231400+ entries in 0.147s

mircea_popescu: but any any rate, i
think
this discussion's exhausted itself, we'll have
to see later on what we do about
this.
mircea_popescu: ~so long as we ban niggers, politics will work ok. sure,
the issue is how
to ban
them.
mircea_popescu: actually, because of how we build
the presses, ALL contexts are "so short" as
this one ; in
the sense
the antecedent hash always suffices.
mircea_popescu: this is because
the "same" string (Foo Genesis, modified.) is NOT
THE SAME string, depending on
the contemplated context. it is a string in 846fdf... and ANOTHER string in whatever other context.
mircea_popescu: i was supposed
to go sha512(#846fdfb9d99724efbc97b1d2b519a221df9724dec3375c54913c1853af221c8e5ad5b5b8c38fffe4b654066071eafd8194fe7b86faa5fbadfbf1c5b872e81410 "Foo Genesis, modified.")
mircea_popescu: no, because when I hashed
to check your hashes i went sha512("Foo Genesis, modified.")
mircea_popescu: so
then all strings S must incluide
the antecedent hash. and in
this definition string S = foo.txt ; nothing else.
mircea_popescu: then
therefore, do you agree with
the proposition
that signing S as long as S consists strtictly of computer code with no indication of context is a meaningless at best and dangerous at worst activity ?
mircea_popescu: let me approach
this matter from a different pov. do you agree
that a string S consisting of computer code can be, depending on
the context in which it is patched,
the right
thing or a deliberate subversion ?
mircea_popescu: i don't actually see any of
these.
to start with, "hash everything" is exactly not what was done in
the example. it hashed ~the
text~, it did not hash ~the antecessor's hash~.
this is
the problem.
that it doesn't hash everything, but just
the
text.
mircea_popescu: pff. all items are later
than all other items whose hashes
they know.
mircea_popescu: yes.
this is
the point -
that order can be introduced by hashing. all items are earlier
than all other items whose hashes
they know.
mircea_popescu: earlier a knowing later b's hash is equivalent
to either
time
travel or hash breaking.
mircea_popescu: it's not altogether clear why
the "hash whole
thing, not just parts like fucking bitcoin blocks do" isn't a better solution. moves
the clock externality
to a strong hash externality
mircea_popescu: yes but
this is one of
those
things you eminently do not wish
to solve by human arbitrariety i dun
think.
mircea_popescu: but in any case,
turns out v actually has a previously poorly understood externality, in
the sense of, requires a clock.
mircea_popescu: again :
there's no point in discussing solutions as part of discussing problems.
mircea_popescu: because a) conventionally cycle-closing patches aren't
to be released and b) anyone involved in a closed cycle gets hung ?
mircea_popescu: in any case i don't want
to discuss problems in a marriage with proposed solutions.
mircea_popescu: well
this immediately is problematic, because a cycle could be claimed
to have been closed more
than one way, is
the point.
mircea_popescu: asciilifeform so your contention here is
that it is not possible
to link a
to g
through a (b..f) set of patches such
that (b..f) is a cycle and
that
two different paths exist from g
to a ?
mircea_popescu: i'm not making a positive argument here, and haven't
throughout. just
trying
to examine
this
thing.
mircea_popescu: you also get guaranteed limited production of patches
to 1 per block.
mircea_popescu: (similarly, from a different pov - does
this scheme open up cycle-negrate-arbutrage whereby an attacker could go around closing cycles and hoping we misidentify
the culprit because of
timing issues ?)
mircea_popescu: see, basically
the fear here is
that we DON'T escape
the "swelf aware monstrosity" no matter what we do ; we may merely choose whether its in
the comments or "somewhere else" magically.
mircea_popescu: well yes, but if you do hash mine for
them we change
the hash.
mircea_popescu: if all patches are required
to change a comment line in all files
they
touch, so
that it contains
the hash of
that patch's intended antecessor ;
then it is no longer possible
to build cycles without deliberately hash-mining for
them (because
to close
the cycle you will have
to at one point claim as anterior an ulterior item).
mircea_popescu: so
then why not make it so
they are actually impossible ?
mircea_popescu: yes but why should
this be enforced at
the promise level.
mircea_popescu: this is fine, but
the question is whether
the specification as extent is correct
mircea_popescu: suppose we had a rule stating
that "all patches must include as a comment
the patch upon
they are
to be applied" ?
☟︎ mircea_popescu: yes. so what started all of
this in my head, i been
trying
to lead like
three
times with "but
the problem is :" - we may have a very bitcoin block-esque problem on our hands. specifically,
the fact
that
the hash of a block doth not include
the intended hash of its antecessor opens up
to a problem we needn't be open
to.