The issue is that a system with 1GB of RAM cannot load the blockchain, but it will try if it's there.  If you don't need the blockchain on that system anymore, just remove the AppData/Roaming/Bitcoin/blk0001.dat file.  Everything should work after that.

Otherwise, I will have to put in a switch to let the user select that they don't want to load the blockchain.  Until then, just delete or rename the blk0001.dat file, at least temporarily.

Dammit Cypherdoc, how do you keep getting problems I can't reproduce?!  I just tried a fresh Win7-64 installation, with 1GB of RAM and no network.  I installed the three packages from the website (python, twisted, pyqt), ran the install_zope.py script, then ran ArmoryQt.py.   It works for me!  The interface looks the same, just without any actual information displayed (there's nothing to display!).   Click on the "Offline Transactions" button to get to the window about signing transactions.  

Is there an error displayed when you run it?  Is it possible for you to run it from a terminal so you can see the error?  (implementing a more-robust logging system is on my to-do list).  It is correct that you need nothing special on the offline system.  My offline system is running Ubuntu 10.04 with 512 MB of RAM. 

If it's working properly, it should pop up a window saying it detects no internet connection, do you want to run in offline mode?   One mistake I made was that there's no option to tell it not to load the blockchain if it's there.  If you are running Win7 on a 1GB VM, you most definitely don't want it trying to load the blockchain.  I recommend removing the blockchain if it's there.

I hardly see how bringing extra security and a world of new functionality to the desktop is a waste of time.  

• The simple addition of "deterministic wallets" requiring only a single backup at creation time, solves a tremendously frustrating problem with other clients (with the Satoshi client, you have to re-backup your wallet every 100 transactions).  Being able to print the backup makes it even more robust (visually verifiable, easier to store).
• The multiple-wallet interface is an extremely high-demand feature from users all over the forum.  And it is especially useful for businesses that want to segregate their books/funds.
• Key import & sweep is a feature that had a $500 bounty from Casascius on the D&TD forums, because of how useful it is (and Armory is the first application to do it).
• Watching-only wallets enabling you to separate private and public keys gives a level security that is unmatched, both for users and businesses.  Maybe you're not concerned about security, but other users are.  Especially businesses, which can now give employees watching-only wallets for collecting and verifying payments, but the employer with the full wallet is the only person that can spend the funds.
• Multi-signature transactions, with contracts, are going to be a critical addition to the Bitcoin network.  It will enable a new world of functionality for parties to do business with one another.  But it's also very complicated, and going to require a very innovative interface to bring that capability to the users.

On top of that, Armory is not strictly focused on the desktop.  It may be right now, while I get the core functionality implemented.  But my intention has always been to make smartphone apps, too.  But that needs the features I built into the desktop:  two-factor authentication w/ smartphone will require deterministic, watching-only wallets, and that just doesn't exist anywhere else.

I hope you will change your opinion of it.  Either way, thanks for your donation.  I am impressed that you donate despite your opinion of the effort.

I've been chatting with Cypherdoc, who's had this problem persistently.  After the protocol switchover, it seems to be magically working for him... !?!   I'm not sure what the protocol switch had to do with it... but perhaps clocks/UTC were out of sync, and one program switched before the other...?

Please let me know if you still have the problem!  (make sure to restart both Satoshi and Armory)

FYI... Armory switched over 15 minutes early for some reason.  But it works now.  If there's any problems, just restart... stuff

Zefir,

Just try one thing for me.   Apply the following diff to your Makefile, then recompile and try again. (basically, just switch the "cryptopp" library refs to "crypto++").


I don't know if that will work, but it's worth a try.  Please PM to continue this discussion if it doesn't work.

zefir,

That seems to the problem that is supposed to be solved by the LD_PRELOAD line.  Can you verify that you have crypto++ installed, and check that /usr/lib/libcryptopp.so exists (or libcrypto++.so).   The error you are getting loading the module indicates that your system is not dynamically linking to the correct version of crypto++ (or any crypto++ for that matter).

I considered adding libcryptopp.a to be statically linked, which would solve these stupid problems... perhaps I still should....

Chris,

I was just working on this with cypherdoc.  I bet when you hit the send button, there is a message in the console like "Connection to localhost DNE" (does not exist)...? 

