[ANN] Bisq - Exchange, Decentralized.

[DireWolfM14]

Same here, I didn't find anything relevent about the minimum system requirements, not even a discussion, so I concluded there is no difference in this matter.

And yeah, I'm the guy who has always a problem with Bisq lol. I have 4 gb ram but in reality I have 6 gb. I think there is 2 gb used as like a swap file for Linux.
Intel I5 5200U CPU@2.20 Ghz It should be enough as a system basically because Bisq is not a software doing millions of computations per second, or a super super heavy video game.

I know using a server for this purpose is not a good security practice and I have listed the risks. Considering that I don't store funds, unless a person in control of the server clicks to confirm a transaction, releases the collateral and transfers it to his wallet.

So I'm only risking the collateral. Knowing that I don't do big transactions... I try to weigh the pros and cons but I don't see something else 'dangerous'...

Is your machine a desktop?  If so, I have a pair of 4GB RAM sticks (8GB total,) that should work with your chipset.  They are Micron MT8KTF51264AZ-1G6E1, if you care to confirm.  I don't need any money for them.  If you wish to remain discreet, I'll send them to MJ and you'll have to pay shipping to your location.

edit:

off-topic, but how that comes above CPU @ 2.20 is linking to mailto:CPU@2.20
 

Not sure what this is about, something you're seeing in the bios, or a CLI report?  I don't see anything like that from my lshw or lscpu reports.

Are you trying to run Bisq on a headless server? What for? Can you interact with it on the command-line? I was actually wondering about that the other day...

I think he's talking about renting remote hardware or a cloud server to install an OS with a GUI dedicated to running Bisq.  Again, it's not something I would recommend from a security and privacy perspective, and I doubt it would be cost effective over time. 

Bisq uses between 1.5 and 2GB of memory on my machine, so 4-6GB should suffice. Operating systems also have swap in case you fill your actual RAM completely. So that's not really a reason for software not to start at all, but heavy swap usage would be slower and degrade your SSD over time.

Yeah, swap space sholdn't be counted as part of your RAM capacity, it's for "emergency" use only as far as prioritizing processes.  And SATA is no where near as fast as DDR3 RAM, so there's that.

[LeGaulois]

No, it's a laptop.

Since then, I tried it on another laptop and it's the same thing. But I'm not surprised since it has the same specs.
Bisq uses a little less than 2gb ram on my side, and Win 10 alone uses ~2gb ram

I will soon receive a Beelink SEi12 with 16 gb ram for my house. As I only need it for a bare metal hypervisor (ESXI), I will have plenty of memory for Bisq. (hopefully)

But thank you very much, I have rarely met a guy on the web willing to give me something for free.
Trully appreciated 

[Renampun]

hi OP, what should I do because i can't update my Bisq app??

[dkbit98]

hi OP, what should I do because i can't update my Bisq app??

I don't know what's the issue in your case, but you can try downloading Bisq directly from official website or github and install application manually.
OP is not active in forum since 2022, but you can contact Bisq support in other ways that can be found on their website:
https://bisq.wiki/User_support

[n0nce]

hi OP, what should I do because i can't update my Bisq app??

Looks totally normal to me. Files were downloaded and verified. Just need to close the program, install the update (double-click Bisq-64bit-1.9.9.exe) and then delete those files (you don't need them anymore).

[Renampun]

hi OP, what should I do because i can't update my Bisq app??

I don't know what's the issue in your case, but you can try downloading Bisq directly from official website or github and install application manually.
OP is not active in forum since 2022, but you can contact Bisq support in other ways that can be found on their website:
https://bisq.wiki/User_support

thanks for your quick response, i just did what you did, i re-downloaded it from github, and now i'm ready with the new version

hi OP, what should I do because i can't update my Bisq app??

Looks totally normal to me. Files were downloaded and verified. Just need to close the program, install the update (double-click Bisq-64bit-1.9.9.exe) and then delete those files (you don't need them anymore).

ok, I've re-downloaded and removed the old files

[dragonvslinux]

Since then, I tried it on another laptop and it's the same thing. But I'm not surprised since it has the same specs.
Bisq uses a little less than 2gb ram on my side, and Win 10 alone uses ~2gb ram

This would be an argument for testing with a lightweight live Xcfe-based Linux environment that only uses 531MB ram, such as Mint.

