Spreadcoin on MS Azure: Community Free Vote

[coins101]

Background:

Back in January, someone (we don't know him/her) posted a comment on an Azure blog post that Microsoft Azure should allow Spreadcoin onto the Azure BaaS platform:



https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/azure-blockchain-as-a-service-update-3/

Marley Gray, Director @Azure, said it would be great to have Spreadcoin on the platform.

Read more about the Azure Blockchain as a Service, here: http://www.coindesk.com/microsoft-blockchain-azure-marley-gray/

The dev team discussed this at the time and we pushed the decision out until progress was made on ServiceNodes.

There was some disagreement about the amount of time involved in making the application to join the platform and if it was warranted. Discussions about overt corporate relationships was also an issue.

We have reviewed the situation again and as ServiceNode testnet gets closer, we are asking the community if some dev time should be allocated to making an application to join the Azure Cloud.  The application will be made after ServiceNodes are on testnet; plus it might not be successful and that is the main risk that we see at the moment.

The lead dev, Georgem, wants to know what the community thinks and he want to listen to the pros and cons. He is open to the idea of working towards joining the Azure program if the overall feedback warrants a closer look and it doesn't end up compromising the project or the principle of decentralization.

Personally, I consider the Azure platform could be a great partner for Spreadcoin and it's stated goals of running many different services, in particular full Bitcoin nodes.  A package testnet build could be created so spinning up ServiceNodes could be a fast and easy way to launch a spreadcoin node and a Bitcoin full node.

Azure competes with many other cloud environments, such as AWS so this would not be an exclusive cloud relationship. ServiceNode operators have the ultimate choice of where to host their nodes, locally or on a cloud platform. The main criteria will be that each ServiceNode will need its own IP address.

So, vote and have your say. All pros and cons welcome.  To avoid competitors and trolls hijacking the vote, no votes in particular need to have a post saying why not.  The votes will be weighted accordingly.

Main Spreadcoin thread:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1045373.0

Disclosure.

As part of my day job, Azure are considering using a software product I support and they might end up using an app I built as they seek to grow their Cloud offering.

[minerpage]

The lead dev, Georgem, wants to know what the community thinks and he want to listen to the pros and cons. He is open to the idea of working towards joining the Azure program if the overall feedback warrants a closer look and it doesn't end up compromising the project or the principle of decentralization.

I personally support this simply because I can make IMMEDIATE use of this inclusion to build applications on top of the SPR block chain and integrate this with other Azure components (database, websites, etc.). Many companies (that I know) already have Azure services and it instills a lot of confidence having SPR be part of that service offering. I don't believe this takes away from the decentralization principle simply because there are no modifications needed on the SPR side of things. Provide an API and everybody is happy!

[AnotherNode]

Easy yes.

[slapper]

Wow coins101, how did you get involved with shitcoins?

[coins101]

Wow coins101, how did you get involved with shitcoins?

Err, we are developing it.  Here read the whitepaper

http://spreadcoin.info/news/proof-of-bitcoin-node-white-paper/

[CryptoSporidium]

Yes, it's obviously a great thing to get on azure. Just look at the reaction iota got

[Spoetnik]

Why would it need to be a loss of productivity ?
All you would have to do is file a request i'd imagine. (and pay the monthly service fee)
And by the looks of it MS (Azure guys) seem interested in block chain users.
I don't suppose it's because they are attracting new Azure customers ?  

I called it waaaay in advance too.. i said all kinds of other coins would jump on this trend.

Let's start a long list now of MICROSOFT COIN USERS

so..

MS uses ETH now
MS uses IOTA too
and now.. Spreadcoin might get used by MS too

MAN MICROSOFT SURE LOVES TO USE ALTCOINS WOWOWOWOEEEEEE

[defunctec]

Why exactly would MS want SPR?

I don't really understand? What does SPR offer right now? I can understand Eth, but SPR?

Maybe with the implementation of Servicenodes, yes maybe.
But right now? its just a shitcoin  

Assuming SN's even come out.

So i'm a no.

[gjhiggins]

we are asking the community if some dev time should be allocated

Well-motivated but needs more thought.

Spreadcoin is not a legally-constituted entity in any jurisdiction so cannot be a party to a contract.

No-one can enforce exclusive representation of Spreadcoin and no-one can legally represent Spreadcoin as a party to a contract.

