Ethereum was first introduced at the North America Bitcoin Conference by Ethereum's founder, Vitalik Buterin. Although it is generally seen as an altcoin, Ethereum is essentially an innovative system aimed at advancing blockchain technology and its use in more areas.
Briefly, Ethereum is a Crypto Operating System that takes Ether (ETH) cryptocurrency as its power source. Its purpose is to allow users to create new applications on the blockchain system that Bitcoin also uses. Thanks to the freedom Ethereum provides to its users, it enables the launch of many altcoins.
The goal of the Ethereum system is to prevent personal information and other data from being stored and used by third parties. Today, almost all transactions we make on the internet (shopping, banking, social media usage, internet history, etc.) are recorded in data banks as data. What these informations will be used for is a complete unknown.
With the Ethereum system, these transactions are stored in a completely decentralized and anonymous manner on many different devices. Thus, access to this information becomes impossible, turning the entire internet into a decentralized platform.
To produce software that will be part of this decentralized system, Ethereum aims to use the Ether cryptocurrency as a form of fuel.

Ethereum is currently the second-largest cryptocurrency by transaction volume after Bitcoin. Its rapid increase in value and more innovative foundation compared to the Bitcoin blockchain has raised the question of whether Ethereum could be a competitor to Bitcoin. However, Ethereum's founder, Vitalik Buterin, has stated the following:
“If we are comparing the valuable resources in the world of cryptocurrencies and if we consider Bitcoin as GOLD, Litecoin as SILVER, then Ethereum is OIL. Because the underlying technology of Ethereum will be the energy source of the world's internet system. Just as oil is used in many sectors and technologies in the world, the same applies to Ethereum technology. That's why we call Ether ‘crypto fuel’. The energy needed by the Ethereum platform will be provided by Ether (ETH).”
As Buterin's statement makes clear, Ethereum does not aim to compete with Bitcoin. We also see that the entire founding team of Ethereum has been among the blockchain and Bitcoin developers since the early days of Bitcoin's release.

Mining is an important factor for the continuity and security of the system, just like in Bitcoin. Ethereum mining can be done by anyone without the need for special production devices like in Bitcoin mining, but with a graphics card (GPU). The increase in the number of miners causes the daily earnings in Ethereum mining to decrease.

Although Ethereum production seems similar to Bitcoin production, some minor differences provide some advantages for Ethereum production.
To produce Ethereum, you first need to create an Ethereum wallet. After installing the necessary programs, you can start production. You can produce individually or join a pool to increase your production.
You do not need high-performance devices for Ethereum production. Production is done through the graphics card (GPU).

Because the Ethereum system is an environment conducive to the creation of many new applications, it is the system where many new coins are transacted. For launching a new coin, Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), which are systemically crowd-funded before they hit the market, collect funds in Ether, the currency value of the Ethereum system. Thus, the Ethereum system acts as a system enabling the entry of new cryptocurrencies into circulation.
Many fraud cases have occurred in ICOs, which are considered untrustworthy by many people.

Contrary to what one might think, purchasing Ethereum with Turkish Lira in Turkey is a very easy and fast process. You can buy Ethereum without needing any technical knowledge.