Author: Jeff Garzik 2011-08-10 20:41:26
Published on: 2011-08-10T20:41:26+00:00
Gavin Andresen, one of the main developers of Bitcoin, sent an email on August 10, 2011, outlining some key issues that needed to be addressed for the success of the cryptocurrency. The first issue was network health, which requires ongoing monitoring and testing to ensure incoming nodes are not being DDoS'd. Andresen suggested creating a companion website and project that can centralize contributions from various monitors and tests. The second issue was deadlocks caused by new code that should be detected early, and the solution is to re-architect to be single-threaded/asio in the long term. The third issue was wallet security, where documentation was lacking, and Andresen suggested shipping the wallet encryption soon with all or part of groffer's Multisign patch to create trojan-resistant secure wallet solutions. The fourth issue was bug fixing, Andresen pointed out there were 44 bugs on the issue list, and he called for volunteers to prioritize/assign bugs and ensure they get closed when they're fixed. He also added that the best testing comes from the field, and the internet provides the most extensive test lab globally. The fifth issue was testing, and Andresen suggested more unit tests and automated testing while welcoming help in finding money and/or people for a dedicated "core bitcoin quality assurance team." In terms of future releases, Andresen mentioned some things he would like to see, including fClient mode, Sipa's wallet and key export/import, moving from wxWidgets to qt for the GUI, and un-hardcoding fee handling. However, he emphasized that if something is important to someone and non-controversial, thoroughly tested, and has zero chance of introducing a security vulnerability, then he has no objection to pulling it. Andresen concluded his email by stating that roadmaps work better in fiat organizations where developers do what they're paid/told to do, whereas open-source contributions are more organic and unpredictable.
Updated on: 2023-05-26T20:15:01.783738+00:00