[tempestn]

Absolutely, but MtGox probably still knew more about keeping bitcoins secure than most individual owners. The decision to leave it at that and entrust them with large amounts of money wasn't rational, but the belief by many people that they were out of their depth managing the coins themselves was probably correct. (How many coins have been lost in hard drive crashes without backups for instance?) Yes, most people could educate themselves on these things, but most people won't. Nor should everyone have to be educated on everything; that's what civilization is all about. But if you aren't willing to do so, you probably shouldn't be an early adopter, before safeguards are in place.