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Topic: Frog: Bitmessage for the web! (Read 8824 times)

sr. member
Activity: 420
Merit: 250
August 10, 2013, 02:28:18 AM
#67
what happened to your blog?
A hard drive failure. Lost all my Octopress stuff. Will recreate soon. Smiley
I'm really close to being done.
Locking because I'll make new thread when I announce it, and this one's outdated.
legendary
Activity: 1330
Merit: 1000
Bitcoin
August 10, 2013, 12:37:50 AM
#66
what happened to your blog?
legendary
Activity: 1330
Merit: 1000
Bitcoin
July 01, 2013, 07:42:01 PM
#65
Jaxkr

You may want to look into this bounty for an android BM app

https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/bounty-working-bitmessanger-client-for-android-246692

I just saw the same thing and thought of this project good catch.
legendary
Activity: 1666
Merit: 1010
he who has the gold makes the rules
July 01, 2013, 01:13:47 PM
#64
Jaxkr

You may want to look into this bounty for an android BM app

https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/bounty-working-bitmessanger-client-for-android-246692
hero member
Activity: 484
Merit: 500
June 30, 2013, 09:31:39 PM
#63
Hey,

I pledged 0.7 BTC and am willing to help you out as much as I can. I've been thinking about a project like this and I'm very happy more people are enthusiastic. Need help with the website, or any programming work?

Hey! You're one of the mysterious pledgers! Hello and thank you. Smiley
The Bitcoinstarter guy hasn't sent me the CSV yet, so I am completely in the dark on the identities of the pledgers.

Currently, development is going pretty smoothly. I've managed to perfectly replicate the Bitmessage PoW in JS, and that was the only thing I was nervous about. If you feel like it, help would be appreciated. I have PM'd you.

First congratulations on being the first project Bitcoin Crowdfunded project! I'll be sending it over the CSV file in a few minutes. I'll be following your blog to see how things work out also.

Also, proud to have our 2nd ever project funded! Thank you to everyone who supports these projects.
sr. member
Activity: 420
Merit: 250
June 30, 2013, 06:44:31 PM
#62
Hey,

I pledged 0.7 BTC and am willing to help you out as much as I can. I've been thinking about a project like this and I'm very happy more people are enthusiastic. Need help with the website, or any programming work?

Hey! You're one of the mysterious pledgers! Hello and thank you. Smiley
The Bitcoinstarter guy hasn't sent me the CSV yet, so I am completely in the dark on the identities of the pledgers.

Currently, development is going pretty smoothly. If you feel like it, help would be appreciated. I have PM'd you.
member
Activity: 85
Merit: 10
June 30, 2013, 06:39:32 PM
#61
Hey,

I pledged 0.7 BTC and am willing to help you out as much as I can. I've been thinking about a project like this and I'm very happy more people are enthusiastic. Need help with the website, or any programming work?
sr. member
Activity: 420
Merit: 250
June 30, 2013, 03:32:36 AM
#60
I just registered the domain frog.li, and have pointed it at the dev blog.
http://blog.frog.li/ is the blog, and frog.li simply redirects to the blog, as there isn't anything there yet.
sr. member
Activity: 420
Merit: 250
June 29, 2013, 12:00:45 AM
#59
Frog is a great idea.

However I think for bitmessage to be a success there needs to evolve a market for pow, people are not going to want to drain mobile computing resources to send potentially 100s of benign  msgs in 1 day. Or trade pow credits from other computing resources

Just my opinion but I think that is an important missing piece
You read my mind.
I already have a "stamps" program planned. For about .3 mBTC, you will be able to purchase a credit (or "stamp") that gets your messages processed by powerful PoW servers will a lot of GPUs.
This is how the service will pay for itself, and be usable on mobile devices.

Interesting ... so people with lots of mBTC can afford to send junk mails I suppose ... can a receiver set his 'postage' high enough to discourage low-ball (i.e. low difficulty PoW" messages from arriving?
That's a possible solution.
I'll probably just strictly limit the amount of stamps that can be bought, though.
newbie
Activity: 31
Merit: 0
June 28, 2013, 10:18:59 PM
#58
I think that bringing Bitmessage to smartphones is probably one of the best ways of getting this protocol into the public space.
However, don't take this the wrong way since I do like the concept, I feel as though a seperate service to send/receive/work messages detracts security, or at least some anonymity, from the network. Not that it could be the case, it's just how I feel.

