Silk Road forums

Support => Feature requests => Topic started by: softserve on July 12, 2011, 11:56 pm

Title: Any way for users to contribute to development?
Post by: softserve on July 12, 2011, 11:56 pm
Many of the feature requests here would not take very much work to implement, but I'm sure the people who run SR are busy with many more pertinent issues. Is there any way we could crowdsource development of the site? I understand that there are security risks involved with releasing the source code of the site, but there are a number of users on here with enough programming/scripting experience to implement many of the feature requests described.

Is there some way we could start a development project on a duplicate of the SR site that has sensitive portions of code obfuscated or removed? Any proposed code changes could then be approved by a coder panel (and owners, of course) before being implemented. Doing this could also potentially improve the security of the site since most SR users are security-minded and have huge incentive to make sure SR is as secure as possible for buyers/sellers.
Title: Re: Any way for users to contribute to development?
Post by: Rook on July 13, 2011, 12:00 am
This would be awesome.  Although it sounds pretty dangerous too :/
Title: Re: Any way for users to contribute to development?
Post by: SR_Seller_Accounts on July 20, 2011, 08:32 am
haha this thread made me laugh IRL
Title: Re: Any way for users to contribute to development?
Post by: peaceloveharmony on July 20, 2011, 09:26 am
I understand that there are security risks involved with releasing the source code of the site, but there are a number of users on here with enough programming/scripting experience to implement many of the feature requests described.

Releasing the source code brings more security because more people audit the code for problems.
Things which depend on secrets to be secure are pseudo secure in the best case and are designed to be broken.
Title: Re: Any way for users to contribute to development?
Post by: phubaiblues on July 20, 2011, 06:28 pm
I think we're talking about different things here.  Open Source is fine.  But people's lives and freedom are at stake here, and we don't need anything done that might jeopardize that.  Last I heard SR wasn't asking for input from coders, and I hope he keeps it that way.  We don't know who's who on here, and never will.  HIs strength is in his secrecy.  This whole *site* is based upon that. 

Just like libertarians--like me--who start wanting site to sell weaponry and other shit, to prove some kind of point, we have to not indulge ourselves here.  We can't tell a blackhat coder from a whitehat, and we certainly can't separate the outlaws from the sheriffs, so don't jeopardize site just to prove we are open source purists.  You don't go to prison for using open source software.  But you do go to prison for selling drugs, and at that point, no one will give a shit what kind of wonderful hacking philosophy we had.
Title: Re: Any way for users to contribute to development?
Post by: peaceloveharmony on July 20, 2011, 08:23 pm
People hacking sites give a fuck if the source is open or not, they will find their ways if they have enough interest in doing so and most of them dont read any source code anyway. Opening the source gives also legit people the opportunity to audit the code and make it more secure.
I personally would never trust my freedom to something closed because something is only secure if everyone who wants can proof that it is really secure. Else its just hoping.
Title: Re: Any way for users to contribute to development?
Post by: rake on July 20, 2011, 10:37 pm

I personally would never trust my freedom to something closed because something is only secure if everyone who wants can proof that it is really secure. Else its just hoping.

You shouldn't use generalizations because IRL you have used plenty of closed source systems.  Do you have the source code to that ATM that gives you money?  What about the ECU on your car, or the control systems of your electricity provider, Social Security DB code, the list is endless.

But if your statement is truly correct does this mean your leaving us?
Title: Re: Any way for users to contribute to development?
Post by: peaceloveharmony on July 20, 2011, 11:15 pm
You shouldn't use generalizations because IRL you have used plenty of closed source systems.  Do you have the source code to that ATM that gives you money?  What about the ECU on your car, or the control systems of your electricity provider, Social Security DB code, the list is endless.

But if your statement is truly correct does this mean your leaving us?

None of this things is in any point connected to my freedom  . The same is true for visiting this forum or buying drugs in amounts up to 100-200 doses where i live.

I also have no problem with closed source software, but i wouldnt put my freedom in its hands and my point was just that releasing the source of the site would make it more secure and not the opposite. But if not its still fine as you can use your own security techniques which can resist even if the site is run on a DEA server because they are mathematically proofed to be correct which is just not possible with secret things.
Title: Re: Any way for users to contribute to development?
Post by: btcfreedom on July 21, 2011, 02:47 pm
You shouldn't use generalizations because IRL you have used plenty of closed source systems.  Do you have the source code to that ATM that gives you money?  What about the ECU on your car, or the control systems of your electricity provider, Social Security DB code, the list is endless.

But if your statement is truly correct does this mean your leaving us?

None of this things is in any point connected to my freedom  . The same is true for visiting this forum or buying drugs in amounts up to 100-200 doses where i live.

I also have no problem with closed source software, but i wouldnt put my freedom in its hands and my point was just that releasing the source of the site would make it more secure and not the opposite. But if not its still fine as you can use your own security techniques which can resist even if the site is run on a DEA server because they are mathematically proofed to be correct which is just not possible with secret things.


+1 Rake.

@peaceloveandharmony

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Holy shit what are you smoking. Can I have the vendor's name? I need a QP of it right now