No-one's permission nor agreement is required to pursue an application for MS to add SPR the list of supported alts (AIUI, it reduces to persuading someone to create and submit a Docker file for MS to add to an MS-hosted directory).

So, supplementary question - who is offering to shoulder the responsibilities of:

- development
- testing
- maintenance
- continuous integration
- technical support
- liaison with MS
- ensuring continuity

About a week's initial devops work there I reckon (for the bulk of it), about $2500 at contract rates. Plus the ongoing maintenance task, of course - well, once the paradigm is established, it would do SPR more harm than good to have a publicly broken Azure-hosted service than to not offer a service at all.

Cheers

Graham

[georgem]

we are asking the community if some dev time should be allocated

Well-motivated but needs more thought.

Spreadcoin is not a legally-constituted entity in any jurisdiction so cannot be a party to a contract.

No-one can enforce exclusive representation of Spreadcoin and no-one can legally represent Spreadcoin as a party to a contract.

No-one's permission nor agreement is required to pursue an application for MS to add SPR the list of supported alts (AIUI, it reduces to persuading someone to create and submit a Docker file for MS to add to an MS-hosted directory).

So, supplementary question - who is offering to shoulder the responsibilities of:

- development
- testing
- maintenance
- continuous integration
- technical support
- liaison with MS
- ensuring continuity

About a week's initial devops work there I reckon (for the bulk of it), about $2500 at contract rates. Plus the ongoing maintenance task, of course - well, once the paradigm is established, it would do SPR more harm than good to have a publicly broken Azure-hosted service than to not offer a service at all.

Cheers

Graham

Very good points!
And I agree, this all looks like a "rushed" move,
although I like the spirit of the people behind this idea.

If anything I like that we explore this with the necessary caution,
so I welcome the discussion.

Microsoft has not much info available about all the open quesions/liabilities/legalities, etc...

BTW, I state my own opinion about this, starting here https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1045373.msg14139295#msg14139295 and continuing over the next few pages.

[coins101]

Rushed?

Not doing anything until service nodes are released. Its in the OP.

We also started talking about this month's ago.

[coins101]

we are asking the community if some dev time should be allocated

Well-motivated but needs more thought.

Spreadcoin is not a legally-constituted entity in any jurisdiction so cannot be a party to a contract.

No-one can enforce exclusive representation of Spreadcoin and no-one can legally represent Spreadcoin as a party to a contract.

No-one's permission nor agreement is required to pursue an application for MS to add SPR the list of supported alts (AIUI, it reduces to persuading someone to create and submit a Docker file for MS to add to an MS-hosted directory).

So, supplementary question - who is offering to shoulder the responsibilities of:

- development
- testing
- maintenance
- continuous integration
- technical support
- liaison with MS
- ensuring continuity

About a week's initial devops work there I reckon (for the bulk of it), about $2500 at contract rates. Plus the ongoing maintenance task, of course - well, once the paradigm is established, it would do SPR more harm than good to have a publicly broken Azure-hosted service than to not offer a service at all.

Cheers

Graham

Emercoin, Factom and ETH have all jumped in value by a factor of many millions each since going on the Azure platform.

Can you work out the cost benefit of that, at contract rates?

[georgem]

Rushed?

that's why I put it in quotes.
"Rushed" as in "needs much more thought".

If anything is rushed than it's this survey here.
We don't even have all the information needed to make an educated choice,
but we are already voting?

That's why democracies fail! 

[coins101]

We'll take another look at this after service nodes are released.

[georgem]

We'll take another look at this after service nodes are released.

but we need the discussion to go on.

I'd love it if you started an "explorative azure partnership" thread on spreadcointalk.

I think it would fit well in the "community projects" subforum:

http://spreadcointalk.org/index.php?board=6.0

[coins101]

When you are small, you hang out where everyone else hangs out. 

When you are big, people come to hang out where you want to hang out.

[rhinomonkey]

When you are small, you hang out where everyone else hangs out.  

When you are big, people come to hang out where you want to hang out.

I'll make a discussion in spreadcointalk with a link to this post. Keep postin' away here and I'll update the SPR thread as often as I can with subsequent posts. A mundane task surely, but perhaps it will be seen by more people!  


Done:  http://spreadcointalk.org/index.php?topic=753.new#new