I would still love to see this come to fruition though.
I'd like to see the offering of more options like local PoW on the user's device (I know ARM isn't that powerful, but it's not Bitcoin mining) or their remote machine with BM PoW software installed, such as a home server.

Also, will you be writing the client in HTML5?
Yes. The client will be using HTML5 technologies, such as a client side DB.
Also, I will be taking a lot of precautions to keep the service anonymous with the frog nodes. I'll write a blog post on this soon, and give you a link.

Thanks, I'll be looking forward to reading it, and congratulations on the funding.
One more question, since would your client is written in HTML5 (I'm assuming the PoW part will be separate or in asm.js) will it be making an appearance on the Firefox Marketplace once released?
I plan to release the client solely as a web app located on a site, rather than a browser app. This is for portability, so you can pick it up on your phone or another computer.

The proof of work is a sticky situation, and I might use asm.js or something of the like.
The exact 2 lines of code that do the PoW in PyBitmessage are
Code:
nonce += 1
trialValue, = unpack('>Q',hashlib.sha512(hashlib.sha512(pack('>Q',nonce) + initialHash).digest()).digest()[0:8])
Unfortunately for me, this could not use more language specific features.
It's unpacking as a big endian unsigned long long. I haven't found a library to do this, as the node bufferpack and jspack don't support this type. I believe it's a limitation in JavaScript itself.
The next part of this in a double binary sha512 hash. I CAN do this in JS with nodejs code ported to the browser. However, the binary hashes don't match the python ones as JS can't handle binary data like that. The hex hashes match, though.

I'll go into detail on this when the dev blog is up. If anyone has any suggestions on how to implement this, I'd appreciate it.

I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to this sort of thing, but would it be possible for you to use the C++ library in JS through Emscripten?
sr. member
Activity: 280
Merit: 257
bluemeanie
June 28, 2013, 10:15:24 PM
#57
I notice also these projects seem to have an abundance of input from Graphic Designers, Video Script Producers, Cheerleaders, etc.

It's kind of unfortunate really what has happened to Open Source.  It used to be about engineering, now it's about making these 'projects' to attract investors and the like.  It's nothing about what it was originally.
sr. member
Activity: 280
Merit: 257
bluemeanie
June 28, 2013, 10:12:31 PM
#56
Email with PGP is already ridiculously easy to use, works with existing infrastructure and has been PROVEN to be secure.

 -bm
This is an argument against Bitmessage in general. You should talk to Atheros about that.
Also, email with PGP isn't truly anonymous nor is it decentralized. Your mail server could be seized or go down at any time.

part of the value proposition with BitMessage was it was supposed to be easy to use.

seems the only remaining value proposition is "I Haz A Blockchain".

bitmessage is as easy to use



if it's easy to use, why the startup?

First of all, before criticizing Bitmessage please understand how it works. You can read the whitepaper here. Bitmessage doesn't use a blockchain or anything very similar.

Secondly, Bitmessage is still tied to the desktop client. This app is a portable web client.


you guys are seriously hilarious.

so you're going to take away Bitmessage's decentralization to make it 'easier' to use.  Why dont I use Cryptocat, GPG Tools, or any number of other secure messaging protocols out there?  Did you even stop for moment to think how this product compares at the end user level?

this is too funny.
legendary
Activity: 3920
Merit: 2349
Eadem mutata resurgo
June 28, 2013, 10:07:03 PM
#55
Email with PGP is already ridiculously easy to use, works with existing infrastructure and has been PROVEN to be secure.

 -bm
This is an argument against Bitmessage in general. You should talk to Atheros about that.
Also, email with PGP isn't truly anonymous nor is it decentralized. Your mail server could be seized or go down at any time.

part of the value proposition with BitMessage was it was supposed to be easy to use.

seems the only remaining value proposition is "I Haz A Blockchain".

bitmessage is as easy to use



if it's easy to use, why the startup?


sounds like its for mobile devices ... didn't you read the OP either? ... you're just trolling again aren't ya blueman? and I think he means one-click easy to use as opposed to three CLI easy-to-use

but hey you want to argue semantics you'll find something I'm sure ... in 1 - 2 - 3 ... and there he is
sr. member
Activity: 420
Merit: 250
June 28, 2013, 10:06:51 PM
#54
Email with PGP is already ridiculously easy to use, works with existing infrastructure and has been PROVEN to be secure.

