[ANN] Armory 0.93.1 Official Release

[etotheipi]

Armory 0.93.1 is Now Available!

Download links below
Signed tag "v0.93" in https://github.com/etotheipi/BitcoinArmory
Upgrade with Secure Downloader in existing Armory is preferred (Help->Update Software)

The website has not been updated.  Sorry!  We changed the website a couple months ago and forgot that we don't have the scripts worked out for it yet.  Our updates only hit the secure downloader, not the website!  Will have a manual update to the website soon.  (as a workaround, you can always get the version from the website and use the secure downloader to immediately upgrade)

I'm pleased to announce the final release of Armory v0.93.  This release is especially relevant to the D&TD forum, as it implements a database mode we call "supernode" which does arbitrary blockchain lookups/slicing (instant importing & sweeping of any arbitrary address/script/wallet).  Along with it comes a more-robust Armory daemon (armoryd.py) which can be used remotely via JSON-RPC or modified in-place with your code to power your web service, exchange, etc.  Using armoryd.py along with the --supernode flag gives you a full-featured Bitcoin management platform on which to build your service with no external dependencies (such as blockchain.info for arbitrary balance lookup).  Your service can now integrate hot wallets, cold wallets, watch-only wallets, message signing, unsigned tx creation, and all multi-signature lockbox features.

NOTE: If you already use Armory, always get the latest version from the "Secure Downloader"  (Help->Update Software).  The links below are only for those who do not yet have a trusted version of Armory (or running a version so old it doesn't have the secure downloader).  If you use the download links below, please check the GPG signatures of the last link and confirm hashes!


  Armory 0.93.1 for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8+ (64-bit)
  Armory 0.93.1 for MacOSX 10.7+ (64bit)
  Armory 0.93.1 for Ubuntu 12.04+ (32bit)
  Armory 0.93.1 for Ubuntu 12.04+ (64bit)
  Armory 0.93.1 for RaspberryPi  (armhf)


  Armory 0.93.1 Offline Bundle for Ubuntu 12.04 exact (32bit)
  Armory 0.93.1 Offline Bundle for Ubuntu 12.04 exact (64bit)
  Armory 0.93.1 Offline Bundle for RaspberryPi  (armhf)

  Armory 0.93.1: Signed hashes of all installers


CHANGELOG:

VERSION 0.93
Released Feb 21, 2015

   - Compatible with Bitcoin Core 0.10 and "headers-first"
        The most recent version of Bitcoin Core includes a parallel network
        synchronization feature called "headers-first" which is incompatible
        with previous versions of Armory.  This version is required to use
        Bitcoin Core 0.10 and newer.  Torrent-based bootstrapping will
        be removed in the next version of Armory.

   - New Scalable Blockchain Engine
        This version of Armory will look very similar to previous versions,
        but actually has a completely new, scalable database engine (using
        LMDB instead of LevelDB).  The engine can now handle wallets with
        millions of addresses and transactions!

   - Rebuild Required (but much faster!)
        The new database engine requires rebuilding and rescanning.  You
        will be prompted as soon as you start up 0.93 the first time.  
        However, due to the new blockchain engine, this process is
        considerably faster than before.  Generally less than 45 min!
        NOTE: This is NOT redownloading the blockchain. It is only
        rebuilding the local databases that Armory creates for itself.
        
   - Improved Threading and Reliability
        With the new backend comes overhauled inter-thread messaging.  This
        resolves a whole class of reliability issues that Armory has had in
        the past, especially with large wallets and transaction histories.  

   - Address and Wallet Importing in Background
        Importing wallets and addresses now induces background scans which
        do not disable the interface (previously forced you into offline
        mode for the duration of the scan).  
        
   - Supernode Mode
        Use the "--supernode" flag before creating the databases to create
        a supernode database that enables instant address & wallet import.
        This is an enabling feature for high-volume, consumer facing apps
        and services to be built on Armory, such as exchanges and block-
        explorers.  NOTE: Running with --supernode will result in an Armory
        database approximately double the size of the blockchain!  
        
   - Improved armoryd.py
        The daemon version of armory, armoryd.py, has been fully updated and
        tested with the new database engine.  Also includes a new "webshop"
        sample application that demonstrates basic usage of armoryd.py to
        collect & verify payments, generate unsigned transactions, etc.

   - RFC6979 Deteministic Signing (via CLI args)
        Armory now has a deterministic signing mode based on RFC6979.  
        The code passes all test vectors, but disabled by default pending
        more rigorous review.  It can be enabled using the --detsign
        command-line flag.

Thanks to everyone on the Armory team for their hard work in developing, tweaking, testing, and more testing of the code in this release.  And especially goatpig, who was instrumental in upgrading the database engine and responding extremely quickly (and effectively) to the variety of issues you would expect to pop up when overhauling such a large part of the code base.   He's even got more tricks up his sleeve, for 0.93.1.  Stay tuned!

[teste]

Thanks. I love Armory wallet. 

[teukon]

Great work as always.  I particularly appreciate the highly accessible source code (last night, GnuPG's source made me a very sad panda).

Any thoughts on BIP0039?  I'm not so worried as I've written the functionality I desire myself; I'm just curious.

[gmaxwell]

Great work as always.  I particularly appreciate the highly accessible source code (last night, GnuPG's source made me a very sad panda).
Any thoughts on BIP0039?  I'm not so worried as I've written the functionality I desire myself; I'm just curious.

Personally I wouldn't implement it, I consider it a ill-advised and harmful feature.  Keep in mind, there can be a BIP for anything that someone wants to use, having a BIP is not a mark of quality.

