The same people who will come for your Bitcoin
Wut?
GPL is not state-protected?
We all live under threat of violence. We can't just pretend it's not there. Adapt.
Building non-FOSS source-available tools helps the builders get paid for their work, while still providing the transparency needed for verification, as well as providing the possibility of guerilla underground reproduction of the tools if the government shuts the project down. Most source-available tools are free to use for anything except resale. Not only coinkite but also Start9 and Umbrel are non-FOSS source-available. These are badass cypherpunk tools. Without the freedom to license themselves according to their needs, some of these projects may not even exist at all.
Cheers 🍻 🤙
Yes it would be null.
I think source-available Bitcoin wallets are fine. I don't see why they need to FOSS vs source-available.
Well the easiest thing to point to is their move away from GPL license. That may seem insignificant to the uninitiated, but its a literal maneuver of theirs to take their product out of the FOSS space. Essentially they have transitioned from fostering open software ecosystem to leeching off of open source projects and building a proprietary walled garden. Its anti-FOSS. Its anti-Bitcoin.
You can also see NVK's ad-hominem attacks against other FOSS "competitors". Calling other hardware wallets, software wallets, even calling Android itself a shitcoin. Everything that isn't making NVK money is a shitcoin in NVK's eyes. He does this to tap into Bcoiner's strong anti-shitcoin mentality (which exists for a good reason), but in effect manipulates Bitcoiners into becoming COINKITE maximalists too. Ironically being a maximalist for a tool like a hardware wallet is antithetical to being a maximalist for a protocol like Bitcoin. The latter actually makes sense. The former is backasswards.
But really... if you haven't been following, or havent noticed the NVK rhetoric, then give nostr:npub1tr4dstaptd2sp98h7hlysp8qle6mw7wmauhfkgz3rmxdd8ndprusnw2y5g's thread a read. He outlines it better than me.
Yeah I read the thread and I have kind of half-followed this whole drama for awhile. I don't think there's anything wrong with transitioning off a FOSS license and providing non-FOSS products. Maybe NVK has been a jerk and I would say calling forkers "cloners" is lame, but I'm just not really moved by any of this mudslinging.
I own several COINKITE products, including multiple ColdCards. They are awesome... but there are other good choices out there too.
Unfortunately COINKITE's recent anti-FOSS maneuvers are legitimately troubling. nostr:npub1az9xj85cmxv8e9j9y80lvqp97crsqdu2fpu3srwthd99qfu9qsgstam8y8calls anything he disagrees with a shitcoin, and builds a cult of blind followers. Its a dangerous path that has made me question the integrity of the project. They've basically become Ledger -- rotten to the core.
At minimum I stopped taking firmware updates for my coldcards a while ago. I also have no intention of buying anymore COINKITE products, and no longer recommend them to new users.
Can you tell us more about the anti-FOSS manouvers?
I don't know about all the backstory, but as a lover of open source licenses, I don't think it needs to be used for everything. And nothing I've seen from coinkite makes me think Coldcard is anything but an awesome, transparent, and auditable product - including anything in Seth's thread.
Cats are correct. Salad is lame.
I had not updated in awhile. Not seeing this issue after update.