I was finally able to replicate this problem on a Win 7 VM, and it went away when I upgraded to 0.5.1.  It turns out I had forgotten to update the Win 7-64 link on the Get Armory page, and it was still linked to 0.5.0.   I fixed the link less than 24 hours ago.

Just download the zip file, unpack, and run ArmoryQt.py again.  You don't need to [re-]install anything.  Let me know if that fixes it!

On the offline computer, Armory will detect no internet and go into "offline mode."  From there, it doesn't even bother trying to show balances or ledger entries:  there's nothing to show!  The sole purpose of the offline computer is to look at unsigned transactions, determine if it has the keys to sign them, then offer to do so (and asking user for decryption passphrase if necessary). 

To know exactly what is transferred via USB key, see BIP 0010.  It is basically just a standard way to create a block of text that contains the transaction to be signed, and all transactions it is spending from (so input values can be verified).  It was intended for multi-sig signature collection, but it works great for offline wallets (treating them as just a 1-of-1 tx).   What is described in BIP 0010 is the only thing that is put on the USB key.  No other information.

The reason this is safe, is that the transaction and all the supporting transactions contain 100% of the information you need to verify that "I am signing a transaction to send X BTC to Address Y with fee Z".  If someone were to manipulate the transaction on the way to the offline computer, the user would either see that it's been manipulated, or be signing a transaction that is ultimately invalid.  This is why the offline system only needs 512MB of RAM:  it needs to run the operating system, and basically just do the ECDSA signatures on top of that. 


I already created a block-explorer a few months ago, when I got much of the core libraries implemented.   It was my "warm-up" for developing the rest of Armory.  See PyBtcEngine and the PyBtcEngine block-explorer demo.  This was the original project, from which I forked BitcoinArmory.  Last I tried it, it worked (run pyqt/blockexplore.pyw), but it's been a long time.   I do have plans to cannibalize that dialog to include it in the future "Developer Tools" in Armory.  It's not a trivial transfer though, so I am considering other things to be a priority right now.  I plan to put in an ECDSA calculator with it

I upgraded to 0.5.2 and I see the alert now.  It's tough to miss.

Where is this being displayed?  I have had the client open in Ubuntu 10.04 for days (Satoshi version 0.5.0), and I see no alert anywhere.   I always wondered how the alerts work...

Good to know!  I forgot that some people are using pre-existing python installations. 

When I was developing armory on Windows 7, x64, I couldn't even compile it in Win32-mode, because the compiler complained that "python27.lib" was for the wrong architecture.  Therefore, I had no choice but to install 64-bit python, just to get it to compile.

I'm going to start a list of "Known Issues" soon, I'll add this to the list!

Btw, it's been a while since I added it up, so I just re-ran "wc" across all the files I created myself:  

• 20,000 lines in .py files (including unit tests)
• 11,000 lines in .h and .cpp files

That's 31,000 lines, including empty lines and comments.  And I do have tons of comments.  But, I've always been taught if you spend a lot of time writing comments, you deserve to have those lines counted in your favor

Whoa, I just realized that I accidentally left the 0.5 link up for the 64-bit version.  I have updated the link on the Get Armory! page with the version 0.5.1 for the 64-bit.


If you followed the four steps (python, twisted, zope, pyqt), and then unpacked the 0.5.1 zip file, you should only need double click ArmoryQt.py (in fact I just did a fresh install of Win7-64 and tested it again with the updated 0.5.1 pseudo-binary, and it worked).

The error you mention occurs when the _CppBlockUtils.pyd and/or CppBlockUtils.py file are not present in the directory (which are included in the .zip file).  If they are there and you still get the error, then perhaps the .pyd file (which is actually a .dll), was compiled for the wrong architecture, i.e. you downloaded the 32-bit version for a 64-bit machine. 

Try it again with the new 0.5.1 link on the webpage, and make sure everything was installed and unpacked properly.  PM me if it still doesn't work!

After fees and rewards (and god, probably taxes, too), this will be like $8,000.  At 30% of my time, this is like having a salary of $24,000-$30,000.  Most people who do this kind of work get paid 2x to 4x that in salary before benefits.  Not to mention, that calculation is for 12 hours per week, and I will actually be spending 30-40 hours a week on this.  I think the community is actually getting a great deal, here!

