good question, The last set of code pushed to the various repositories is not complete in that i was unable to get it to compile to a full 9.3 build , this includes the latest code in different trees of Ahmed's github and ground rod's github. While the wallet that ground rod released is stable a few changes (commits) were made after that was built so the source right now is in need of a few 'finishing touches' .
ground rod told me last time we exchanged mesg. that he may have to travel on short notice so he may not be around right now to answer and I am not sure when he will be around again. His experience in programing seemed very strong to me even though he said he was new to using github. He picked it up in no time and I hope he is well and can return soon. If I knew exactly what was not finished it may be something I can handle.
I personally have been using my last stable version which is more of a 9.2 version without the necessary cosmetics, very stable windows wallet build but not complete or something I would release to the public since it still says 'bitcoin' in a few places it should not and there were some more technical upgrades made after that build.
Since I was under the impression Ahmed was going to complete the upgrade to 9.3 I suggest we give him an opportunity to do so. When I see Ahmed completes the 9.3 update and posts he has tested it or pm's me , i will set to build it at my earliest convenience and do the same.
If possible try to use latest tools i.e open ssl 1.0.1j qr 3.4.4 ect..... the code on github last i checked was not using all the lastest
building components.....(yes the majority of them were there , level db, protobuf , ect... but those make files were calling older versions of open ssl, which I changed and I still could not get a clean what I call a 'one lick' compile, (one that compiles without any issues other than the normal warnings and a few known errors that even you see when bitcoin compiles for windows......start to finish and tests out perfectly !!)
Note i am not using gitian, I fount it cumbersome on the linux machine I put it on and since I can build linux binaries easier straight on I felt it not necessary for a cross compile full all out security double /triple check compile of iX, the way bitcoin is built now by that team.
In the future this may be necessary and advisable as iX grows in value and popularity and we will need to set up even more specific things in the source for this including pgp keys ect..... so for now I was making the win qt on windows 8.1 using the exact same toolkit the nitrogenetics directions suggest for bitcoin 9.3 ...........then testing on win 8 and 7.
While I am happy to test it when available, I would urge others to learn to compile it or some of you who know how to compile the latest bitcoin now please help us out and do a test compile so we have several builds to compare which should be identical............. the more experienced eyes on the final product for testing the better.
Once we
all agree (by
we all I mean the iX foundation, ahmed or whoever completed the update and does a test build, and anyone else in the community with the experience to do so or any representatives of the exchanges and let's not leave out Thomas the creator of this coin if he wants to build and test also) that tests ran ok we can lift the
'beta' tag, ask Vlad to update the ix org site which he now has credentials to do courtesy of the original creator of iX Thomas. Next we can see about getting ONE CENTRAL github tree hopefully as a branch of Thomas's github since that is really where it should be for future development to take place. This was the birthplace of iX and so it should remain to evolve here.
Github is a great environment for development and building but not so great when you have several repositories by different people scattered all over the place forked from all different times and places. That can actually create confusion.
I strongly suggest Thomas leave the original code that most on the network are still using now (4.x codebase i believe) at least as a separate tree since the people with the hash power are still using the older builds. I suggest Vlad as the final person to have authority to merge future changes after tested by myself, and other members of the foundation or community. (no disrespect to Vlad but he will be the first to tell you he is not yet of the skillset to compile and test build the client , yet he can still act in this capacity just as any head of a large project or CEO of a business would retain control making changes only when his staff/advisors/testers said everything was ready to roll.)
If anyone has suggestions for other cosmetic changes to the client now is a good time to get in touch with Vlad or Deadsea and discuss them.
I would say you can get in touch with me but Vlad is in charge of the iX foundation and while I pride myself at being qualified to evaluate code for security and test a client ect...... I honestly lack the creativity to invent logos, branding ect..... I am directing this not necessarly at individuals or members of the community but at anyone who has major business plans for iX in the future. You need not divulge to anyone all details but if you want or need something changed please get in touch with Vlad so he can see if it is something the foundation can handle internally we will evaluate the requests or if we will need outside assistance we can state what will be necessary to complete changes approved.
The Ix foundation certainly appreciates all those who are taking a serious business interest in the future of the coin and want to be as helpful as possible to shape changes to help bring on the future (if these changes are sound and within our means). While I am speaking alone here a a member of the foundation I don't believe other members of the foundation would disagree.
CEX is obviously spending a lot of money and resources supporting iX keeping it mining and many other people have invested a lot of money and time in large endeavors: for example in the iX exchange. Exactly what /how and when all future features will play out into I am not sure but still looking back a few months when people were predicting the death of iX the landscape seems pretty promising right now. Still no project is ever a guarantee of success. If you are investing in iX coin I would give you the same advice I would give anyone investing in anything, invest only what you can afford to lose. The iX foundation is committed to future success but cannot guarantee you anything not right now or ever.
I don' want to alarm anyone but consider this: if the people with the hashpower are not pleased they basically have a 'killswitch' on iX ---- If the hash power were to be lowered or removed we would be forced to hardfork the client and rebuild things to get it working normal again and the security of the high difficulty provided by the merged mining may no longer be present.
Still while I like to be up front with facts I also can see that IX offers many things right now that few other alt coins can boast and it even offers things bitcoin itself cannot boast !! (These items have all been discussed many times over in the past on the thread so I will not repeat them here)
Finally I would encourage everyone to be patient. It could take several months or years before there are any really large changes to what is happening right now. More and more of what I read all the time in the past few months is people pondering why bitcoin has not taken off to $10,000 euros for 1 btc ect..... To compare a somewhat cliched but accurate analogy .... the internet in present form did not become what it is today in a short period of time. We are still in the early stages. If anyone remembers newsgroups and long distance phone numbers.... well I think cryptocurrency is just slightly ahead of that time with the exception that due to such wide financial speculation on bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies there is probably more money being invested into startup's and other business models to use cryptocurrencies for the future RIGHT NOW than there was in technology companies prior to the nasdaq bubble of the late 1990's. While I do not have it handy I recently read some specific statistics that support this statement. This is not a bad thing. People both who understand the technology and it's capability and people who are in business to make money on the next greatest innovation are all jumping into the action. Obviously not every project being started now will be a long term success.
I do not see a long term future with hundreds of alt coins all successful.
This is one of the reasons I have chosen to limit my valuable time for development and involvment in only a few projects.
I am happy to be involved with the iX foundation.
Oh, final thought. I believe there are still board seats available on the iX foundation so contact Vlad in private if you feel you have a reason to become a member. We still need a few good men/women to round things off.
I tested Electrum IXC. It works quite well. Not having to sincronize the blockchain: not bad at all!!!
So far, better than paper wallet.
The fee is quite reasonable too: 0.000113 IXC, or 0.113 mIXC (it can't be worse than Vircurex: still 10 IXC fee!!! It means 88495 transactions instead of 1)
PS What about the final QT wallet 0.9.3? I know Ahmed was two days work away from completing the task. He spoke about repetitive work. Can anyone help him out to finish the job? It's a waste to be so close and not see the full result of such an effort.