 -bm
This is an argument against Bitmessage in general. You should talk to Atheros about that.
Also, email with PGP isn't truly anonymous nor is it decentralized. Your mail server could be seized or go down at any time.

part of the value proposition with BitMessage was it was supposed to be easy to use.

seems the only remaining value proposition is "I Haz A Blockchain".

bitmessage is as easy to use



if it's easy to use, why the startup?

First of all, before criticizing Bitmessage please understand how it works. You can read the whitepaper here. Bitmessage doesn't use a blockchain or anything very similar.

Secondly, Bitmessage is still tied to the desktop client. This app is a portable web client.
sr. member
Activity: 280
Merit: 257
bluemeanie
June 28, 2013, 10:01:06 PM
#53
Email with PGP is already ridiculously easy to use, works with existing infrastructure and has been PROVEN to be secure.

 -bm
This is an argument against Bitmessage in general. You should talk to Atheros about that.
Also, email with PGP isn't truly anonymous nor is it decentralized. Your mail server could be seized or go down at any time.

part of the value proposition with BitMessage was it was supposed to be easy to use.

seems the only remaining value proposition is "I Haz A Blockchain".

bitmessage is as easy to use



if it's easy to use, why the startup?

uber-critic?  unfortunately the environment around bitcoin appears to be one where no one ever questions anyone's claims, and thus erroneous ideas seem to float around unchecked.  If that's the kind of thing you want, then go right ahead.  I guess with experience, you learn to have a zero-tolerance policy for BS.  If you want to contribute and support a project simply because it's 'cool', then go right ahead.  Talk to me again when you're all grown up and ready to do something real with your life.

PGP works perfectly fine and is KNOWN to be secure.  Why don't people contribute to one of the may PGP/email projects out there?  or encrypted IM?  There has been loads of work on how to do secure messaging, why Bitmessage?  Does it even suggest where it fits in this realm?  How it compares to other similar technologies? 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_messaging

You're calling me ubercritical, but I have to say it's a bit arrogant to ignore and entire FIELD of study.  Where is the work on why this is an improvement over other secure messaging protocols?  There have been hundreds of publications in this area.

time to grow up guys.


legendary
Activity: 3920
Merit: 2349
Eadem mutata resurgo
June 28, 2013, 09:51:29 PM
#52
Email with PGP is already ridiculously easy to use, works with existing infrastructure and has been PROVEN to be secure.

 -bm
This is an argument against Bitmessage in general. You should talk to Atheros about that.
Also, email with PGP isn't truly anonymous nor is it decentralized. Your mail server could be seized or go down at any time.

part of the value proposition with BitMessage was it was supposed to be easy to use.

seems the only remaining value proposition is "I Haz A Blockchain".

bitmessage is as easy to use as

Code:
git clone https://github.com/Bitmessage/PyBitmessage.git
cd PyBitmessage/src
python bitmessagemain.py

 .... how exactly could you manage to get confounded by that?

bitmessage doesn't use a blockchain ... at least get your facts right if you are going to be the uber-critic ... btw, what have you done recently?

PGP mails are a major pain in the ass to use in a properly secure way, particularly alongside regular plain-text mails in the same inbox and suffer from other security weaknesses ... and it is a kludge on top of an insecure layer so will never be a long term solution.

Bitmessage might not be perfect, but it is a great start ... but has none of the problems you have pointed out.
sr. member
Activity: 280
Merit: 257
bluemeanie
June 28, 2013, 08:48:46 PM
#51
Email with PGP is already ridiculously easy to use, works with existing infrastructure and has been PROVEN to be secure.

