There was an article on Bitcoin in c't, a bi-weekly German computer magazine (sold curculation about 350K) today. At 6 A4 pages it was a rather in-depth article, and I did not notice any factual errors.
Link: http://www.heise.de/ct/inhalt/2011/17/74/wow, awesome! This'll hit a lot of techies in germany. C't is quite respectable and well-read. |
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What would the customs do if my notebook had drive encrypted and I refuse to decrypt it?
Probably take it from you, never to be seen again. If they REALLY want whats on it then they might get a court order for your to decrypt it, and failing to do so would result in you being held in contempt of court and imprisoned until you give it to them. Now this is pretty much what has happened to one poor fellow and it's the first time it's gone this far AFAIK, so that case might set the precedent if it gets to the top courts of the land. http://www.reddit.com/r/Libertarian/comments/i8l6b/truecrypt_user_held_in_contempt_of_court_for_not/http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2693599But that's only if they REALLY want it. If you have data they might REALLY want, you could use deniable encryption, e.g like this: One example of deniable encryption is a cryptographic filesystem that employs a concept of abstract "layers", where each layer would be decrypted with a different encryption key. Additionally, special "chaff layers" are filled with random data in order to have plausible deniability of the existence of real layers and their encryption keys. The user will store decoy files on one or more layers while denying the existence of others, claiming that the rest of space is taken up by chaff layers.
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What would happen if one of those Third world countries based their currency on bitcoin?
Or how about a Virtual On-line Republic with Bitcoin as their Currency?
Just a though
I like the idea, but bitcoin would have to become physical first. Why? Use of phones for payment is very popular in many african places, I hear. |
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Interestingly I'm currently thinking about a different solution to this problem (accepting payment on website), that doesn't involve a bitcoin client at all: - generate a load of addresses in advance using vanitygen
- put the public part (address) into db on webserver to give to users as payment addresses
- check payment reception using blockexplorer.com/q/getreceivedbyaddress
- keep private keys somewhere else, import as needed into wallet using sipa:showwallet patch (importprivkey)
EDIT: forgot to ask for comments on this idea? Is it workable? Anyone see a problem with this approach? sounds like a great way to *receive* payments, i wonder what similar lengths one could go to to *send* payments without running a bitcoin client. You'd have to at least be able to construct a Transaction (using private key and destination address). You'd also have to broadcast it to the bitcoin network somehow. Only thing you don't really need for sending is the blockchain storage, if I'm correct. |
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i can look at php and see what's going on, and would be able to customize everything.
Nobody's going to allow you to modify the bitcoin code on a shared hosting plan. You'll get a nice high-performance interface (FCGI/shared memory), a private wallet.dat equivalent and a shared block-chain storage and networking peer. If the libbitcoin guys won't screw up the wallet.dat will have an option of being receive only with no storage of the private keys. It will allow only receiving payments as a security measure for the shared hosting. This is how all the PHP engines evolved: you'll get a thin wrapper and an immense choice of under-the-hood modules that are written in C/C++ and not really modifiable in any way from the level of PHP. This is both the strength and the weakness of PHP. Just scroll all the way down on your phpinfo(); read it again and you'll understand what I'm saying. Interestingly I'm currently thinking about a different solution to this problem (accepting payment on website), that doesn't involve a bitcoin client at all: - generate a load of addresses in advance using vanitygen
- put the public part (address) into db on webserver to give to users as payment addresses
- check payment reception using blockexplorer.com/q/getreceivedbyaddress
- keep private keys somewhere else, import as needed into wallet using sipa:showwallet patch (importprivkey)
EDIT: forgot to ask for comments on this idea? Is it workable? Anyone see a problem with this approach? |
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What would happen if one of those Third world countries based their currency on bitcoin?
Or how about a Virtual On-line Republic with Bitcoin as their Currency?
Just a though
How about world peace  . Just a thought... not trying to be too negative, but the "bitcoin republic" seems quite asleep with negligable amount of fresh immigrants after the hot weeks when the gold was found... some things take time. |
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edit: once VZ, ATT, etc realize what they're dealing with i can see no reason why they wouldn't want to get in on the game. it could be a huge new profit center for them.
Yes. But it also needs a lot more bitcoin infrastructure in place globally, like handy ways to convert BTC to local currency or buy things locally with BTC. yes. but really the wife should be no more limited than you are in converting btc to local currency. she could use mtgox or any of the exchanges (public or anonymous like Ubitex) that trades her local currency and then obviously she could do this face to face or at a Meze Grill like retailer, etc, etc. She could also try to find a friendly local bitcoin for cash trader, for example here: http://tradebitcoin.com |
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maybe it's crazy, but would it be possible to make the bitcoin software entirely with PHP?
i don't mean RPC to bitcoind, i mean actually do everything within PHP code?
