Bitcoin needs some SOUPS (or at least, usable security)

Notice a common thread with all the negative press lately? It's all about the lack of security and confidence.

Using Bitcoin securely and effectively is so complicated even the Loonix geeks are getting pwned.

If a piece of software is too complicated to use correctly that is a failure in the design and/or implementation and should not be considered the fault of the user. It's easy to pass the blame but this won't improve our situation one iota.

There is a whole domain of software and security engineering associated with this subject "Usable Security" that has its roots all the way back in "Why Johnny Can't Encrypt". How many of you use PGP encryption? Show of hands? (See, they still don't have it right: http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=why+johnny+can't+encrypt&oi=scholart)

Next month is a great conference on this topic: "Symposium On Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS)" http://cups.cs.cmu.edu/soups/2011/

I'd donate some coins to fund developer attendance at SOUPS. Too late for the early-bird discount, but worthwhile at any price.

I posted this in the bitcoin forum and not the technical / developer forum because they don't seem to care. Maybe if enough of us impressed upon the bitcoin developers the dire and immediate importance of usable security in Bitcoin we could focus improvements along this angle instead of all that pie sky B.S. scattered over github like tornado detritus.

Here's to hoping...

Topic: Bitcoin needs some SOUPS (or at least, usable security) (Read 798 times)