[BOUNTY] 185+ BTC - Open Transactions Client (for Grandmas)

[Obsi]

I'm not even going to pretend to understand all the features & possibilities that Open Transactions offers.

I read a bit about it and felt like I should take the short bus from now on. Baskets here, nyms there, Chaumian something or other... it frankly left my head swimming and I put it on my list of things to look into when I had more free time (and possibly a brain upgrade) to try and wrap my head around it.

But that doesn't stop me from realizing that OT is very powerful and can become extremely useful in the future.

So to claim this bounty we need you to provide an easy to use, open source, cross-platform client. Something my grandma (who thinks firefox is "the google", and "internets" her emails to me) would be able to use.

FellowTraveler has stated that the API is high-level & easy to use, so anyone making a client really only needs to worry about the display layer. He recommends using C++ or Java since those are the best tested.

I simply haven't dug into OT enough to adequately make such judgements, so I will defer to FellowTraveler in this regard. If he says you have created such a client I will make good on my portion of the bounty.

Devs and testers are available in #opentransactions on FreeNode

You can read more about OT here: https://github.com/FellowTraveler/Open-Transactions/wiki


BOUNTIES
-------------

Obsi	-	100 BTC
FellowTraveler	-	80 BTC
da2ce7	-	some BTC
Donations	-	5.2505 BTC

Donations to further fund this bounty may be sent to 1JbgqTVjfrapGQCCup3eZBD69zshoSouKU

[markm]

Anyone working on such a free open source client a minimum of 10 hours or more per week is also eligible for DeVCoin disbursements as long as they continue such development / testing / documention etc.

Actually, that applies not just to such a client but to Open Transactions work in general (or at least as long as it isn't somehow designed to preclude being useful to DeVCoin) since Open Transactions is an important building block in the DeVCoin world.

There is already an Open Transactions server up and running supporting DeVCoins and numerous other coins, it has its own thread at https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=53329.0 and is ready for Grandma to come trade DeVCoins, BiTCoins, LiTeCoins, NaMeCoins etc etc, and even some shares, just as soon as she gets her client working...

(It could help in fact to have the server contract and a few asset contracts pre-imported into the client...)

(Also some third party "market makers" would probably help too, see https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=102316.0 there could be good money to be made there helping grandma get her assets in and out of servers...)

-MarkM-

[freetx]

I fully agree with your view Obsi: Open-transactions is huge and I'm too dim to fully get a handle on it all, but I like it!

It's a great way forward. We now have a distributed trusted currency (btc), but need a way to apply distributed and trusted business logic vis a via this currency.

The problem I see is the full OT vision is a little to large to tackle all at once. It spirals into so many different areas that its mind-boggling. Hence, I think the best way forward is for someone to break off a small chunk and try to make that "simple enough for Grandma". Particularly, by solving a real problem / doing something people want to do.

I think the "Smart Contract" feature may be a good place to start because of the obvious practical applications. Moreover, "signing a contract" is something that we all already know...there is a direct analogue to the physical world....whereas issuing digitally signed currencies will seem like outer-space talk to Grandma.  

Want to bet $10 with your friends that the Giants are going to win the game....fire up your handy Qik Contract program you downloaded from the App Store and publish a bet against them...etc..

The beauty of this, is that it doesn't even need to involve BTC originally, so no complicated learning curve. Simply an easy, secure, distributed contract app. However, this sets things up perfectly as a gateway into BTC because compensation for a contract is the obvious next step.

[randy-waterhouse]

I fully agree with your view Obsi: Open-transactions is huge and I'm too dim to fully get a handle on it all, but I like it!

It's a great way forward. We now have a distributed trusted currency (btc), but need a way to apply distributed and trusted business logic vis a via this currency.

The problem I see is the full OT vision is a little to large to tackle all at once. It spirals into so many different areas that its mind-boggling. Hence, I think the best way forward is for someone to break off a small chunk and try to make that "simple enough for Grandma". Particularly, by solving a real problem / doing something people want to do.

I agree with this.

I think the "Smart Contract" feature may be a good place to start because of the obvious practical applications. Moreover, "signing a contract" is something that we all already know...there is a direct analogue to the physical world....whereas issuing digitally signed currencies will seem like outer-space talk to Grandma.  

Maybe. I think the best little chunk to break off and apply for a stripped down OT client would be the untraceable digital cash. If there was client that did just this small portion, while interfacing with a server that was issuing "provably-backed" fully-redeemable bitcoin tokens the demand is there. A truly anonymised layer on top of bitcoin, sure why not? Call them SilkBit tokens. Bitcoin is more fungible than traceable digital fiat (imo creates demand), truly anonymous digital cash is more fungible than bitcoins ... the market gets what the market wants.

[Elwar]

my grandma (who thinks firefox is "the google", and "internets" her emails to me) would be able to use.

My mom used to talk about people sending a "Tex Mex".

[fellowtraveler]

Here's an "advanced" UI mock-up: https://www.fluidui.com/editor/live/preview/p_XcN9TmQ5FItuPr5QctxES2XfAhinsVPp.1347267494770

Here's a "grandma" UI mock-up: https://www.fluidui.com/editor/live/preview/p_8ZN0r9Pbp2XzPC7yL3lDFw5lW2L7vEye.1347267526462


Those are only first drafts -- I would expect that a professional designer could do a much better job after drafts 2 and 3.

The "Grandma" mode is a simplification of the advanced mode -- I'm sure it could be simplified a lot more, and still remain true to the OT API.