That is crazy... PHP sucks for security and is very hard to get properly stable for non-trivial projects. I would think that a full python implementation of bitcoin would be best for web-hosting. okay so if we establish that it's crazy and we establish that python is 'best', can i still assume the answer to my question is that it's possible? i seem to remember seeing *some* parts of the bitcoin code done in php, like address validation, etc. As C++ and PHP are close, yes it's possible But I don't think some parts of the bitcoin client are in PHP 1.) C++ and php are close? what? 2.) closeness to C++ is irrelevant. Bitcoin client can be implemented in any turing-complete language. 3.) afaik, no part of the official bitcoin client are written in php |
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this is going to be HUGE.
husbands can text btc/remittances to families across borders instantly.
why is this hard to understand. This is not about texting BTC to someone, it's about buying BTC through your phone-bill through billed sms. Or am I the one misunderstanding something here? Maybe the idea is to have the remote family text a bitcoin public address (without typos) to the husband, then the husband in the UK (or wherever the service exists) enters that address on the site and pays via SMS. But the remote family still has the problem of converting the BTC to something usable where they live. exactly. why is this so hard to understand? the wife converting shouldn't be a problem in most jurisdictions esp. if she has an exchange acct. she can call her husband and READ the address to him. Ok, I think I understand the use-case now. Compared to the husband putting the money on mtgox first, buying bitcoin and making a bitcoin transaction to the wife, he just uses textcoin.co.uk using wife's bitcoin address, right? Pros: - it's faster (no delay for money to arrive at mtgox)
- husband needs the acutal money later (phone bill)
Cons: - It's more expensive (25% to the phone company plus maybe textcoin unvaforable exchange rate)
I'm sorry for misunderstanding. Did I get it right now? |
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http://Uploaded.to now accepts bitcoins: Besides additional, useful changes such as the newly designed Download Page with a Facebook-like button, we have taken the decision, as the first file hosting service worldwide, to accept bitcoins. You will receive more information on this in the next few weeks.
awesome, this is good. been waiting for a file-hoster... |
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Du denkst eine verschlüsselte Festplatte schütz ihn? Null komma Null ! Haben die nach kurzer Zeit offen.
Das sehe ich nicht so. Wer mit vernünftiger SW (nichts kommerzielles, nur os), adäquat verschlüsselt und drumrum auch keine Fehler macht (schlecht gewählte oder aufgeschriebene Passwörter, unverschlüsselte Kopien ...), der hat eine hervorragende Chance, dass keine Polizei seine Platte wieder aufmacht. +1 Der weiter oben referenzierte Angriff (cold boot) wird wohl kaum bei einer Beschlagnahmung durchgeführt werden. Kann mir nicht vorstellen, dass die Cops meinen RAM mit stickstoff einfrieren und mitnehmen... Eher schon beugehaft um an den key zu kommen. |
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this is going to be HUGE.
husbands can text btc/remittances to families across borders instantly.
why is this hard to understand. This is not about texting BTC to someone, it's about buying BTC through your phone-bill through billed sms. Or am I the one misunderstanding something here? |
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don't worry, "old coins" will work just like "new coins", the client will use "old rules" for blocks < 24000 and new rules for blocks >= 24000. it's transparent to users.
So are you absolutely sure that it would be possible for old coins to be added to the new patched block chain? it's explained on the "merged mining" wiki page http://dot-bit.org/Merged_Mining#Will_NMC_mined_prior_to_block_24k_become_invalid.3Fanswer: "No, not at all. The old blocks are checked based on the old rules. Thus you don't need to worry." |
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first: thanks for the info on your projects, sounds ambitious and very cool! also thanks for the info on wifi (you're saying there's open hotspots everywhere? what more do you need ^^) Back to the transaction: 25 BTC is a good start. I don't need to exchange everything via bitcoins and I wont rely on it, obviously (fallback is to use options offered by my german bank or credit card to get cash).
Getting some cash from you and/or your colleagues would be awesome, though, so I could brag about it (hey, I use bitcoins paying for my vacation ^^) and also use it to advertise bitcoin as a way to get a hold of local currency.
I'd almost like to buy all 100 from you just so you could say that to your friends. lol. my life right now is devoted to making Bitcoin usable everywhere. Instead of just trading Bitcoins in for cash directly, why don't you just keep a tab for 3 weeks and send me bitcoins and I can send you KRW whenever you need it? Seems like a much more frugal thing for the both of us, especially since my contract work pays me daily (e.g. It's easier to send you $100 a day when you're here then it is to send you $500 as soon as you get here), and you shouldn't be selling Bitcoins right now anway IMHO. I don't understand... keep a tab? how would you send me $100 (in W cash) every day? You use paper money to buy food, pay hostel, etc, right? please explain. P.S. Bitcoiners have to stick together. Your girlfriend probably has everything handled, but if you need anything when you get here, I'm a phone call away.