I won't reveal my actual salary, but this definitely doesn't cover 30% of it.  It doesn't cover half of that.  But, I already live below my financial ceiling, and this project is much more rewarding than my regular job.  And, I get to work from home!  (though my regular job is pretty cool, too, so I can't complain too much).  

To everyone here:  with the recent release of Armory Alpha 0.5.1, I have decided that it is in my best interest to pursue some financial backing before plunging back into the Bitcoin development well.   So, I have started a crowdfunding project on RocketHub to raise money from the Bitcoin community to drop to part-time at my real job, and spend the extra time on Armory.    Find out more from the thread I started in the main Bitcoin forum:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=64449.0

Or go straight to the RocketHub page to donate with a credit card:

• http://www.rockethub.com/projects/6056-armory-bitcoin-development-funding

I really look forward to see how well this works!  

---

Armory is finally Beta!  (v0.86-beta)  (updated screenshots below)

Click here to go to the download page.

Thanks to everyone who donated back in March!  After 9 months and probably another 1,000 hours of development, Armory is finally BETA.  And it's been getting around, too:  1,500 downloads per month for the last 4 months (even while in "alpha")!  If you were intrigued by this project but didn't want to take the plunge because it was "alpha," now is the time to check out how far Armory has come.  And it has come quite far:

• Still 100% free!
• Armory now works on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows and Linux (no installers/packages yet for OSX, but RedEmerald has made it quite accessible with a few terminal commands)
• GPG-signed installers & uninstallers for both Windows and Linux (using the Armory Signing Key)
• Bulk address importing/sweeping
• Insta-load allowing you to manage your wallets while Armory is scanning.
• Export transaction history to .csv file
• System tray icon, with notifications!
• Coin Control (available in "Expert" mode)! Full control of transaction inputs and customizable change output (bolded because of high demand for it)
• Full "bitcoin:" URL handling in both Windows and Linux (and a place to enter the URL manually if clicking the links don't work for some reason)
• Create clickable payment requests to be copied into emails or wepages.
• Export your transaction histories
• Minimize to system tray
• Version checking and notification
• Endless polishing (table sorting, formatting, preferences, filtering, warning windows, action verification checks, tooltips/mouseover text on everything, etc)

And of course, that is only what is new to Armory!  Don't forget that Armory gives you:

• Painless offline wallets (cold storage)!
• Multiple-wallet interface
• GPU-resistant wallet encryption
• Deterministic wallets
• Only-one-time-needed-ever backups!  Print one off when you create the wallet, protect it forever!
• Watching-only wallets
• Key importing and sweeping
• Message signing
• And lots more I can't even remember!

And now the things that aren't done yet:

• Still requires Bitcoin-Qt to be running -- this is actually a net benefit despite the inconvenience.  There's a new page describing why this is good (essentially, you get the network security of Bitcoin-Qt with the features of Armory).
• Dramatically reduced RAM usage compared to original, but rapid blockchain acceleration has made even that solution RAM-heavy.  If your system has 4+ GB of RAM you probably won't notice.  The next major update will be swapping RAM for HDD space, but I wanted the first release to be a stable version for those that like to keep Armory on portable media.
• No migration of Bitcoin-Qt wallets/addresses (was implemented before, but Bitcoin-Qt started using compressed keys that Armory wallets couldn't support).  A new wallet format is in the works that will not only support Bitcoin-Qt wallets, but also multi-sig!

---

Crowdfunding period:  Feb 18 to Mar 19, 2012  (FINISHED)
Total RocketHub Donations (Credit Cards):
$2661
Total Bitcoins Donated
271.4 BTC
BTC Value converted to USD (via MtGox, multiple sell orders):
$1442
Total Funds Raised:
$4103


Update:  I have decided to continue providing rewards/gifts for BTC donations.  I have posted the list of available donation amounts and corresponding gifts on the Donating for Armory Development page.  All donations are used to replace salary that I am not receiving while working part-time on Armory!