Here's an article on using the high-level API to implement various use cases:  https://github.com/FellowTraveler/Open-Transactions/wiki/Use-Cases

Here's a list of all the low-level API functions: https://github.com/FellowTraveler/Open-Transactions/wiki/API

If you type "opentxs list" it will show you all the commands supported by the OT command-line utility.
Those commands are all written in OT Script and they all use the high-level API.
Here is the source code for all of them: https://github.com/FellowTraveler/Open-Transactions/blob/master/scripts/ot/ot_commands.ot

If you prefer to see Java sample code, check out the Java test GUI, Moneychanger: https://github.com/FellowTraveler/Moneychanger

[Mushroomized]

Here's an "advanced" UI mock-up: https://www.fluidui.com/editor/live/preview/p_XcN9TmQ5FItuPr5QctxES2XfAhinsVPp.1347267494770

Here's a "grandma" UI mock-up: https://www.fluidui.com/editor/live/preview/p_8ZN0r9Pbp2XzPC7yL3lDFw5lW2L7vEye.1347267526462


Those are only first drafts -- I would expect that a professional designer could do a much better job after drafts 2 and 3.

The "Grandma" mode is a simplification of the advanced mode -- I'm sure it could be simplified a lot more, and still remain true to the OT API.

Here's an article on using the high-level API to implement various use cases:  https://github.com/FellowTraveler/Open-Transactions/wiki/Use-Cases

Here's a list of all the low-level API functions: https://github.com/FellowTraveler/Open-Transactions/wiki/API

If you type "opentxs list" it will show you all the commands supported by the OT command-line utility.
Those commands are all written in OT Script and they all use the high-level API.
Here is the source code for all of them: https://github.com/FellowTraveler/Open-Transactions/blob/master/scripts/ot/ot_commands.ot

If you prefer to see Java sample code, check out the Java test GUI, Moneychanger: https://github.com/FellowTraveler/Moneychanger

While I'm by no means a PRO DESIGNER. I'll be willing to create icons and GUI stuffs that anyone working on this requests! (Send me a pm too)

[Explodicle]

I'd be willing to work on icons, documentation, etc as well. No charge, I just don't have enough money to donate what I think this project is worth.

[da2ce7]

Well, my next task is to re-write the high-level API from chaiscript / java into C++.  Afterwards, I'll start work on the QT simple GUI.

[randy-waterhouse]

Well, my next task is to re-write the high-level API from chaiscript / java into C++.  Afterwards, I'll start work on the QT simple GUI.

da2ce7 Coding machine <o> ... I can probably do the port/build on linux OS's, (maybe some docs and integration stuff install scripts, etc if needed.)

- What financial functions are we going to give Granny's GUI?

- How shall we split the loot up?

[jasinlee]

Lets get this up and running before glbse supposedly gets their site semi working monday.

[paraipan]

I'm not even going to pretend to understand all the features & possibilities that Open Transactions offers.

I read a bit about it and felt like I should take the short bus from now on. Baskets here, nyms there, Chaumian something or other... it frankly left my head swimming and I put it on my list of things to look into when I had more free time (and possibly a brain upgrade) to try and wrap my head around it.

But that doesn't stop me from realizing that OT is very powerful and can become extremely useful in the future.

So to claim this bounty we need you to provide an easy to use, open source, cross-platform client. Something my grandma (who thinks firefox is "the google", and "internets" her emails to me) would be able to use.

FellowTraveler has stated that the API is high-level & easy to use, so anyone making a client really only needs to worry about the display layer. He recommends using C++ or Java since those are the best tested.

I simply haven't dug into OT enough to adequately make such judgements, so I will defer to FellowTraveler in this regard. If he says you have created such a client I will make good on my portion of the bounty.

Devs and testers are available in #opentransactions on FreeNode

You can read more about OT here: https://github.com/FellowTraveler/Open-Transactions/wiki


BOUNTIES
-------------

Obsi	-	100 BTC
FellowTraveler	-	80 BTC
da2ce7	-	some BTC
Donations	-	5.2505 BTC

Donations to further fund this bounty may be sent to 1JbgqTVjfrapGQCCup3eZBD69zshoSouKU

Definitely needed and good for the bitcoin economy. I asked it on Rugatu, hope you don't mind Obsi, and pledge 1 bitcoin at this moment.

http://www.rugatu.com/questions/3691/open-transactions-client-for-grandmas

[nedbert9]

Lets get this up and running before glbse supposedly gets their site semi working monday.

With the demise of GLBSE and similar risks with any central record of ownership it would be a very good time to showcase OT markets functionality and interoperability with BTC.

[stochastic]

I forwarded my domain to this page so hopefully it gets more input.

Is someone really working on the client?

[matthewh3]

I've put forward the idea to the investors of my GLBSE asset RSM on making a donation.

[markm]

Is someone really working on the client?

What we have so far is a so called "test GUI" named Moneychanger which serves as reference code showing how to implement all the various features in a GUI and as a client people can use to test all the various features to check that they actually work and to learn how one goes about using them.

It is very functional, the Martians, Brits, Canucks and others including multigalactic Corps such as GMC and GRF have been using it for a long time now and it has been working just fine.

It is written in java, so should not be hard for anyone familiar with java to start shaping it in various directions such as toward something for grandma and toward something for professional traders and so on.

-MarkM-

[Phinnaeus Gage]

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Are you up to being surprised? If yes, then click http://www.stochastically.com/

~Bruno~

[jasinlee]

I read somewhere that he said he was going to forward it.

[markm]

We now also have a OTdemo demo/test server, see https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=117080.0

-MarkM-

[stochastic]

I read somewhere that he said he was going to forward it.

  somewhere is 5 post above yours.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=105506.msg1250847#msg1250847