> I have to agree with that, even if it's very hard and is on the edge of blaming the victim. I feel for people losing everything, but really, don't keep your stash at exchanges.
The main reason that's unsafe, is because the exchanges themselves are unreliable amateur outfits.
Keeping the wallet on your own decive sounds smart, until you realize that your own device isn't very secure either, and every bit as much an amateur environment as the worst exchanges. Your PC can be stolen, or compromised by trojans and viruses (and you can bet they'll be targeted if lots of money is stored there), and you can lose your money in a hardware crash. Backups help, but every backup is also a new way someone else might get access to your wallet.
> To make a comparison with fiat money, would you throw your main bank account at trading ? Chances are you would have a main bank account and a secondary one for trading that would only contain money you're ok to lose. To push the metaphor further, would put your whole money at trade in an obscur online bank that was created just a few time ago ?
No, the proper metaphor here is to have your money in a bank, or to have it at home in a pillow. Most people have their money in a bank, and well-regulated banks are pretty safe. (The recent banking crisis was due to lack of regulation allowing banks to take crazy risks.)
What we need is well-regulated, safe bitcoin banks and exchanges.