments such as Kovri, Bulletproofs, Multisignature, Hardware Wallets, etc.</li></ul>
A lightly theoretical interlude (hopefully still gentle, trying to stress concepts more than formalism and selecting the approached topics) to lay the foundations for Bulletproof and other future Zero-Knowledge-related features, if any.
A @mnemonic-seed is a set of 25 words that can be used to restore your account anywhere. Keep these words safe and do not share them with someone else. You can use this seed to restore your account, even if your computer crashes.
An easy and effective way to help the Monero network is to run a @node. Nodes ensure the network keeps running safe and decentralized. A simple fully synchronized node is enough to help the network, but if you want to go out of your way, you could run an open @remote-node, to allow other people to connect to it.
