I'm confused how I would run a delegate - I see I can register my ident, is it just as simple as doing that and then getting people to vote for me?
I think the tools are fine but the explanation for people who haven't followed every dry run are sorely lacking. Once people understand how to be delegates or what it requires vs what its rewards are, we'll probably see less centralization.
agreed. I didn't realize there was such need for delegates. should I rent out a vps and (try) to get the code compiled for the sake of helping?
there is a need for delegates, ideally they would be 101 individuals with standing and technical experience in the community trusted to (1) not screw the system and (2) maintain/pay for their node.
to do it see:
https://github.com/BitShares/bitshares_toolkit/wiki/DPOS-initial-delegate-setupTo be a delegate you just need to:
1) pay to be a delegate (set up an account, give it some BTS, register the account, register the account as a delegate)
2) set "wallet_enable_delegate_block_production $ACCOUNT true"
3) UNLOCK YOUR WALLET and keep it unlocked!!!! set a long time out (that was my mistake at first)
4) somewhat optional, but nice to do:
network_set_advanced_node_parameters {"desired_number_of_connections":50, "maximum_number_of_connections":200}
benefits: you get a share of the transaction fees (pay_rate*10/101*transaction_fees_per_day)
costs: maintaining a vps, having to be on top of things
in theory, you should campaign and be well known. In practice, for now, it is dominated by the big accounts giving themselves a large number of delegate spots.