Crowdfunding Wrap-up:

Thanks so much to everyone that donated to this project.  While some have complained that it's a shame I couldn't raise the full amount of funding, I do not consider this a failure in any way.  The amount of money raised is very significant, and much more than colleagues of mine thought was even possible.  Not only did I raise enough to make a difference, but I got to do a lot of networking with a lot of fellow Bitcoiners.  I didn't expect to end up with so many new contacts, all interested in Bitcoin, and Armory!

Maybe $12K was ambitious.  The number was chosen because that's what I'd feel comfortable with to go down to 28 hours/week.  The fact that I raised $4K is no small feat, and still leaves a lot of room to take time off of work, and really focus on Armory.  I should be clear that I really like my job, it's just that Armory has turned out to be so much more interesting and rewarding.  I am looking for any excuse I can to work more on Armory and less at my real job.  I think that I will take a leap and drop to 32 anyway, despite being the condition I laid out for raising $8k.  Screw it, I want to do it.  I live below my means for a reason, and this seems like a rare (and justifiable) opportunity.  It's something I really want to do, and happens to be something lots of other people want me to do  

Even though I didn't raise the full amount, I'm still committed to keeping the core, Armory desktop application free.  It will be my primary focus for the rest of year, or until it's "done."  The word, "done", is a way of saying: "everyone can use it, with all the security features, offline wallets, multi-sig interfaces, translations, web-server accessibilities, and can be considered a direct replacement for the Satoshi client".  It's not until that time that I will look for other ways to make money:  perhaps through licensing to other developers,  creating add-ons to integrate services directly into the client, or just renting myself out as a consultant.

Until that time, I'm sure the Satoshi client and other clients will work to integrate many of the same features as Armory.  This is fine with me:  if Armory had any part in spurring competition in the client marketplace and bringing good ideas to the other clients, then I'll consider it another metric of success.  After all, part of my goal is seeing Bitcoin succeed, not just Armory.



Thanks so much for the community support!  I am looking forward to continue working on Armory.
-Alan

 
-------------



Cold Storage for the Average User - Part of Armory!
With the recent, high-profile BTC thefts, it appears that multi-signature transactions and "cold-storage" could close this gaping hole in Bitcoin security (it seems that slush actually saved himself a lot of money by using cold-storage).  But multi-signature transactions are not yet enabled on the network, and most users don't have the patience or skill to manage offline wallets.  Until now!  Armory contains a lot of fantastic features, but the most important one is Armory Offline Wallets, which gives regular users "cold-storage" capability.  All those other awesome features of Armory are just a bonus (multiple deterministic wallets, one-time paper backups, key import/export, GPU-resistant wallet encryption, etc).  

If you donate $300+ to this crowdfunding campaign, I will be sending you a used laptop and USB key, already prepared for use as an offline wallet manager!  Three laptops have already been claimed!


UPDATE:  Encryption Seminar is Being Distributed
Understanding Encryption:  Using Boring Math for Something Useful
For $10 in credit card donation or BTC donation, get the seminar!  There is no cheaper way to get a thorough introduction to cryptography, with or without a math background!  If you are unsure, see cypherdoc's review of the seminar!  



-----

Many of you probably heard about Armory Bitcoin Client.  If not, I recommend you check it at:  http://bitcoinarmory.com.   I am very excited about the future of this project, and I have received extraordinarily positive feedback and encouragement based on the alpha release I made last week.   I believe this is the beginning of the future for Bitcoin on the desktop!

Armory includes: multiple wallet interface, deterministic wallets, GPU-resistant wallet encryption, one-time paper backup printing, key import/sweep/export (including VanityGen and Casascius physical bitcoins), and different user modes depending on your Bitcoin experience level ("Standard", "Advanced" and "Developer").  And the holy-grail feature of "Armory Offline Wallets," giving you the highest level of Bitcoin wallet security available!  See the following links for more information:

• Main Armory Webpage
• Armory thread on the Bitcoin forums (with feature list)
• Download Armory or Build it from source
• Tutorial of Armory Offline Wallets

Time for crowdfunding!