 -bm
This is an argument against Bitmessage in general. You should talk to Atheros about that.
Also, email with PGP isn't truly anonymous nor is it decentralized. Your mail server could be seized or go down at any time.

part of the value proposition with BitMessage was it was supposed to be easy to use.

seems the only remaining value proposition is "I Haz A Blockchain".
sr. member
Activity: 420
Merit: 250
June 28, 2013, 08:26:38 PM
#50
Email with PGP is already ridiculously easy to use, works with existing infrastructure and has been PROVEN to be secure.

 -bm
This is an argument against Bitmessage in general. You should talk to Atheros about that.
Also, email with PGP isn't truly anonymous nor is it decentralized. Your mail server could be seized or go down at any time.
sr. member
Activity: 280
Merit: 257
bluemeanie
June 28, 2013, 08:06:21 PM
#49
 Email with PGP is already ridiculously easy to use, works with existing infrastructure and has been PROVEN to be secure.

 -bm

It seems like Bitmessage won't become wildly popular unless we can make it ridiculously easy to use.
Frog will solve this by being a very easy to use Bitmessage client for the web.

How will Frog work?
Frog will function very similarly to the Electrum Bitcoin client. The user's client reads data from the network off of a pool of servers.
When you open the Frog application in your browser, it automatically connects to an available Frog server that runs the complete Bitmessage software. When you send a message, your browser completes the proof-of-work necessary for propagation, and sends it to a Frog node. Then, the Frog node follows the standard protocol to send the message to the Bitmessage network.

But, wouldn't this decrease decentralization?
Not really. Since the birth of Electrum, the community has put up dozens of servers for the client to use. This has resulted in the creation of reliable supernodes that benefit the entire Bitcoin network.

Just like Electrum, anyone can put up a Frog server for the clients to use. So the servers will not be controlled by a centralized authority. Also, since a proof-of-work is required for sending Bitmessages, attacking these servers will be very difficult. Frog nodes will have all the protections a regular Bitmessage node has. So Frog will result in the creation of supernodes, which will help the entire Bitmessage network

Will it be open source?
Yes.

What's your timeline?
I am currently on my summer vacation and have a lot of free time on my hands. I estimate having a funtional beta by August.

Frog will help conquer surveillance by putting great tools into more hands. Help us make it a reality.

Funding successful, and work begun a while ago!


Here is my GitHub, and a dev blog will be up as soon.
sr. member
Activity: 420
Merit: 250
June 28, 2013, 07:35:10 PM
#48
I think that bringing Bitmessage to smartphones is probably one of the best ways of getting this protocol into the public space.
However, don't take this the wrong way since I do like the concept, I feel as though a seperate service to send/receive/work messages detracts security, or at least some anonymity, from the network. Not that it could be the case, it's just how I feel.

I would still love to see this come to fruition though.
I'd like to see the offering of more options like local PoW on the user's device (I know ARM isn't that powerful, but it's not Bitcoin mining) or their remote machine with BM PoW software installed, such as a home server.

Also, will you be writing the client in HTML5?
Yes. The client will be using HTML5 technologies, such as a client side DB.
Also, I will be taking a lot of precautions to keep the service anonymous with the frog nodes. I'll write a blog post on this soon, and give you a link.

Thanks, I'll be looking forward to reading it, and congratulations on the funding.
One more question, since would your client is written in HTML5 (I'm assuming the PoW part will be separate or in asm.js) will it be making an appearance on the Firefox Marketplace once released?
I plan to release the client solely as a web app located on a site, rather than a browser app. This is for portability, so you can pick it up on your phone or another computer.

The proof of work is a sticky situation, and I might use asm.js or something of the like.
The exact 2 lines of code that do the PoW in PyBitmessage are
Code:
nonce += 1
trialValue, = unpack('>Q',hashlib.sha512(hashlib.sha512(pack('>Q',nonce) + initialHash).digest()).digest()[0:8])
Unfortunately for me, this could not use more language specific features.
It's unpacking as a big endian unsigned long long. I haven't found a library to do this, as the node bufferpack and jspack don't support this type. I believe it's a limitation in JavaScript itself.
The next part of this in a double binary sha512 hash. I CAN do this in JS with nodejs code ported to the browser. However, the binary hashes don't match the python ones as JS can't handle binary data like that. The hex hashes match, though.

I'll go into detail on this when the dev blog is up. If anyone has any suggestions on how to implement this, I'd appreciate it.
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