Author: Pieter Wuille 2013-05-07 13:19:50
Published on: 2013-05-07T13:19:50+00:00
In an email thread from May 7, 2013, several minor security and functionality issues were discussed regarding Bitcoin wallets. Adam Back raised the issue of needing a way to unlock the wallet without displaying the password on the console screen when importing a private key. Pieter suggested a Python RPC client that would provide more features than the current RPC client built into bitcoind. He suggested the new client could remember passwords, have command history, tab completion, and batch lookups of compound commands. Another issue discussed was adding a button to import a private key with an option to transfer it to another key. However, Pieter was opposed to per-key fiddling in the GUI because it could cause people to misunderstand how wallets work. He suggested an expert mode or coin control that enables such features but recommended entire-wallet export and import rather than individual keys. Importing and sweeping an address were deemed safe alternatives.The third issue raised was the need for a way to transfer BTC off a specific address without having to spend the entire wallet onto a new address. This method creates more network traffic, bigger packets, higher fees, and damages privacy as all funds end up linked. Pieter suggested this capability should be added to coin control.
Updated on: 2023-05-19T16:57:21.392674+00:00