Hello!

I'm a professional software developer with over 20 years of experience using a variety of languages and technologies to develop best-of-breed software. I've worked on both large and small projects and, not, I want to focus as exclusively as possible on working on either Bitcoin related projects or projects where I would be exclusively paid in Bitcoin.

Right now, I'm focused primarily on the iOS mobile space and looking for projects for that platform. But I'm also open to desktop and web development projects if they are the right fit. Whatever vision you have for your idea, I can help you make it come true. I'm responsive, fast, not a jerk, and affordable.

Want more info? Get in touch and let's talk.

Hey Everyone,

It's been a loooong month and a half and I just wanted to send out a quick update on the BitVendor project for those of you who might be interested:

- After one of the sites we were going to support went out of existence, we were forced to rewrite a large section of the code.

- One of our developers took a new full time job and could no longer work on the project.

- The other developer (me) got sick and ended up in the hospital for two weeks.

All this has made a major delay in the delivery of the BitVendor software. But we're chugging along again and working hard to get everything done and ready. We're prepping for a mid-December release and everything looks good there.

So thank you all for your patience with BitVendor. We're getting there!

CryptoFreak

For most people, Bitcoin is seen as an investment. They buy a few (or a lot) of them, store them away, and hope to sell them at a profit one day. It's an exciting game for people who like to speculate. But, I think this kind of thinking actually slows Bitcoin adoption because, if everyone is focusing on investing, fewer people are thinking of Bitcoin is a currency.

Look at currencies like the Dollar, Yen, or Euro. While some people do buy and sell the actual currency, most average people 1) try to get more of it to buy and pay for things or 2) try to provide services and products that people are willing to pay for. It's money, not really an 'investment'.

IMHO, the investment mentality is one of the things holding back Bitcoin adoption.  Almost all of the scam headlines (which is mostly what most people see) has to do with scammy investments where people were taken for hundreds or thousands of Bitcoins. That's scary to the average person.

The real value in Bitcoin is trade. Bitcoint for product/service. No fiat exchange, no conversion, whatever. But we're not there yet, right? So here's my question (after a totally fucking long winded journey):

Simply: what services and infrastructure do we need to have to enable greater pure Bitcoin commerce? I get the usual like groceries and stuff but what else?

First, if you're not familiar with BitVendor, the program I'm developing, you can find out more here.

So today I reached the point in actually processing transactions and I am at a crossroads. There are two ways I could handle this:

1) the vendor could be required to be running bitcoind on their local machine and all transactions are done there or

2) the vendor could use some online wallet service like blockchain.info or InstaWallet.

Since vendors will need to have an network connection anyway, I'm torn as to which option is the best. Assuming most vendors won't be security guru's, would tying the software to an online wallet be better or should there be a choice?

Is there any way to get much faster confirmations?

I'm developing BitVendor and really need to be able to receive at least 4 confirmations fairly quickly (like before the customer walks away with the vendors merchandise). Would upping the transaction fee accomplish this? How quickly can confirmations come?

A few months ago, I wrote a piece of software that allows users to send email completely anonymously and securely. I've been selling it online for about $3 a copy and am about to move into one of the up and coming app stores. Then I thought "I'm not offering it for Bitcoin! Must fix that!"

So if you're interested, I'm selling it for the equivalent of $3.00 usd in bitcoin (figuring whatever the current Bitcoin price is when you read this). Purchase entitles you to 30 days of email based tech support, one year of bug fixes, and all updates that come along during the year.  You will also get the source code, if you so desire, and are allowed to modify it or compile it yourself. However, the software is NOT open source or free software. The source is provided so that you can audit it and know the program isn't doing anything sneaky.

If interested, send an email to cryptofreak@bitvendor.net and I'll send you an address to send your coins. Once that's done, I'll send you the program. Right now, it's available for Windows and Linux only but will soon be available for Mac as well.

Thanks!
CryptoFreak

Title says it all. Let me know if you're interested.

I was following this project a while back and went to the website and it seems to be down. Is this business still in operation?

[9/24/2012]

I'm creating this thread so I don't spam the forum with BitVendor updates every few days. I'll just update this post.

9/24/2012 - After much soul searching, I've decided that BitVendor will be open source. As someone who makes a living doing independent software development, it was very hard for me to come to this decision as I, like any other developer, need to put food on the table and selling software is how I do that. But, in this case, community is more important than money.

Ultimately, I've decided to take a hybrid approach. The code will be on GitHub for anyone who wants it. If you want a compiled copy for your platform (Windows, Linux, and Mac) then there will be a small charge. I think this is a fair compromise that supports the community and helps recoup the costs of development, upgrades, etc.

