FreedomRings (OP)
Newbie
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Activity: 11
Merit: 0
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April 29, 2014, 11:59:52 AM |
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There are SO many wallets out there in SO many flavors from SO many places. In fact, a simply Google search doesn't even yield an "official" site or wallet to newbies that want to join in the fun.
It would seem to be a no-brainer for bad guys to make an awesome looking site with free wallets that transfer money to their own wallet after a period of time (after you finally felt safe) or even to make your wallet mine on their behalf while it is running (or probably 100 other things I haven't considered).
How do you KNOW, or what criteria do you look for, that the wallet that you are trying with those fancy new features, shiny new skins or new platform compliance is actually safe to use?
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"If you don't want people to know you're a scumbag then don't be a scumbag." -- margaritahuyan
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Advertised sites are not endorsed by the Bitcoin Forum. They may be unsafe, untrustworthy, or illegal in your jurisdiction.
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coinnewbit
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April 29, 2014, 12:01:44 PM |
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Is this a subtle question with ulterior motives? Personally, I would look for the wallet creator's github or bct thread.
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Malin Keshar
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April 29, 2014, 12:11:29 PM |
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1 - go to official bitcoin site, see the wallet they list
2 - if you know enough programming, see by yourself if the wallet is safe. Or make your own wallet.
3 - do some research in the internet about your wallet, related to security issues
4 - never use beta or not open source wallet
5 - never use any wallet(bitcoin or other) that is windows only. This is a great sign of a scam wallet.
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Domino
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April 29, 2014, 12:12:28 PM |
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There are SO many wallets out there in SO many flavors from SO many places. In fact, a simply Google search doesn't even yield an "official" site or wallet to newbies that want to join in the fun.
It would seem to be a no-brainer for bad guys to make an awesome looking site with free wallets that transfer money to their own wallet after a period of time (after you finally felt safe) or even to make your wallet mine on their behalf while it is running (or probably 100 other things I haven't considered).
How do you KNOW, or what criteria do you look for, that the wallet that you are trying with those fancy new features, shiny new skins or new platform compliance is actually safe to use?
Use open-source wallets and check the sources. |
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FreedomRings (OP)
Newbie
Offline
Activity: 11
Merit: 0
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April 29, 2014, 01:08:09 PM |
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So I see disagreement about open source wallets and beta wallets - so let me ask you guys:
(1) What exactly IS the official site? Bitcoin.org, Bitcoin.com?
(2) The wallet I downloaded and have been using is Bitcoin-Qt version v0.8.6-beta and the new one says it is 0.9 - and I thought I downloaded it from the "official " site. Have I already screwed up?
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Domino
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April 29, 2014, 01:15:37 PM |
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So I see disagreement about open source wallets and beta wallets - so let me ask you guys:
(1) What exactly IS the official site? Bitcoin.org, Bitcoin.com?
(2) The wallet I downloaded and have been using is Bitcoin-Qt version v0.8.6-beta and the new one says it is 0.9 - and I thought I downloaded it from the "official " site. Have I already screwed up?
The official site for Bitcoin Core (previously called Bitcoin-qt) is bitcoin.org, and the latest version should 0.9.1. Each wallet has its own official site (eg. https://electrum.org/ for Electrum) |
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Meuh6879
Legendary
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Activity: 1512
Merit: 1011
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April 29, 2014, 01:33:03 PM |
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How do you KNOW, or what criteria do you look for, that the wallet that you are trying with those fancy new features, shiny new skins or new platform compliance is actually safe to use?
I ask technical question on this author : https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=100.0 |
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FreedomRings (OP)
Newbie
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Activity: 11
Merit: 0
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April 29, 2014, 06:16:20 PM |
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Alright I went there and loaded the 9.1.0 version and after it finished "verifying blocks" it came up and it looked like it lost my send and receive addresses. I found them eventually but the interface has changed somewhat. Thank you for the head's up for the new version.
This is the official wallet on the official site and this is the most mature coin we have - but this is still tagged as beta software and the version starts with a zero - it seems counterintuitive that this coin (above all others) would not have at least one release that is not marked beta. I think that is the bottom line of my original fear and why I had the original question.
Let me ask you this: Does it make sense to keep separate folders with both the software for a wallet and the wallet data together so that when the wallets go from release to release I maintain a 1:1 correspondence between the wallet data and the software that created it? Asked another way, is there a reasonable fear that a new release will no longer support a wallet from a previous release?
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shorena
Copper Member
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 1498
Merit: 1520
No I dont escrow anymore.
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April 29, 2014, 06:31:08 PM |
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-snip-
is there a reasonable fear that a new release will no longer support a wallet from a previous release?
No, noone would be able to update without sending the coins. There might be a cenario in the future that recuires to throw downwards compability overboard. Anyway, as long as you backup your wallet.dat to somewhere safe on a regular basis you are fine. Even with a newer version you could just reinstall the old version and use that. |
Im not really here, its just your imagination.
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activebiz
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April 29, 2014, 07:25:31 PM |
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All my wallets are generated offline. All except my hot wallets on blockchain.info
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jinjuro
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April 29, 2014, 07:40:36 PM |
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I only use those what is posted in the bitcoin official site. Also check for reviews on the forum.