But I also realise this isn't the long-term or ideal solution to the problem you are experiencing...

Either way, 2GB is quite a lot of memory to be demanding from lower grade hardware.

[Bitcoin_Arena]

hi OP, what should I do because i can't update my Bisq app??

https://i.imgur.com/Y5iY1qO.png

The same problem happened to me a few days back, the file would download to around halfway and then all of a sudden fail. My network was not at its best, so it could have probably been the network, though some other apps could download and update without a single problem

I will try again and see if it can now update.

[Renampun]

hi OP, what should I do because i can't update my Bisq app??

https://i.imgur.com/Y5iY1qO.png

The same problem happened to me a few days back, the file would download to around halfway and then all of a sudden fail. My network was not at its best, so it could have probably been the network, though some other apps could download and update without a single problem

I will try again and see if it can now update.

I was also having problems with the TOR network for a moment when I did a successful update, and I put a custom TOR network on according to the instructions from the app - I also restarted my PC and now everything is running smoothly.

[Bitcoin_Arena]

I was also having problems with the TOR network for a moment when I did a successful update, and I put a custom TOR network on according to the instructions from the app - I also restarted my PC and now everything is running smoothly.

So it's a new fresh day with my PC restarting a fresh, but I am still having the same problem, trying to download installer and Verify signature via the application.

Again it all seems like the download is almost successful, and then it pops up this error


My internet speed is also now good



I guess I will just have to go the manual way.

[Renampun]

I was also having problems with the TOR network for a moment when I did a successful update, and I put a custom TOR network on according to the instructions from the app - I also restarted my PC and now everything is running smoothly.

So it's a new fresh day with my PC restarting a fresh, but I am still having the same problem, trying to download installer and Verify signature via the application.

Again it all seems like the download is almost successful, and then it pops up this error


My internet speed is also now good



I guess I will just have to go the manual way.

yap, you have to do it manually. I also experienced this and I followed the suggestion from @dkbit98 & @n0nce, I manually reinstalled on github with the latest version and deleted the old bisq application files.

[DireWolfM14]

~

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the app attempts to download the update files over TOR.  If that's the case, and your TOR connection isn't perfect I can see that happening.  In fact, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often, and also surprised it's never happened to me.  I can't tell what OS you're using, but the manual install works well on Windows.

[LeGaulois]

News from my side:

unbearable, I don't know exactly what I've done that fixed it but I'm now fine with Bisq. I'm playing since the week end and not a single problem.
I'm so used to have problems that now it' works I think there is a problem

I don't know why I have never think about this solution.
What a dumbass I can be 

The latest version is 1.9.9, and you're instally the version 1.9.8
Not so important but I noticed it.

The connection to the Tor network has often been a problem for me. I failed so many times despite I changed the bridge.
At a time I started to suspect my ISP 

[DireWolfM14]

~

Interesting development regarding running Bisq on a headless server; one of the contributors just posted a guide to set up a headless Bisq instance on a remote server, and included instructions on how to access it from another device with a head-up display.  The process uses a third party, open-source (GNU) software, XPRA to connect to the headless instance.  I have not tried this, so I don't know how well it works, but it seems like a great rainy-day project.

The setup instructions can be found here:  https://github.com/apemithrandir/self-hosting-guide/blob/main/headless-bisq/GUIDE.md

[joker_josue]

I happened to install Bisq once, but found it a bit complex and confusing to work with.

Overall, what do you guys think of Bisq?
I think it's a good solution to buy in P2P model without registrations and KYC?
In terms of privacy, how do you rate it?
What payment method do you usually use, to be as anonymous as possible?

[DireWolfM14]

I happened to install Bisq once, but found it a bit complex and confusing to work with.

It can be a bit confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's actually pretty simple to use.  The great thing about Bisq is that they have a lot of really good tutorials, and the team tends to be very active on the matrix chat, so getting help is pretty easy.

Overall, what do you guys think of Bisq?