I really appreciate that! Would you pm me your contanct info? |
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I have a straightforward question: If I buy 1000 now and wait for the merge to happen then how would I be able to sell them when they would belong to the old block chain and any potential buyers will be using the new block chain. So is transfer of NMC possible between the old (current) chain and the new (patched) chain?
don't worry, "old coins" will work just like "new coins", the client will use "old rules" for blocks < 24000 and new rules for blocks >= 24000. it's transparent to users. |
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Now now lets not get into a name calling contest.
yeah, you're right, sorry. I got a bit carried away. |
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Hello Korean Bitcoiners! Sorry I am writing in english, I do not speak Korean language. I will come to visit your country in September. I thought maybe it's a good idea to buy some KRW from local people there and save some exchange fees Does anyone want to buy some BTC for KRW in Seoul in the middle of September? cheers, molecular haha. I'm in. You know I'm starting the Korean National Bitcoin Exchange? You'll be able to do that online pretty soon. What part are you coming to? Seoul first. Will visit my girlfirend's relatives who live there, she's half-korean. After a week or so on Seoul we would like to travel around, do some hiking... will be there for 3 weeks. I'm looking to do a cash transaction, buying KRW for bitcoins, so using your exchange is probably not practicable for me, since I would have to be able to get the cash out somehow... Would you be willing to meet in person and make a trade? I would like to cash in maybe around 50 to 100 bitcoins (of course depending on the exchange rate in september). How would we determine the exchange rate, would you charge a fee? Fees wouldn't be necessary, but I'd have to go by the KRW > USD > BTC exchange rates if that's alright with you. 50 to 100? I was expecting a much smaller number. No worries. Count me in for 25 for sure and I'll ask around my office for the other 25~75. No fees, cool! No problem going throug KRW > USD > BTC to get the rate, that's fine with me. Likely still better than using my bank. Please tell me when your exchange is up, so I can check it out ^^. Will it be an exchange that keeps balances and takes care of withdrawing / depositing or will it just be a "matching" site, where the users have to make the transactions themselves? A side question: I've been trying to find out wether or not I could use my mobile (sony ericsson xperia hd mini pro) in Korea. It seems your GSM networks use a different frequency (2100Mhz). what about CDMA/UMTS,... I'm sorry to bother you with this.. but maybe it's best to ask someone local. Is it possible to get mobile internet for 3 weeks cheaply in korea? I'd really love to be able to use google maps and translate while on the run. It would also simplify (make more secure) giving you BTC (ssh -> bitcoin sendtoaddress) any hints/ideas for a traveller? Back to the transaction: 25 BTC is a good start. I don't need to exchange everything via bitcoins and I wont rely on it, obviously (fallback is to use options offered by my german bank or credit card to get cash). Getting some cash from you and/or your colleagues would be awesome, though, so I could brag about it (hey, I use bitcoins paying for my vacation ^^) and also use it to advertise bitcoin as a way to get a hold of local currency. |
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Version 0.13 is up. The only major change is to display hints when impossible address prefixes are entered, suggested by a user via email. It's not worth downloading if you already have 0.12. Under the hood, the source tree has been reorganized a bit, and a new OpenCL version, oclvanitygen, is now present. Regarding the current state of oclvanitygen: - It isn't built by default, you need to run: make oclvanitygen. Build it on Windows at your own peril.
- It isn't optimized at all. Specifically, it can't outperform the CPU with AMD hardware, and while it is faster with nVidia hardware, the profiler claims 25% occupancy.
hmmm, oclvanitygen seems to get stuck "compiling kernel...". Oh no, it doesn't, but it bails: nick@zero ~/bitcoin/bin/vanitygen $ ./oclvanitygen -d 0 1Mo
Difficulty: 1330
Compiling kernel...
clBuildProgram: -11
Build log:Error: Code selection failed to select: 0x9afba08: i32 = bswap 0x9afb5c8
Could not load kernel
Any hints? Something wrong with my setup/gpu? |
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Hello Korean Bitcoiners! Sorry I am writing in english, I do not speak Korean language. I will come to visit your country in September. I thought maybe it's a good idea to buy some KRW from local people there and save some exchange fees Does anyone want to buy some BTC for KRW in Seoul in the middle of September? cheers, molecular haha. I'm in. You know I'm starting the Korean National Bitcoin Exchange? You'll be able to do that online pretty soon. What part are you coming to? Seoul first. Will visit my girlfirend's relatives who live there, she's half-korean. After a week or so on Seoul we would like to travel around, do some hiking... will be there for 3 weeks. I'm looking to do a cash transaction, buying KRW for bitcoins, so using your exchange is probably not practicable for me, since I would have to be able to get the cash out somehow... Would you be willing to meet in person and make a trade? I would like to cash in maybe around 50 to 100 bitcoins (of course depending on the exchange rate in september). How would we determine the exchange rate, would you charge a fee? |
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Also, if we have a 10% difficultly increase for this round, to get to another 10% increase would mean another 1.375Th/s would need to come online over the next 14 day period.
Unless there is a new technology to drive more Gh/s per $$, I would assume that this will not be a sustainable trend and that we will eventually see a tapering off of difficulty increases.
There are ASIC miners since at least March. FPGA is also to be considered (power-efficient). The new technology is being developed... |
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