FirstBits.com - remember and share Bitcoin addresses

[Ricochet]

Right now I'm drunk as hell.  FirstBits helped me transfer 10 BTC  between my computers.  An admirable service, in my opinion.

[netrin]

First bits really ought to be the standard in the clients. It *might* even compress the local blockchain. The address is only a hash of the key. We don't really need the 32-char address except as.. well.. an address.

Right now I'm drunk as hell.  FirstBits helped me transfer 10 BTC  between my computers.  An admirable service, in my opinion.

You have to be always drunk. That's all there is to it—it's the only way. So as not to feel the horrible burden of time that breaks your back and bends you to the earth, you have to be continually drunk.

But on what? Wine, poetry or virtue, as you wish. But be drunk.

And if sometimes, on the steps of a palace or the green grass of a ditch, in the mournful solitude of your room, you wake again, drunkenness already diminishing or gone, ask the wind, the wave, the star, the bird, the clock, everything that is flying, everything that is groaning, everything that is rolling, everything that is singing, everything that is speaking. . .ask what time it is and wind, wave, star, bird, clock will answer you: "It is time to be drunk! So as not to be the martyred slaves of time, be drunk, be continually drunk! On wine, on poetry or on virtue as you wish."

[FreeMoney]

Right now I'm drunk as hell.  FirstBits helped me transfer 10 BTC  between my computers.  An admirable service, in my opinion.

Wonderful. Very glad it's helpful and easy enough for a drunk to use. :-)

[joeyjoe]

Well why use a website. Wouldnt it be best to code this into the client?

[netrin]

Well why use a website. Wouldnt it be best to code this into the client?

Do I hear a bounty? Seriously! Has this been proposed to the dev team? are they open to the idea?

(I might make a stab at the node.js project, but I can't make heads or tails of Satoshi's code).

[Ricochet]

Right now I'm drunk as hell.  FirstBits helped me transfer 10 BTC  between my computers.  An admirable service, in my opinion.

Wonderful. Very glad it's helpful and easy enough for a drunk to use. :-)

It took a few tries >_>

(3 seconds later) OH GOD WHY AM I MISSING 10 BTC?!?!  hehe

[piuk]

I've added support for first bits at http://pi.uk.com/bitcoin with some usage caveats (see https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=40264.msg545396#msg545396)

[FreeMoney]

I've added support for first bits at http://pi.uk.com/bitcoin with some usage caveats (see https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=40264.msg545396#msg545396)

Very cool!

[FreeMoney]

I've added support for first bits at http://pi.uk.com/bitcoin with some usage caveats (see https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=40264.msg545396#msg545396)

I assume you are calculating them independently?

[piuk]

I assume you are calculating them independently?

yes, they should be fully compatible with firstbits.com though.

[FreeMoney]

I assume you are calculating them independently?

yes, they should be fully compatible with firstbits.com though.

Very cool, glad to have a separate implementation.

One little possible wrinkle though. We have been ordering two transactions that would otherwise have the same firstbits if they were not in the same block according to their appearance in the block data (first to appear being first). We are investigating switching to giving them both the longer firstbits. An example:

Block 1:
1asd1234567...

Block 2:
1asd2fkkkgrt...
1asd2sqp434...

Currently 1asd2fkkkgrt... would have FB of 1asd2 and 1asd2sqp434... would have FB of 1asd2s.

It seems like it might be better to not need the extra rule of tiebreaking with order of appearance and instead to give each the FB as if the similar address came before. In this case giving 1asd2fkkkgrt...  a FB of 1asd2f. It seems more elegant to use a rule of "String required to differentiate an address from all addresses in the SAME and previous blocks" and have nothing about order in the block.

Very sorry for not addressing this before or publishing our exact code. Would like your input on this issue.

[netrin]

"String required to differentiate an address from all addresses in the SAME and previous blocks"

+1 from the peanut gallery. I had been searching for exactly such a case (I have seen some strange vanity addresses in the same block which might qualify). Are you aware of any real world cases on this ambiguity?

