20 sats \ 1 reply \ @dannybuntu 24 Jun 2023 \ parent \ on: Coinkite and their toxic attitude towards users who highlight issues bitcoin
thanks got it. wow. can't believe this guy.
is he contemplating on suing everyone in ws?
I have $35 in my bank account....
The house im living in, isn't even under my name.
and he blocked us on twitter. So it's always somebody else who tells us - hey, you know what nvk is saying about you/us on twitter?
what?
then we try to find it, we're blocked, so we can't see. So either we open a new account or find some other way. and then we can't respond....
it's just a mess.
To be honest - when I was new to this bitcoin thing, I admired nvk a bit. ColdCard was among the few hardware wallets that I wanted to buy.
But he just kept hatin, and hatin, and hatin, and hatin.
To the point that I feel like, man, this guy treats me - us - like trash.
And we're not even attacking him... He just went full on rambo on us. like, wtf man, if its not reproducible, help us figure it out, if you know something.
Dude got no chill.
Maybe he's referring to the time before Spiral and the Human Rights Foundation granted the grant to us.
Some 1 to 2 years ago, we did embark on a "campaign" (if you can call it that) to email funds to ask for a grant.
- Some replied, but the most common reply was either "No" or "What's in it for us?"
- As a non-profit, we couldn't answer the what's in it for them part."
- Then, through Leo's personal contacts (which I think is you), Spiral came to the rescue. (Thank you steve and Spiral)
- A few months later, then Human Rights Foundation responded - the bulk of which went to EB, the security researcher.
As to attacks, we do not conduct negative interactions with wallet providers and we make it a point to try to fill the role of outreach as professionally as possible. Like how customer service would do it.
Most of the interactions were on twitter, and many were on the Gitlab or Github issue pages.
That is, to the best of my knowledge of it went.
The acrimonious relationship was stirred by non other than NVK and his cohort.
I do not know why - and I really don't want to dig in further to the reasons as it is not my concern.
I just know that there were allegations which were in now deleted tweets, about the licensing issues ColdCard. I can't recall exactly, but the license for the coldcard was previously GPLv3. I think ColdCard changed it later on, because of more deleted tweets concerning another wallet provider.
There was even a now deleted post about some person shouting on twitter that OPEN SOURCE LOST THE WAR OR BATTLE or something like that.
<sigh> You know what's funny?
- I don't have samourai in my devices.
- I don't know anyone - at least overtly - from Samourai.
- I remember the previous verdict for Samourai was unreproducible. It was recently changed pending new findings. Check version history.
- ColdCard's verdict has now been changed thanks to Carl Dong's work.
He blocked all of our accounts so we can't respond. It's like having a knife to your back with blindfolds on.
And to be honest, we can't understand why he is behaving like this.
All he has to do, is:
- sit down for 1 hour or so.
- Look at what's wrong
- Work with us to see how it can be fixed.
I guess, blocking-tweeting takes less than a minute.
It's a technical issue - which is now resolved https://twitter.com/carl_dong/status/1671973538029346824
For a technical issue, you need technical responses. Not drama, insinuations, and allegations.
Carl Dong addressed that well.
It was a difference in methodology.
We've been called scammers, grifters, extortionists - every single month that we don't slap a "reproducible" sign on a coldcard. Talk about pressure.
You do know that we've been offered products to test - real hardware wallets - which we refused, on account that could affect our integrity?
In fact, some in the project do want to take the free samples - but we've had to say 'NO'.
I don't recall any of us calling nvk a scammer. In fact, we try to be as professional about it as possible.
For the latest update:
Retest of Coldcard Mk2, 3 and 4 is finished. Mk4 is reproducible. Mk2 and 3 still bleed the compilation date into the binary. Looks benign but not reproducible.
I got a splitting headache reading this. So I'm saving my response for later. You are replying to Moneyball, Tony.
Do you know who that is?
Do you know who I am? Geez. I am going to take five or more before I reply to you.
It's just that time of the month.....
Disclosure: I have been a walletscrutiny.com contributor for 1 year and 6 months now. But I am soon going to be with another project.
Most of these assertions are false. Except for one:
- Leo did work with Mycelium, but no longer.
- Leo in his AdoptingBitcoin2022 talk (It's on YT) explicitly said he does not recommend it.
- We did do a donation campaign on twitter and facebook - but not targeted towards wallet developers, but towards the general Bitcoin community. Leo explicitly asked us to not to accept anything from wallet developers/providers. For good cause.
- WS did receive a grant from Spiral
- WS did receive a grant from another organization that has nothing to do with wallets. (Will announce once they announce first)
- NVK blocked all our social media accounts and continued disparaging us, while not offering constructive reasoning why. Personally, I do not understand his beef with us, when he could just offer a sound technical perspective.
I think he believes that we're working with Foundation whom he accuses of pirating ColdCard's source. Which is not true. He's been all over social media and acting very unreasonable, attacking our identities.
Check up on ColdCard's history with Foundation. NVK's tweets about "Closed-source winning", how it was a mistake to use the GPL license, the change in ColdCard's license, etc.
NVK, and friends, I, personally have no beef with you. I'm sorry that you feel that way about us. It is truly unfortunate.
If it is true that a provider did copy from you, at a time, when the license for the ColdCard was GPL - then, I don't know what to say.
1 Timothy 6:10 says, "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
- We are not pushing for Mycelium Wallet. In fact, in Leo's AdoptingBitcoin talk, he explicitly says that he does not recommend it.
- Anyone is free to contribute to the reviews if they want to. https://gitlab.com/walletscrutiny/walletScrutinyCom
- Do not trust us. Dispute the data.
- Technical points or counter-assertions are acceptable.
Disclosure: I'm Daniel and a WalletScrutiny contributor.