Merge pull request #1553 from NebulousLabs/readme

Update README

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+Version History
+---------------
+
+January 2017:
+
+v1.1.0 (minor release)
+- Greatly improved upload/download speeds
+- Wallet now regularly "defragments"
+- Better contract metrics
+
+December 2016:
+
+v1.0.4 (LTS release)
+
+October 2016:
+
+v1.0.3 (patch release)
+- Greatly improved renter stability
+- Smarter HostDB
+- Numerous minor bug fixes
+
+July 2016:
+
+v1.0.1 (patch release)
+- Restricted API address to localhost
+- Fixed renter/host desynchronization
+- Fixed host silently refusing new contracts
+
+June 2016:
+
+v1.0.0 (major release)
+- Finalized API routes
+- Add optional API authentication
+- Improve automatic contract management
+
+May 2016:
+
+v0.6.0 (minor release)
+- Switched to long-form renter contracts
+- Added support for multiple hosting folders
+- Hosts are now identified by their public key
+
+January 2016:
+
+v0.5.2 (patch release)
+- Faster initial blockchain download
+- Introduced headers-only broadcasting
+
+v0.5.1 (patch release)
+- Fixed bug severely impacting performance
+- Restored (but deprecated) some siac commands
+- Added modules flag, allowing modules to be disabled
+
+v0.5.0 (minor release)
+- Major API changes to most modules
+- Automatic contract renewal
+- Data on inactive hosts is reuploaded
+- Support for folder structure
+- Smarter host
+
+October 2015:
+
+v0.4.8 (patch release)
+- Restored compatibility with v0.4.6
+
+v0.4.7 (patch release)
+- Dropped support for v0.3.3.x
+
+v0.4.6 (patch release)
+- Removed over-aggressive consistency check
+
+v0.4.5 (patch release)
+- Fixed last prominent bug in block database
+- Closed some dangling resource handles
+
+v0.4.4 (patch release)
+- Uploading is much more reliable
+- Price estimations are more accurate
+- Bumped filesize limit to 20 GB
+
+v0.4.3 (patch release)
+- Block database is now faster and more stable
+- Wallet no longer freezes when unlocked during IBD
+- Optimized block encoding/decoding
+
+September 2015:
+
+v0.4.2 (patch release)
+- HostDB is now smarter
+- Tweaked renter contract creation
+
+v0.4.1 (patch release)
+- Added support for loading v0.3.3.x wallets
+- Better pruning of dead nodes
+- Improve database consistency
+
+August 2015:
+
+v0.4.0: Second stable currency release.
+- Wallets are encrypted and generated from seed phrases
+- Files are erasure-coded and transferred in parallel
+- The blockchain is now fully on-disk
+- Added UPnP support
+
+June 2015:
+
+v0.3.3.3 (patch release)
+- Host announcements can be "forced"
+- Wallets can be merged
+- Unresponsive addresses are pruned from the node list
+
+v0.3.3.2 (patch release)
+- Siafunds can be loaded and sent
+- Added block explorer
+- Patched two critical security vulnerabilities
+
+v0.3.3.1 (hotfix)
+- Mining API sends headers instead of entire blocks
+- Slashed default hosting price
+
+v0.3.3: First stable currency release.
+- Set release target
+- Added progress bars to uploads
+- Rigorous testing of consensus code
+
+May 2015:
+
+v0.3.2: Fourth open beta release.
+- Switched encryption from block cipher to stream cipher
+- Updates are now signed
+- Added API calls to support external miners
+
+v0.3.1: Third open beta release.
+- Blocks are now stored on-disk in a database
+- Files can be shared via .sia files or ASCII-encoded data
+- RPCs are now multiplexed over one physical connection
+
+March 2015:
+
+v0.3.0: Second open beta release.
+
+Jan 2015:
+
+v0.2.0: First open beta release.
+
+Dec 2014:
+
+v0.1.0: Closed beta release.

README.md

@@ -1,55 +1,93 @@
-Sia 1.0.4
+# [![Sia Logo](http://sia.tech/img/svg/sia-green-logo.svg)](http://sia.tech) v1.1.0 (Andromeda)
 =========
 
 [![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/NebulousLabs/Sia.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/NebulousLabs/Sia)
 [![GoDoc](https://godoc.org/github.com/NebulousLabs/Sia?status.svg)](https://godoc.org/github.com/NebulousLabs/Sia)
 [![Go Report Card](https://goreportcard.com/badge/github.com/NebulousLabs/Sia)](https://goreportcard.com/report/github.com/NebulousLabs/Sia)
 
