You didn't include the reference link. The term "blockchain", as used these days, refers to the distributed system underlying cryptocurrencies.
That's not a thing that has existed since the 90s nor is it a thing with so few requirements.
That's not a thing that has existed since the 90s nor is it a thing with so few requirements.
>The term "blockchain", as used these days, refers to the distributed system underlying cryptocurrencies.
That's how you prefer to use it but it doesn'T change how it's defined [1]
"At its most basic, blockchain is a vast, global distributed ledger or database running on millions of devices and open to anyone" [1]
That incorporates at least two concepts that are typically associated with the term "blockchain" that go beyond the basic cryptographic data structure: they are distributed, and they are open. Lots of technologies use a similar data structure; git uses a similar data structure. But when a silicon valley startup comes to you and pitches you on their "hot new blockchain tech" they probably don't mean git.
[1]: https://hbr.org/2016/05/the-impact-of-the-blockchain-goes-be...
>but on Bitcoin's use of similar technology to make a distributed ledger.
That doesn't really change a thing. Bitcoin merely uses a blockchain to ensure consensus, if all nodes are trusted then you don't need proof of work and you can switch to simply linking the list (see Git or Ethereum Testnets), and the contents of the blockchain are mostly irrelevant too (you can put anything on there, transactions are merely one type of thing you put in there)
At it's most basic, a blockchain is just a directed graph of nodes where a cryptographic method links two nodes together in a child-parent relationship. Everything else is just added fluff for the specific usecase.
Under your definition, every CBC mode stream cipher could be called a blockchain, which just makes the term meaningless. It was coined for a specific purpose: to describe how Bitcoin and related cryptocurrencies operate at a technical level, especially how they guarantee integrity and prevent double-spending.