[FreeMoney]

"String required to differentiate an address from all addresses in the SAME and previous blocks"

+1 from the peanut gallery. I had been searching for exactly such a case (I have seen some strange vanity addresses in the same block which might qualify). Are you aware of any real world cases on this ambiguity?

Writing something that will find any/all.

I definitely prefer the same or previous rule, but is it worth changing if it changes many FB?

[netrin]

My totally non-repeatable grep|sed|uniq -c script couldn't find conflicts even with these four char vanity prefixes. The fact that all of these four char vanities all begin with capitals makes me suspect their creators had no firstbit aspirations. I would think it's early enough in the game that there's no pr... famous last words. I'm curious what you come up with.

Code:

Duplic's Block:Prefix
======= ======:====
     10 134182:1BTC (first bits in Block 5855)
     11 134182:1BTc
     12 134182:1Btc
     10 134182:1BUY (first bits in Block 43778)
     14 134182:1BiT (first bits in Block 34595)
     11 134182:1Bit
     15 134330:1BiT
     17 134330:1Bit
     13 134182:1FUn (first bits in Block 12144)
     11 134182:1Fun
     12 134182:1Mom (first bits in Block 13759)
     30 134334:1MoM
     16 134334:1Mom
     10 134330:1ALL (first bits in Block 48502)
     10 134330:1ASs (first bits in Block 11815)
     13 134330:1AsS
     13 134330:1Ass
     12 134330:1BLo
     10 134330:1BRA
     10 134330:1BRi
     10 134330:1BoL
     15 134330:1Boo
     10 134330:1Bor
     10 134330:1Bri
     10 134330:1CAR
     11 134330:1CHA
     13 134330:1CHi
     12 134330:1CLA
     10 134330:1CLa
     20 134330:1CLo
     10 134330:1CRo
     12 134330:1Chi
     11 134330:1CoR
     12 134330:1Coo
     11 134330:1DAD
     12 134330:1DAd
     10 134330:1DaD
     10 134334:1FLE
     14 134334:1FLa
     15 134334:1FLo
     10 134334:1FiL
     22 134334:1FoR
     30 134334:1For
     11 134334:1GLA
     19 134334:1GLo
     13 134334:1GRi
     10 134334:1Goo
     11 134334:1Gri
     10 134334:1Gro
     13 134334:1Hoo
     14 134334:1LiN
     32 134334:1LoL
     14 134334:1Loo
     13 134334:1MoR
     13 134334:1Moo
     11 134334:1PAY
     13 134334:1PLA
     10 134334:1PLu
     13 134334:1PRi
     15 134334:1PRo
     10 134334:1PaY
     15 134334:1Pay
     10 134334:1PiL
     10 134334:1PiN
     10 134334:1PoL
     11 134334:1Pri
     13 134334:1Pro
     16 134509:1LoL
     10 140060:1Eig
     10 141457:1Cyo
     10 141732:1C25
     10 142028:1Avc
     10 142202:1A8Z
     10 142525:18ok
     10 142650:13CL
     10 142776:13CL

[slush]

I like this neat idea. Is there a chance that somebody write patch for official client?

[netrin]

I like this neat idea. Is there a chance that somebody write patch for official client?

+1 .. I think it's inevitable: multiple implementations, expanding user base, simple proven algorithm, it'll happen. I expect firstbits could help condense the local block chain. There need only be one instance of each (firstbits key, address) tuple and all other instances of the address can be reduced about 80%.

[netrin]

Hey FreeMoney and SgtSpike, have you chatted with Genjix about implementing firstbits in libbitcoin?

https://gitorious.org/libbitcoin/libbitcoin

[payb.tc]

http://firstbits.com/api/?a=19keo3

NO_MATCH

however looking it up on the front page returns an address.

why the difference?

[FreeMoney]

http://firstbits.com/api/?a=19keo3

NO_MATCH

however looking it up on the front page returns an address.

why the difference?

I think the API is not showing recent (not sure how far back) addresses. Investigating.

[SgtSpike]

Should be working now - thanks for the report!