Before joining Second, nostr:nprofile1qyxhwumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmvqy0hwumn8ghj7mn0wd68yttjv4kxz7fwvf5hgcm0d9hzumnfde4xzqpqgxr0nutz03u7rgquguq2sk24nzygtvq08a5malyu4epjaxhzae8q65hmk7 did stellar work with nostr:nprofile1qy88wumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmv9uq32amnwvaz7tmjv4kxz7fwv3sk6atn9e5k7tcqyzxy3sjmjn0jwp4hq2gpc24mtkq9cgkyff2t0ufpcums0cr378gas5c4mnp on Lightning protocol development. Nice profile on his work below.
"Being a grantee at Btrust was, first and foremost, the best grantee experience I had throughout my grant-funded open source development career so far."
https://blog.btrust.tech/celebrating-duncan-deans-journey-with-btrust/
Full three-minute update here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-aZlS7a6NM
Rapid progress being made by nostr:nprofile1qyxhwumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmvqywhwumn8ghj7mn0wd68yttsw43zuam9d3kx7unyv4ezumn9wsqzpde3ulaauhqe94unlafq5mkfra5ktawclgdkfcfpwyyf5e09gpf9xf2hhn with his Bark-based Arké wallet, which now has an iOS companion under development to complement the macOS app.
Our software is all open source, with one conspicuous exception. We fixed that today (after a bit of spring cleaning!). The code for our signet faucet and test store is now available on GitLab!
https://gitlab.com/ark-bitcoin/faucet
Merry Christmas! Wishing you a peaceful holiday from everyone at Second (and Byte).
Ark is how you prepare and we’re making it easy.
We've been wanting nested MuSig for a while now, so we can distribute Ark server keys and improve security. The problem is, it's specialized cryptographic work that we probably don't have within the team.
Jesse Posner (Vora founder) approached us with a solution: fund a grant for Beulah Evangelin to build it. Beulah's already contributing to secp256k1-zkp, just finished Chaincode Labs' secp256k1 workshop, and is perfect for the job.
So we're funding the grant. Jesse/Vora will provide ongoing mentorship. And Beulah's nested MuSig implementation will go into libsecp256k1-zkp as open source, so any project can use it. It's going to be particularly valuable for layer 2s, e.g., Vora needs it for their Lightning implementation too.
Full details: https://blog.second.tech/nested-musig-grant/
We're hiring.
Like tinkering on bitcoin software? We need someone to help us build app prototypes and POCs on Bark. Non-stop "hackathons", publishing open-source, and posting your progress publicly.
Normally bitcoin companies need to be cautious with vibe coding. For this role, we want you to go nuts with it.
More details and application link at nostr:nprofile1qqsvwegzupdp6c3aehjrkruyv7wf905m54krvq86ynu5u99t36yehdcxqs7a2: https://bitcoinerjobs.com/job/1975320-devrel-engineer-second
If you're in Mauritius for @`Btrust`'s Dev Day tomorrow, don't miss @`dunxen`'s session on how Bark makes adding self-custodial Lightning to your apps simple.
Another new project building on Bark. 
https://github.com/HalFinneyIsMyHomeBoy/bark-wallet-frontend
Some really neat send payment UX going into nostr:nprofile1qyxhwumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmvqywhwumn8ghj7mn0wd68yttsw43zuam9d3kx7unyv4ezumn9wsqzpde3ulaauhqe94unlafq5mkfra5ktawclgdkfcfpwyyf5e09gpf9xf2hhn Arké wallet, based on some patterns established in nostr:nprofile1qyxhwumn8ghj7cnjvghxjme0qyt8wumn8ghj7etyv4hzumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgtcqyzxznvep6reuvy6r3qh2f93raprhz6gv6ptxus9epuywt56rx642qa309x5. By integrating with Bark, a wide range of payment formats are available immediately across Lightning, Ark, and on-chain.
Video demo of Arké's send page dynamically reacting to what's held in the clipboard—fewer clicks and less to think about for the user: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-c8DuGe9Qk
Why Rust? Memory safety isn't optional when you're handling people's bitcoin. Type safety catches bugs at compile-time that would be runtime disasters in other languages. Performance matters too when you're processing hundreds of signatures per round.
Self custody is going to get a lot easier.
The LSP business model has issues—high capital requirements, unpredictable revenue, complex liquidity management. Ark servers are simpler to operate and more capital efficient for similar use cases. We expect competition between the two models will drive better services for users.
Open source means anyone can fork our code and improve. We want that. If someone builds improvements on our Ark implementation, the ecosystem wins. Competition between implementations drives quality up for everyone.
Arké update 4, about native contacts, contact auto-assignment, a new console, and lots of little layout and convenience things. Still a major construction site, still progress. https://community.second.tech/t/arke-macos-prototype/156/9
I saw some people comment on the BIP-177 by default thing. Something I plan to get around to at some point and add options to choose from. Just not priority right now.
New updates from the Bark-based Arké wallet:
- Tight integration with macOS's Contacts app (handled locally and privately!).
- Improved tagging management UX
- Lots of design refinements across send and receive
Our goal isn't replacing Lightning. It's ensuring every bitcoin user can access Lightning without needing to become a node operator. Ark is the gateway—you hold a self-custodial balance, pay Lightning invoices when needed, no channel management required.
During a round, the Ark server + users construct a tx tree. Each leaf of the tree is controlled by a single user.
The root of the tree is broadcast on-chain (the round tx). Once confirmed, each user has verifiable assurance they can unilaterally retrieve their bitcoin on-chain.
Kept you waiting, huh?
(We're finally on Nostr)