-Binaries can be found at [our website](https://sia.tech). Code for the graphical front-end can be found at the [Sia-UI](https://github.com/NebulousLabs/Sia-UI) repo.
+Sia is a new decentralized cloud storage platform that radically alters the
+landscape of cloud storage. By leveraging smart contracts, client-side
+encryption, and sophisticated redundancy (via Reed-Solomon codes), Sia allows
+users to safely store their data with hosts that they do not know or trust.
+The result is a cloud storage marketplace where hosts compete to offer the
+best service at the lowest price. And since there is no barrier to entry for
+hosts, anyone with spare storage capacity can join the network and start
+making money.
+
+Traditional cloud storage has a number of shortcomings. Users are limited to a
+few big-name offerings: Google, Microsoft, Amazon. These companies have little
+incentive to encrypt your data or make it easy to switch services later. Their
+code is closed-source, and they can lock you out of your account at any time.
+
+We believe that users should own their data. Sia achieves this by replacing
+the traditional monolithic cloud storage provider with a blockchain and a
+swarm of hosts, each of which stores an encrypted fragment of your data. Since
+the fragments are redundant, no single host can hold your data hostage: if
+they jack up their price or go offline, you can simply download from a
+different host. In other words, trust is removed from the equation, and
+switching to a different host is painless. Stripped of these unfair
+advantages, hosts must compete solely on the quality and price of the storage
+they provide.
+
+Sia can serve as a replacement for personal backups, bulk archiving, content
+distribution, and more. For developers, Sia is a low-cost alternative to
+Amazon S3. Storage on Sia is a full order of magnitude cheaper than on S3,
+with comparable bandwidth, latency, and durability. Sia works best for static
+content, especially media like videos, music, and photos.
+
+Distributing data across many hosts automatically confers several advantages.
+The most obvious is that, just like BitTorrent, uploads and downloads are
+highly parallel. Given enough hosts, Sia can saturate your bandwidth. Another
+advantage is that your data is spread across a wide geographic area, reducing
+latency and safeguarding your data against a range of attacks.
+
+It is important to note that users have full control over which hosts they
+use. You can tailor your host set for minimum latency, lowest price, widest
+geographic coverage, or even a strict whitelist of IP addresses or public
+keys.
+
+At the core of Sia is a blockchain that closely resembles Bitcoin.
+Transactions are conducted in Siacoin, a cryptocurrency. The blockchain is
+what allows Sia to enforce its smart contracts without relying on centralized
+authority. To acquire siacoins, use an exchange such as [Poloniex](https://poloniex.com), [Yunbi](https://yunbi.com), or
+[Bitsquare](https://bitsquare.io).
+
+To get started with Sia, check out the guides below:
+
+- [How to Store Data on Sia](https://medium.com/@jhowell1337/getting-started-with-private-decentralized-cloud-storage-c9565dc8c854)
+- [How to Become a Sia Host](http://blog.sia.tech/2016/05/26/how-to-run-a-host-on-sia)
+- [Using the Sia API](http://blog.sia.tech/2016/10/20/api-quickstart-guide)
 
-Sia is a new decentralized cloud storage platform aimed at giving users control
-of their data. Data is split into hundreds of erasure coded pieces and
-encrypted locally, and then each piece is uploaded to a separate host. A
-blockchain is used to create cryptographic contracts ensuring that hosts will
-only get paid if they actually store the data. Out of hundreds of hosts, only a
-fraction are required to recover the original file.
 
-Anybody can join the network as a host and get income from the storage they
-contribute. This openness allows Sia to build and take advantage of a global
-network of small datacenters. Combined with advanced algorithms for storing and
-retrieving data, Sia is poised to be a highly competitive cloud storage
-platform. More information about the technology can be found on our website and
-in the 'doc' folder of the repo.
+Usage
+-----
 
-Sia is ready for use with small sums of money and non-critical files, but until
-the network has a more proven track record, we advise against using it as a
-sole means of storing important data.
+Sia is ready for use with small sums of money and non-critical files, but
+until the network has a more proven track record, we advise against using it
+as a sole means of storing important data.
 
 This release comes with 2 binaries, siad and siac. siad is a background
-service, or "daemon," that runs the Sia protocol, and siac is a client that is
-used to interact with siad. Siad exposes an HTTP API on 'localhost:9980' which
-can be used to interact with the daemon. There is a front-end program called
-Sia-UI which can be used to interact with the daemon in a more user-friendly
-way. Documentation on the API can be found in doc/API.md.
-
-Usage
------
+service, or "daemon," that runs the Sia protocol and exposes an HTTP API on
+port 9980. siac is a command-line client that can be used to interact with
+siad in a user-friendly way. There is also a graphical client, [Sia-UI](https://github.com/NebulousLabs/Sia-UI), which
+is the preferred way of using Sia for most users. For interested developers,
+the siad API is documented [here](doc/API.md).
 
