> Also, mining profitably requires special hardware built specifically for Bitcoin mining.

For bitcoin yes, but there are proof of work cryptocurrency systems out there that use CPU. And there are proof of stake systems out there that neither cpu or gpu intensive.

For a lot of people, cryptocurrency = bitcoin. But there's a growing number of crypto enthusiasts who see crypto as an constellation of cryptocurrencies, each with their own unique attributes and fundamentals, that complement (as well as compete with) bitcoin.