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Open Bazaar – decentralized Bitcoin marketplace

openbazaar.org

191–200 of 265 posts

Re: Open Bazaar – decentralized Bitcoin marketplace

#191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is what sounds to me the reason smart contracts exist. But maybe that's just a different method for accomplishing the same thing? Anybody have any idea what the main distinction [if any] would be here?

Well, smart contracts can't tell if the seller sent you your plushie.

Oh yeah, I understand that limitation. But if that's those are the terms you want to use: the receiver must register that they received their item then a smart contract just automates the processing of the agreement/escrow payments?

I mean, less action is required in order to respond, and less work required in generating the agreement? Otherwise a new program, or a program built on a framework (eg. how smart contracts theoretically work) utilizing bitcoin would be required each time a sale agreement is made.

I'm probably confounding this, so I'll try again: a smart contract would offer a format to build upon for such a market and escrow agreements with less work than writing something from scratch?

I feel like I'm missing something, but it's late. I've been thinking about this concept for a little while and can't find holes besides what you've described, or engineering errors like the Parity exploit... but it still feels like I'm blind to something.

Re: Open Bazaar – decentralized Bitcoin marketplace

#192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Keep in mind that OpenBazaar has been used for over a year now, and only a small minority of the trade has been illicit. Most people just want a platform where they can buy / sell in crypto and avoid marketplace fees. We built OpenBazaar to be an agnostic protocol for trade online. It's like any other protocol in that it's neutral, and people can use it how they please. I don't like the idea of people using it for im…

After digging into some Reddit comments, this reply appears to downplay the extent to which you're directly facilitating the darknet market migration. https://www.reddit.com/r/OpenBazaar/comments/6oifak/is_it_po... "Well if the devs want massive adoption and 2.0 is functional then getting it to work on tails in the next 3 months will get them that." "If someone would post an eli18 walkthrough on how to config tails s…

> It feels like Open Bazaar is poised to become the next Silk Road.

It might be a decentralized replacement for Silk Road. But there won't be central servers to take down, or owners of such to arrest. I mean, Tor devs don't get busted, do they? So rather, I'd say that it could replace centralized dark markets.

Re: Open Bazaar – decentralized Bitcoin marketplace

#194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're wrong that they are supporting illegal dark type uses. The team has background in the American intelligence community. Some people are saying their aim is to push toward a backdoored or monitorable supposed darknet.

The team has background in the American intelligence community. For what it's worth, there is a Forbes article that supports this claim: https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2016/03/16/openb... "Brian Hoffman, a former lead associate for cybersecurity at Edward Snowden's old employer Booz Allen Hamilton"

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Re: Open Bazaar – decentralized Bitcoin marketplace

#195
post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the sense that it's not clear how openbazaar developers will earn money.

They can add the fees later, when (if) it gets popular. If the fees are low enough, forking it would be too much hassle.

As an OB dev myself, I could and would remove any amount of built in fees. We can make money providing services to users without rent seeking from everyone.

Re: Open Bazaar – decentralized Bitcoin marketplace

#196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there are 2 reasons: 1.) Lack of anonymity - AFAIK it doesn't yet have integration with tor-or-similar, although this is coming soon 2.) Network effects - hardly anyone is buying or selling anything on OpenBazaar, so there's not much motivation for anyone new to move there. I hope this changes. I use eBay for almost all of my online purchases, and I would love to see the day where OpenBazaar replaces eBay for…

#1 is false since February: https://github.com/OpenBazaar/openbazaar-go/pull/342

As jstanley points out, that's our yet-to-be-released version 2. The current version 1 has no Tor support at all and never will (it uses UDP and is incompatible with Tor).

Re: Open Bazaar – decentralized Bitcoin marketplace

#197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you took a look at OpenBazaar you'd find absolutely nothing illegal for sale.

But, aren't illegal transactions at least possible under Open Bazaar? Any drug dealer could set up a store on here without any problems?

In the same way they could set up a Crack stand on the corner. It would be easy to do but wouldn't work out well for the entrepreneur.

Re: Open Bazaar – decentralized Bitcoin marketplace

#198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since you have merged PRs allowing use via Tor, you seem to be tacitly encouraging Open Bazaar to be used by those who want to hide their identity. In the wake of the recent darknet market closures, people have been saying that the drug trade might move to decentralized markets like this. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14828864 As facilitators of this technology, do you have an opinion on how it should be used?…

Why does everything have to be subject to govt control?

Because gov't tends to control everything over time, as it becomes more and more powerful. Rewind that back to the American Revolution and you'd see the federal gov't being less autocratic and states being more autonomous. The Civil War was a turning point. This is not a case with the UK however, because they did not have an equivalent of the French Revolution.

Re: Open Bazaar – decentralized Bitcoin marketplace

#199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After digging into some Reddit comments, this reply appears to downplay the extent to which you're directly facilitating the darknet market migration. https://www.reddit.com/r/OpenBazaar/comments/6oifak/is_it_po... "Well if the devs want massive adoption and 2.0 is functional then getting it to work on tails in the next 3 months will get them that." "If someone would post an eli18 walkthrough on how to config tails s…

> It feels like Open Bazaar is poised to become the next Silk Road. It might be a decentralized replacement for Silk Road. But there won't be central servers to take down, or owners of such to arrest. I mean, Tor devs don't get busted, do they? So rather, I'd say that it could replace centralized dark markets.

Interestingly, a comment below pointed out that the team has roots in the American intelligence community, and the founders live in Virginia (http://samuelrpatterson.com/about-me and https://twitter.com/brianchoffman) within a 20min drive of Langley.

I'm not sure what to make of that, but it seemed worth mentioning.

Re: Open Bazaar – decentralized Bitcoin marketplace

#200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It feels like Open Bazaar is poised to become the next Silk Road. It might be a decentralized replacement for Silk Road. But there won't be central servers to take down, or owners of such to arrest. I mean, Tor devs don't get busted, do they? So rather, I'd say that it could replace centralized dark markets.

Interestingly, a comment below pointed out that the team has roots in the American intelligence community, and the founders live in Virginia ( http://samuelrpatterson.com/about-me and https://twitter.com/brianchoffman ) within a 20min drive of Langley. I'm not sure what to make of that, but it seemed worth mentioning.

It sure is worth mentioning! But then, Snowden has similar roots. So ???

But yes, I'm sure that the code will be reviewed carefully.

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