BitMinter aims to make it easy for anyone to make bitcoins. Everyone should have the opportunity to take part in the currency revolution that is Bitcoin. BitMinter creates new bitcoins and helps the Bitcoin system process transactions. If your computer takes part in this work then you will get your share of the coins we create and the income from transaction fees.
Any computer can make bitcoins. But there is specialized (ASIC) hardware which is much more efficient. The Bitcoin wiki has a comparison of hardware so you can see which is faster. If you just want to see how this runs on your computer then we have a test page for that.
If you don't want the hassle, heat and noise of handling your own hardware you can let others do that for you. Mining contracts from CloudHashing.com provide effortless mining with no hardware required.
BitMinter client:
Hit the start button to start BitMinter client. You get bitcoins for the work it does. Works on Windows, Linux and Mac. Requires updated Java.
Other clients: cgminer, bfgminer, etc. Connect to stratum+tcp://mint.bitminter.com:3333 (Stratum) or http://mint.bitminter.com:8332 (GBT or getwork). As user name put your BitMinter user name, an underscore, then a worker name, e.g. DrHaribo_FastWorker. In case you have firewall issues, port 5050 (Stratum) and 80 (GBT/getwork) are also available.
Your work is recorded in shifts. When we create a new block you get a share of the income proportional to how much of the work in the last 10 completed shifts is yours. This reward system is known as PPLNS with shifts. From 2013.04.20 onwards there is a 1% fee on mining income.
Not only new coins are paid out but also income from transaction fees. To increase income further we also generate namecoins, which take no extra effort. You can read more about namecoins at dot-bit.org.
Bitcoin is a digital currency. You can use bitcoins to pay for goods and services and there are exchanges where you can buy and sell bitcoins. There is no central bank and anyone can make new coins. Coins are created at a controlled rate and there will never be more than 21 million coins. Watch this video for an introduction:
You can pay for goods and services with bitcoins. Some popular websites that accept bitcoins are Wordpress, Reddit and Mega. You can buy gold and silver at Coinabul. BTC Trinkets has nice Bitcoin-related items. For more you can buy with your bitcoins, see the list of merchants at the Bitcoin Wiki.
You can buy and sell bitcoins for US Dollars, Euros, and other currencies at exchanges. Some popular exchanges are Bitcurex, MtGox, Camp BX. The Bitcoin wiki has a list of exchanges where you can buy and sell bitcoins.