[goatpig]

Great work as always.  I particularly appreciate the highly accessible source code (last night, GnuPG's source made me a very sad panda).

Any thoughts on BIP0039?  I'm not so worried as I've written the functionality I desire myself; I'm just curious.

No, we already had someone offering to pay us to implement something equivalent as a plugin and we turned him down

[etotheipi]

Great work as always.  I particularly appreciate the highly accessible source code (last night, GnuPG's source made me a very sad panda).

Any thoughts on BIP0039?  I'm not so worried as I've written the functionality I desire myself; I'm just curious.

No, we already had someone offering to pay us to implement something equivalent as a plugin and we turned him down

I think two things are getting conflated here.  There's two parts to BIP39:  one is encoding the wallet seed as a set of words (instead of Armory's "EasyType16" paper backups), and the other is the option to encrypt it with a password.

I'm not thoroughly opposed to the word list encoding, it the encryption of the seed data will not be supported (which leads users to create, effectively, brainwallets), and seed sentences short enough to be memorized (which leads to actual brainwallets).  However, do I like BIP39 for the fact that handwriting the seed data--instead of printing it--becomes much more reliable.  Bad handwriting is much easier to overcome when human words are involved.  You can have a few indistinguishable characters and it can still be readable.

Users have asked us about brainwallets before (and as goatpig said, some have offered us money).  We want nothing to do with brainwallets, or encrypted backup data (encrypting it defeats the purpose of having a backup!).  However, as a mechanism for helping users reliably write down their seed data, I like it.  I just don't know if there's a way to use it without encouraging memorization.  For that reason I haven't made BIP39 a priority.

[Carlton Banks]

Big congratulations, really pleased with this project and where it's heading right now.

One small question:  when can we expect more info on the safety of enabling deterministic signing?

[Joe4782]

Updated Armory yesterday, and bitcoind to 0.10 last week. Does anybody else now have a problem of incompatibility? When I start up the latest Armory, after a few seconds my Win7 64bit machine pops up a dialog titled 'bitcoind.exe' and the message 'bitcoind.exe has stopped working'? Bitcoind 0.10 seems to have no problem running on its own.

I hadn't run Armory for a couple of months before I ran it yesterday (don't think that's relevant). I've rebooted my machine, but still no luck. My wife also updated both on her Win 7 64bit machine yesterday and also had a similar problem - although this seems to have been fixed by a reboot.

I'll admit to being a bit more paranoid about what I usually let run on my PC, so is it possible there should be a background service running or something?

[bitpop]

Updated Armory yesterday, and bitcoind to 0.10 last week. Does anybody else now have a problem of incompatibility? When I start up the latest Armory, after a few seconds my Win7 64bit machine pops up a dialog titled 'bitcoind.exe' and the message 'bitcoind.exe has stopped working'? Bitcoind 0.10 seems to have no problem running on its own.

I hadn't run Armory for a couple of months before I ran it yesterday (don't think that's relevant). I've rebooted my machine, but still no luck. My wife also updated both on her Win 7 64bit machine yesterday and also had a similar problem - although this seems to have been fixed by a reboot.

I'll admit to being a bit more paranoid about what I usually let run on my PC, so is it possible there should be a background service running or something?

Mine's perfect, delete all the data and start fresh

[bitpop]

Congrats! Just thinking a few years ago you got laid off and began Armory and here we are, the #1 wallet!

[Joe4782]

<- snip ->

Mine's perfect, delete all the data and start fresh

'Mine's perfect' - that comment doesn't really help me - my wife's is also now running, but we didn't learn much from that either.

I'm running bitcoind independantly - and seem to be getting on better - currently scanning transaction history whereas before Armory 'locked up' almost as soon as bitcoind failed.

[bitpop]

<- snip ->

Mine's perfect, delete all the data and start fresh

'Mine's perfect' - that comment doesn't really help me - my wife's is also now running, but we didn't learn much from that either.

I'm running bitcoind independantly - and seem to be getting on better - currently scanning transaction history whereas before Armory 'locked up' almost as soon as bitcoind failed.

You did ask Does anybody else now have a problem of incompatibility?

Try deleting everything from Bitcoin and armory except wallets. Fully sync Bitcoin before starting armory.

Actually Bitcoind shouldn't be running afaik, armory starts qt not d I think, I run it manually though

You might have an old version running somehow or another program running it for you

Or armory is starting the daemon and you're starting qt which kills the daemon

[Joe4782]

<- snip ->

You did ask Does anybody else now have a problem of incompatibility?

Try deleting everything from Bitcoin and armory except wallets. Fully sync Bitcoin before starting armory.

Actually Bitcoind shouldn't be running afaik, armory starts qt not d I think, I run it manually though

You might have an old version running somehow or another program running it for you

Thanks for your help. You are right - I did ask that, although it was more of a rhetorical question - I was already assuming that the new version was working ok for a lot of people, otherwise I guess it wouldn't have been released yet!

Anyway, I've got Armory up and running now - I just have to run Bitcoin core/q/d on it's own.

[cypherdoc]

Where can I find more info on supernode?

[unamis76]

Where can I find more info on supernode?

I am also curious about this supernode functionality, in depth documentation would be useful

[bitpop]

Where can I find more info on supernode?

I am also curious about this supernode functionality, in depth documentation would be useful

That offering might be more for business with paid support

[neuronics]

Thank you for the efforts, keep up the good work !

[oakpacific]

Great, can I reuse an old blockchain copy?

[mitus-2]

thank you very much!

[bitpop]

Great, can I reuse an old blockchain copy?

Yes