It's not perfect, there are issues that pop up once in a while.  Depending on the general market, getting bites on your offers can take a while some times.  Other times they get snagged up pretty darn quick.  If your offers have attractive rates, they get snagged up fairly quickly, but no where near as fast as the big CEXs.  I think this mostly has to do with how many (or few, rather) people are using Bisq.  Once the software is able to attract more users, a lot of these issues will go away.

I think it's a good solution to buy in P2P model without registrations and KYC?
In terms of privacy, how do you rate it?

The privacy features are second to none.  There's no KYC and they don't store any of your personal information on a server, not even the details of your payment accounts.  All that information stays on your local machine, and the only time any information is disclosed, it's only to your trade partner while the trade is open.  That means there are no servers to get hacked and no data breaches that can leak your info.

Once you set up an account on Bisq, the only identifier other peers will see is an onion address.  If you take or make a BTC to Fiat offer, the other peer will see your name and email address.  But again, the information is only visible to that peer during the time the trade is open.

What payment method do you usually use, to be as anonymous as possible?

I'm a US resident, so for USD Zelle or Strike are the most commonly preferred methods of payment.  Obviously they're not anonymous since both require KYC to set up, but still fairly private since you don't have to disclose much about yourself.  There are anonymous ways you can exchange fiat for BTC, such as USPS money orders which are safe and don't require the use of real names (unless you're the recipient and want to deposit the MO digitally.)  The only truly anonymous ways to trade BTC for Fiat is face to face cash transactions, and there a few of those offers near and around my area.

[dragonvslinux]

This would be an argument for testing with a lightweight live Xcfe-based Linux environment that only uses 531MB ram, such as Mint.

I don't know why I have never think about this solution.

Probably as unless you're installing a new OS to a free partition, you'd be testing it in a Live environment, which isn't really ideal for long-term use imo. Ideally you'd have an external hard-drive you could install a lightweight Linux distro onto, then you wouldn't be running it Live each time. In summary, when there is a single high memory demanding software you want to run, then a specific OS isn't a bad idea.

What a dumbass I can be  

I wouldn't go quite that far to be honest! At least testing it with a Live Linux distro would answer the questions about your RAM, as to whether you have genuine hardware issues running the software or not...

[joker_josue]

The privacy features are second to none.  There's no KYC and they don't store any of your personal information on a server, not even the details of you payment accounts.  All that information stays on your local machine, and the only time any information is disclosed, it's only to your trade partner while the trade is open.  That means there are no servers to get hacked and no data breaches that can leak your info.

Once you set up an account on Bisq, the only identifier other peers will see is an onion address.  If you take or make a BTC to Fiat offer, the other peer will see your name and email address.  But again, the information is only visible to that peer during the time the trade is open.

Thank you for explaining the anonymity promoted by the platform.
Of course, there always has to be some sharing of information, but as you deal with other people directly, you are less exposed to information going to third parties.

I will install the application again and explore it further. And to realize in Europe how dynamic the platform is.

Payments with Amazon Gift Card, have you never used it or is it not common in your area? I remember seeing that option there, which I thought was interesting.

[DireWolfM14]

Of course, there always has to be some sharing of information, but as you deal with other people directly, you are less exposed to information going to third parties.

Yeah, and your personal data is only disclosed if you're trading BTC to fiat.  I like to swing trade BTC for XMR as a way to grow my BTC holdings, and of course there's no personal data shared during those transactions, only BTC and XMR addresses.

I will install the application again and explore it further. And to realize in Europe how dynamic the platform is.

You're sure to find a bunch of offers for Euros, I see many with payments in Revolut, Swift, and Wise, and I'm sure there are other payment types that I don't know about. I don't know for a fact, but I'd wager there are more offers for Euros than USD.

Payments with Amazon Gift Card, have you never used it or is it not common in your area? I remember seeing that option there, which I thought was interesting.

I've never used the gift card method myself, but they are common for USD as well as Euros, and yes I see many of them. 

[OmegaStarScream]

BISQ announced earlier today that they're soon going to implement the lightning network[1]. Maybe Bitcoin Ordinals is what we needed to push services to adopt LN.

[1] https://twitter.com/bisq_network/status/1654444075112865795