9/21/2012 - BitVendor is now functional enough to handle orders. UPC's can be scanned into an order from almost any USB attached barcode reader or can be typed in manually. Also, the system can now support multiple users against a PostgreSQL database or a single user disconnected from the Internet using an SQL Lite database that can be sync'd with a master db upon reconnection to the stores network (or run standalone for small, mobile vendors).

New screenshots are available here: http://imgur.com/a/hkTs7#0

So as I move forward in the development of BitVendor I'm really thinking that the solution needs a true Bitcoin based credit/debit card. I'm not talking about something that moves fiat but rather something that actually initiates a Bitcoin transfer from one address to another when scanned at a connected merchant.

Would anyone be interested in something like this? Obviously, it would be a bit before it would be launched as I want to get BitVendor out of the door first (October 20th) but it could be an additional (consumer-centric) service we offer.

Thoughts?

I love Bitcoin. I've been evangelizing it to just about everyone I meet and I've got a substantial amount of my personal money invested in the currency. I've put my money where my mouth is.  But, lately, I've been seeing some talk about using Bitcoin as a way to pass on wealth to heirs and that has me a bit concerned.

On the surface, using Bitcoin as a wealth protection and inheritance method sounds pretty amazing. But what about Bitcoin's long term viability? Granted, I truly believe the currency is going to survive the zombie apocalypse but what if it doesn't? What if I'm laying on my death bed and Bitcoin starts to crash hard? If I am lucid and physically capable, I could sell quickly to save some of the value, but what if I'm not?  It just seems like an pretty scary way for long term wealth protection.

Can anyone address my fears? I'm sure they're completely illogical but I'm not totally sure why. I know that fiat can (and probably will) crash long before Bitcoin but I still feel 'safer' (somewhat, not much) in passing it along in inheritance.

Anyone?

Found this online, thought it was interesting. Thoughts?

http://www.thedailybell.com/4311/The-Pure-Fiat-Con-Every-Transaction-Available-for-Official-Scrutiny-and-Thats-Just-the-Point

Hey everyone. So I'm to the point in the development of BitVendor where I'd like to start testing actually being able to make purchases with a scanner, etc. The problem is, I don't have a scanner! Sure, I could go out and buy one but I thought I'd see if anyone has one laying around they wouldn't mind me borrowing for the testing? If so, could you please reach out to me and let me know. My email is cryptofreak@bitvendor.net.

Looking to have someone do a small run on a 3D printer for me. Item is a little larger than a standard shoebox and I have the CAD files ready. Email or PM me if you can provide it. Want to purchase in Bitcoin.

Looking to beef up my Bitcoin stash by selling a few things I'm not using. Bought the Zune HD a while back and have barely used it. Great little device, good sound, latest OS. Will include TV connectors.

Price: 4btc

As development of BitVendor progresses and we near the October 20th release, I'm finding myself in need of some coding help for a backend service I plan to release in conjunction with the software. If you're a PHP programmer with some PostgreSQL experience, I'd like to talk to you.

Requirements:

• At least 3 years PHP programming experience
• Strong security experience including GPG and PHP's built-in security modules
• PostgreSQL experience (including normalization, load balancing, etc)
• Strong Linux skills (CentOS and Ubuntu)
• Experience with designing secure, scalable, stable, payment processing systems
• API development skills

This is a one-shot project with the potential for on-going work. Payment will be in Bitcoin. If interested, please send an email to cryptofreak@att.net.

Thanks!
CryptoFreak

Hi Everyone,

So I've got the basic code written for BitVendor and am now starting to implement all of the features and functions. So far, I've got inventory, reporting, the ability to accept cash and Bitcoin, and dynamic instant conversion of local currency prices into Btc.

What else should I include? What would you like to see in a good Bitcoin cash register program?

When I look at the 'last' price at MtGox, I'm wondering how old it is? Is it refreshed each time the page/API is called or on a timed basis? How strongly can I rely on it for the current Btc price without worry of it changing drastically in the next 30 seconds or so?

As I'm working on BitVendor, I'm wondering how best to handle the volatile nature of Bitcoin value. Which would the community rather: work with whatever Bitcoin price is current as of the last 5 minutes or automatically add 2% to the last Bitcoin value fetched (within the last 5 minutes)?

Pro-level software developer and current developer of BitVendor seeking independent projects. Can design cross platform desktop and web applications in a variety of languages. Rates are reasonable. Open to any kind of project and discretion is guaranteed.

Interested? PM me here or email cryptofreak@att.net. PGP Key is on my profile.

CryptoFreak