Click here to see the Crowdfunding campaign and donate



If I can raise $12,000 from the community, I will drop from 40 hours-per-week to 28 hours-per-week at my regular job, solely to continue development of Armory!    
Please see the RocketHub posting for precise details about project direction, development plans/promised features, cool rewards for donors, and conditions for overfunding or underfunding.

I have proven my skill and commitment to the Bitcoin community with over 1,000 hours of development to produce this working prototype of Armory -- and without any financial motive so far.  The donations will help me cover living expenses and the extra time will let me pay a little more attention to my girlfriend whom has been heavily neglected the last 8 months.   In exchange, I guarantee that Armory will receive 100% of my focus, and be maintained as a free and open-source project, with all the most powerful features available.  

Plus, there are some pretty awesome rewards for those that donate a lot.  Get a custom USB key for offline transactions, Casascius physical bitcoins, tshirts, and even a used laptop/netbook, already prepared for use as an offline wallet manager!  To donate with a credit card, you only create a login, and you will be taken straight to a credit-card donation page.  It may be annoying to create a login, but I do need the personal information to communicate with donors and send rewards!




Donate BTC to this campaign using:  1Rocketc8FRo18MyJSc3sjNEs2W2R8api

All BTC donors will receive the same rewards as credit card donors, at the market price of BTC at the time of the donation.  In order to receive your rewards, you must email me immediately after you send the Bitcoins, to etotheipi@gmail.com, to provide me with your email address and a mailing address (if you donate $25 or more).  If you can include a Tx ID that is preferable, but not required. If there is any question about who donated, I may request proof that you own the donor address, either with the upcoming 0.6.0 Satoshi client, or a similar feature in the Armory interface.

The above Bitcoin address has been specifically designated (by me) for such donations, and can be tracked using blockexplorer or blockchain.info.  

If you have a choice, I request that you donate through RocketHub.  It is easier for me to track donors, and I want to make sure RocketHub gets their share, for helping me out.  But please don't let that discourage you from donating in Bitcoins if that's your preferred method (this is the Bitcoin forums, after all!).


The reason I picked RocketHub is that I keep donations even if I don't complete the funding goal -- this is critical because I expect a lot of people will actually donate in BTC, outside of the RocketHub page.  If I only raise $7k in cash, and $5k in BTC, I technically met my goal but wouldn't receive the $7k if this was an all-or-nothing website like Kickstarter.
(Actually, I would've preferred all-or-nothing funding, because it comes with a lot less gray-area outcomes and more donor motivation, but I have laid out exactly how I will handle underfunding and overfunding on the RocketHub page).


Finally, please share this link with anyone else who might be willing to donate!


A special thanks to Paul Martello and Jim Nguyen for donating higher amounts than I thought anyone would.  You guys are amazing!  I am so grateful for your generosity!  Also Mr. Jere Jones who donated $100... that's nothing to sneeze at!  
And trust me, I appreciate all the other donors, too.  You are all making my day.  Thanks so much for your support!  (please PM or email me after you donate if you don't want public recognition for your donation).

Just noticing this thread, now.  This discussion is exactly the reason I never implement "brainwallets," and why I added entropy/salt into the deterministic wallet algorithm.  I was concerned that users might start using simple, memorizable root keys, and end up sharing wallets. 

Unfortunately, there is just no way to avoid this.  All keys are 32-bytes exactly, so I can't filter based on length.  All keys will have all letters of the hex alphabet in them, so I can't filter based on any kind of special-character like used on passwords.  I could implement some kind of entropy-measurement algorithm, but it doesn't stop users from simply hashing their password as the private key (or root key, for that matter).  By design, the hash is supposed to look like pure entropy, so it's a lost cause at that point.

Sure, I can do a sanity check and catch a few of the most obvious violators.   But, I think the title of this thread says it all:  there's only so far you can go to protect stupid users.  If they're protecting a lot of money behind a simple private key... well they're likely to do other grossly-insecure things and compromise themselves, anyway (such as copying their unencrypted wallet to Dropbox because they believe no one else has access to it).

Anyone else having issues sending transactions in Armory?  There was some posts way back from Win-7-64 users getting a "Connection to localhost DNE" error (Does Not Exist), despite not being in a "offline-mode".  I thought problem went away, but I know at least one person who is still having a problem with it (cypherdoc).