 siad and siac are run via command prompt. On Windows, you can just double-
 click siad.exe if you don't need to specify any command-line arguments.
-Otherwise, navigate to the sia folder and click File->Open command prompt.
-Then, start the siad service by entering `siad` and pressing Enter. The
-command prompt may appear to freeze; this means siad is waiting for requests.
-Windows users may see a warning from the Windows Firewall; be sure to check
-both boxes ("Private networks" and "Public networks") and click "Allow
-access." You can now run `siac` in a separate command prompt to interact with
-siad. From here, you can send money, mine blocks, upload and download
+Otherwise, navigate to its containing folder and click File->Open command
+prompt. Then, start the siad service by entering `siad` and pressing Enter.
+The command prompt may appear to freeze; this means siad is waiting for
+requests. Windows users may see a warning from the Windows Firewall; be sure
+to check both boxes ("Private networks" and "Public networks") and click
+"Allow access." You can now run `siac` (in a separate command prompt) or Sia-
+UI to interact with siad. From here, you can send money, upload and download
 files, and advertise yourself as a host.
 
 Building From Source
 --------------------
 
-To build from source, [Go 1.6 must be installed](https://golang.org/doc/install)
+To build from source, [Go 1.7 must be installed](https://golang.org/doc/install)
 on the system. Then simply use `go get`:
 
 ```
@@ -66,115 +104,3 @@ can also run `make test` and `make test-long` to run the short and full test
 suites, respectively. Finally, `make cover` will generate code coverage reports
 for each package; they are stored in the `cover` folder and can be viewed in
 your browser.
-
-Troubleshooting
----------------
-
-- I can't add storage folders on Windows.
-
-  Currently, admin privileges are required to add storage folders on Windows.
-  Close siad and run it from an admin command prompt. Future versions will not
-  require admin privileges.
-
-- I can't connect to more than 8 peers.
-
-  Once Sia has connected to 8 peers, it will stop trying to form new
-  connections, but it will still accept incoming connection requests (up to 128
-  total peers). However, if you are behind a firewall, you will not be able to
-  accept incoming connections. You must configure your firewall to allow Sia
-  connections by forwarding your ports. By default, Sia communicates on ports
-  9981 and 9982. The specific instructions for forwarding a port vary by
-  router. For more information, consult [this guide](http://portfoward.com).
-
-  Sia currently has support for UPnP. While not all routers support UPnP, a
-  majority of users should have their ports automatically forwarded by UPnP.
-
-- I mined a block, but I didn't receive any money.
-
-  There is a 144-block confirmation delay before you will receive siacoins from
-  mined blocks. If you still have not received the block reward after 144
-  blocks, it means your block did not make it into the blockchain.
-
-If your issue is not addressed above, you can get in touch with us personally:
-
-  slack: https://siatalk.slack.com (https://slackin.sia.tech for an invite)
-
-  email:
-
-  david@nebulouslabs.com
-
-  luke@nebulouslabs.com
-
-Version Information
--------------------
-
-- v1.0.0 represents a landmark in the development of Sia. In accordance with
-  semver, API compatibility will not be broken until v2.0.0, which is not on
-  the current development roadmap. In other words, developers should feel
-  confident leveraging the siad API in their own applications. When new
-  functionality is added, it will be added in a backwards-compatible manner.
-  New routes may be added, and new parameters may be added to existing routes
-  or responses, but none of the routes present in v1.0.0 will be removed, nor
-  will any of their parameters or response fields be removed.
-
-- v1.0.4 has a companion LTS release, v1.0.4-lts. Please read our [forum post](http://forum.sia.tech/topic/793/november-2016-update-roadmap)
-  for more information.
-
-Please tell us about any problems you run into, and any features you want! The
-advantage of being a beta user is that your feedback will have a large impact
-on what we do in the next few months. Thank you!
-
-Version History
----------------
-
-December 2016:
-
-v1.0.4 (LTS release)
-
-October 2016:
-
-v1.0.3 (patch release)
-- Greatly improved renter stability
-- Smarter HostDB
-- Numerous minor bug fixes
-
-July 2016:
-
-v1.0.1 (patch release)
-- Restricted API address to localhost
-- Fixed renter/host desynchronization
-- Fixed host silently refusing new contracts
-
-June 2016:
-
-v1.0.0 (major release)
-- Finalized API routes
-- Add optional API authentication
-- Improve automatic contract management
-
-May 2016:
-
-v0.6.0 (minor release)
-- Switched to long-form renter contracts
-- Added support for multiple hosting folders
-- Hosts are now identified by their public key
-
-January 2016:
-
-v0.5.2 (patch)
-- Faster initial blockchain download
-- Introduced headers-only broadcasting
-
-v0.5.1 (patch)
-- Fixed bug severely impacting performance
-- Restored (but deprecated) some siac commands
-- Added modules flag, allowing modules to be disabled
-
-v0.5.0 (minor release)
-- Major API changes to most modules
-- Automatic contract renewal
-- Data on inactive hosts is reuploaded
-- Support for folder structure
-- Smarter host
-
-For older release notes, consult the git history of this file.