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Lieji
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April 29, 2014, 07:58:18 PM |
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This is the official wallet on the official site and this is the most mature coin we have - but this is still tagged as beta software and the version starts with a zero - it seems counterintuitive that this coin (above all others) would not have at least one release that is not marked beta. I think that is the bottom line of my original fear and why I had the original question.
Yes, it is still beta as we are in 0.9.1, but it should be not anymore for the next major release 1.0.0  |
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poordeveloper
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April 29, 2014, 10:09:49 PM |
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So I see disagreement about open source wallets and beta wallets - so let me ask you guys:
(1) What exactly IS the official site? Bitcoin.org, Bitcoin.com?
(2) The wallet I downloaded and have been using is Bitcoin-Qt version v0.8.6-beta and the new one says it is 0.9 - and I thought I downloaded it from the "official " site. Have I already screwed up?
The official site for Bitcoin Core (previously called Bitcoin-qt) is bitcoin.org, and the latest version should 0.9.1. Each wallet has its own official site (eg. https://electrum.org/ for Electrum) I personally think the only wallets you should use are like these: real wallets where you actually own your Bitcoins. Using online wallets is the worst decision you can make. |
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cookiemonsterwhat
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April 29, 2014, 10:30:30 PM |
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If there are updates ESP when a forum actually announces it as well.
Which is still up there on top of this forum news: Open SSL heartbleed bug, it shows they are on top of security.
Keep in mind, bitcoin qt wallet is part of the original block foundation before any of the mobile and web wallets were around.
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Chrithu
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April 29, 2014, 10:48:32 PM |
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So I see disagreement about open source wallets and beta wallets - so let me ask you guys:
(1) What exactly IS the official site? Bitcoin.org, Bitcoin.com?
(2) The wallet I downloaded and have been using is Bitcoin-Qt version v0.8.6-beta and the new one says it is 0.9 - and I thought I downloaded it from the "official " site. Have I already screwed up?
The official site for Bitcoin Core (previously called Bitcoin-qt) is bitcoin.org, and the latest version should 0.9.1. Each wallet has its own official site (eg. https://electrum.org/ for Electrum) I personally think the only wallets you should use are like these: real wallets where you actually own your Bitcoins. Using online wallets is the worst decision you can make. I agree with that. Why go ahead and throw the control over your money that bitcoin gives you overboard again right away even before really getting started by trusting a third party with holding it for you? That's not saying online wallet provider's are not to be trusted, it's more like: they are not necessarily safer from hacks than your local machine and they definetly are a much more attractive and bigger target. Doesn't have to be bitcoin-core (formerly bitcoin-qt) if you don't want to lift the heavy weight of the full blockchain, but using a local wallet preferably on an offline machine, that goes online only spradically for synching/transfers alongside a safely created paperwallet to store BTC longterm on should be the way to go. |
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counter
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April 29, 2014, 11:54:22 PM |
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Good question, I for one didn't know all this important info was out there on the subject. Gonna have to do reading on this for future reference.
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Nagato4
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April 30, 2014, 03:34:51 AM |
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So I see disagreement about open source wallets and beta wallets - so let me ask you guys:
(1) What exactly IS the official site? Bitcoin.org, Bitcoin.com?
(2) The wallet I downloaded and have been using is Bitcoin-Qt version v0.8.6-beta and the new one says it is 0.9 - and I thought I downloaded it from the "official " site. Have I already screwed up?
The official site for Bitcoin Core (previously called Bitcoin-qt) is bitcoin.org, and the latest version should 0.9.1. Each wallet has its own official site (eg. https://electrum.org/ for Electrum) I personally think the only wallets you should use are like these: real wallets where you actually own your Bitcoins. Using online wallets is the worst decision you can make. I agree with that. Why go ahead and throw the control over your money that bitcoin gives you overboard again right away even before really getting started by trusting a third party with holding it for you? That's not saying online wallet provider's are not to be trusted, it's more like: they are not necessarily safer from hacks than your local machine and they definetly are a much more attractive and bigger target. Doesn't have to be bitcoin-core (formerly bitcoin-qt) if you don't want to lift the heavy weight of the full blockchain, but using a local wallet preferably on an offline machine, that goes online only spradically for synching/transfers alongside a safely created paperwallet to store BTC longterm on should be the way to go. Exactly. A simple way to say that is: You don't have your bitcoin, if you don't control the privkey. |
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hulk
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May 03, 2014, 01:00:40 AM |
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I always tell people to use only bitcoin-qt. Its the safest wallet out there. I know its going to be 100Gig soon but safety first...
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BunsenBurner
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May 03, 2014, 03:49:45 AM |
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I always tell people to use only bitcoin-qt. Its the safest wallet out there. I know its going to be 100Gig soon but safety first...
It is only just 19 GB now. I am sure my HDD will die first, before the blockchain reaches 100 GB |
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scottsecret
Newbie
Offline
Activity: 52
Merit: 0
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May 03, 2014, 03:58:22 AM |
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It depends on how important the bitcoin is to you. If you can't afford to lose it, then perhaps stick with the slow but must trusted bitcoin-qt. If it is a small amount that won't impact your life much, then you might try one of the alternatives that will be more responsive and less resource intensive. I don't know enough to give any specific suggestions.
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