Proposal for the Site....... Bitmessage forum

Discussion in 'Bitmessage' started by BTPost, Feb 13, 2014.


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  1. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    After playing with BitMessage for a day, and after reading the WhitePaper, it would seem that this program has significant application, in the Monkey Culture, and Family. It provides a very SECURE Form of UnTraceable, Encrypted, and SECURE Comms, in a very simple App, with a simple GUI, that even some of near Computer Illiterate members can easily learn to Operate. No messing with KeySets, and stuff like that, just "Your Address" and the "Destination Address: is all that is needed, to send and receive messages. No Servers to configure, No KeySets to exchange, Simply one APP, that does all that, for you, behind the scenes, and a bit of bandwidth, to make the Network Connection.

    So, I would propose that we ADD a BitMessage Forum to the Comms Forum, and the first thing in that forum, would be a Sticky Thread, Titled "Bit Message Addresses" Where Monkeys can Post a BitMessage Address, where they would RECEIVE SECURE BitMessages. Then I would propose that one of our smarter Documentation Guys, start a Sticky Thread, Titled "Downloading, Configuring, and Operating the Bit Message Client" that even our most Computer Illiterate Monkeys could follow, to download, configure and Operate a Bit Message client on their computer.

    This would go a LONG Way toward something that has been discussed in the Passed. That being a GPG KeyServer attached to the MonkeySite, where Monkeys could leave a Public Key, for Monkey to Monkey SECURE Comms.

    So What doe the Admins, and Mods, think....


     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 14, 2014
    AmericanRedoubt1776 and melbo like this.
  2. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Anything to make it easier for an old technophobe to use makes sense to me. All the PGP and GPG stuff lost me until I have time to dope it out.
     
  3. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I like the idea! I will look at installing the BitMessage software today/tonight and might be able to write up something on installing and using it.
    Let me see how the day goes and what my wife has planned for the weekend.
     
  4. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    @BTPost I agree in that we've been eagerly awaiting something like this for years now.
    We can certainly create a subforum with your suggestions. I like the idea of a contact info thread and I could probably take a stab at creating a how-to with the basics. The BM UI has a lot of advanced features that are not necessary to begin encrypted messaging. As you stated: download, install, create address, paste recipient address, type message and send.

    The fact that it's decentralized means that you are actually functioning as your own email server with zero configuration necessary.

    I'm still having problems with Fedora and this means that I may have to move to something else unless I want to set up another box that's dedicated to BM although that's not as convenient. VMs are fine too I suppose but I really want to keep the client running all the time to help prop up the network.
     
  5. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    May I ask what kind of problems? I have Fedora at home as well (dual boot with winblows, but i'm primarily in Fedora)

    Had a thought, is there any advantage to have a thread that lists the BM key vs. adding your key to your sig? Those that don't know what the funny string of characters are prolly wouldn't care, and it might make more people ask about it instead of a sub-forum or thread they might miss.
     
  6. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Fedora / RHEL has hobbled a required encryption process over some legal licensing BS. As it is, one needs to spend a day or so re-compiling the OpenSSL package to add ECC (Elliptical Curve Encryption) back in. Whenever I attempt that, things break so I'm considering alternatives.
     
  7. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

  8. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    How much disc space does the BM program want? Would it make any sense to put it on a USB stick so that hauling a computer around might not be needed? I can envision using a "foreign" machine in motel and hotel business offices or cyber cafes in a pinch.

    I understand the reluctance to use Windows, but the troubles I see on SM with Linux and linux derived stuff, I'm not going there in the foreseeable future.
     
  9. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Win version is around 14.5 MBs and I'm not sure what the total folder size is after it syncs up - perhaps Bruce can tell us.
    It could be put on a stick as it doesn't really 'install', you just run the .exe and it builds the directories as needed.

    I'm pretty sure that a search for 'portable bitmessage' or 'bitmessage on a stick' would return some tutorials.
     
  10. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

  11. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Oh, how FUN. I guess it's not so bad that the kernel has to get rebuilt. Yes I did that, years ago. I have an extra disk drive, I may install another copy of fedora 20 on it and try there before updating my main system.
     
  12. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Apparently, f18 is still fine, just 19 and 20 have this problem.
    Might drop back to 18 and give it a try.
     
  13. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

  14. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    @ghrit I have the Mac OSX Version on a USB Stick and it works fine. I loaded the Windows version on my MonkeyNet XP Virtual Machine in that runs concurrently on my iMac. Both versions are under 20MB, and the only issue I have found is My USB Stick is really SLOW, in launching the App, but once launched it operates cleanly. I haven't run the XP-VM Version as of yet, as I want to use the same Keys and Ident's, and need to figure out where they HID those Files, as they are Invisible Files on my iMac, so I need to find an Invisible File Finder....

    According to the DOCs BitMessage is being developed on the Windows platform, and the Linux, and Mac OSX, Versions are a bit behind in the Development Cycle. So get yourself a USB Stick, and download the Windows Version, and follow the simple Config Instruction on the Wiki, and sent out some Test Messages....
     
  15. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Wouldn't that just be command+h while in finder?
    Hidden files and folders on unix-like systems are prefaced with a .
    So you may have a folder in /home called .bitmessage or .PyBitmessage or something like that.

    Also, if you generate an address with a password rather than a random number, you can recreate the address on another (or fresh) system. Or at least that's my untested understanding.

    We really should copy come of this chatter to the main bit message thread so others can learn with us.

    Back to the OP. Yes, I'll create a bm subforum and we can populate it however seems best.
     
  16. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I will be testing the password thing tonight on my windows box. Will report how it goes.
     
  17. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Yes, please do.

    The thing about passwords is that they can become the weak link in anything encrypted. I have a 32 random character static password programmed into slot two of my yubikey(s). When I want a strong pass for something I just prefix with something like: bitmonkeymessage + (2 second press of the yubikey)
    That outputs something like this:
    Code:
    bitmonkeymessageSH&^3m*lls9*266=265/4UJi~sh7_G.<9*!
    It's an impossible pass to figure out and used Two-Factor Auth as it takes something I know (bitmonkeymessage) and something I have (Yubikey)

    Once I get rolling with bm, I'll use something like the above
     
  18. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

  19. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Is there anything in this thread that anyone would object to making public? I'd like to move it to the new forum.
     
  20. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I'm up on my personal windows box, and I was able to regenerate the same keys that are on my work laptop. The key label (what I see) was not ported across and that does make sense since the keys are local to me and only me.

    Sending a message to @BTPost.
     
    melbo likes this.
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