Cryptocurrency transactions

[jeremyckahn]

Chitchatter should support cryptocurrency transactions.

This was initially suggested in #162.

[jeremyckahn]

This article may be a useful guide for implementing this functionality.

[dillfrescott]

Can this be something that's not like "in your face" so to speak when you implement it? I like crypto, I really think its neat, but a lot of apps that have blockchain integration or crypto features seem a bit gimmicky to me. Id just hate it to start converting into a crypto oriented app or try to be too many things at once.

[dillfrescott]

Sorry if that sounds harsh or rude, I dont mean it that way, but ive seen multiple open source projects purposely sway away from crypto oriented designs because there are indeed a lot of scams that can revolve around the crypto scene and/or dealing with money.

[jeremyckahn]

Can this be something that's not like "in your face" so to speak when you implement it? I like crypto, I really think its neat, but a lot of apps that have blockchain integration or crypto features seem a bit gimmicky to me. Id just hate it to start converting into a crypto oriented app or try to be too many things at once.

That's a fair point, and I agree. FWIW, I also think cryptocurrency is technologically interesting but I have strong reservations about the culture surrounding it. I added this ticket because crypto transactions seem like functionality that a lot of people who use Chitchatter would get value out of (and there was a request for it). Chitchatter is meant to make anonymously and privately connecting with people as simple as possible, and it seems reasonable to call performing financial transactions a part of that. I suppose it's subjective, but that's how I feel about it at the moment.

In any case, I intend to be thoughtful about how this is incorporated into the UX. Chitchatter isn't going to become part of the Web3 hype machine if I have anything to say about it. :)

Sorry if that sounds harsh or rude, I dont mean it that way, but ive seen multiple open source projects purposely sway away from crypto oriented designs because there are indeed a lot of scams that can revolve around the crypto scene and/or dealing with money.

No worries, I didn't take it that way! It's good to get this kind of feedback early on, so thank you for sharing it. I know what you mean about crypto having a toxic effect on a lot of what it touches, and I'd like to avoid that with Chitchatter.

[dillfrescott]

Wow yes I very much agree! Crypto seems to be much like certain medications. Okay in regular or small amounts but lethal when overused so to speak.

Im glad that you are shying away from making it a web3 app. I think that there are already a lot of payment exchanges out there that can be shared with a link in chat, but having one built-in could come in handy I suppose.

The whole NFT thing really put me off about the legitimacy of a lot of these sites and with Bittrex going bankrupt and social media getting bombarded by "Elon Musk SpaceX bitcoin scams"; it really isn't painting a good name for crypto right now.

Im sure there will be people who are die-hard crypto fans, but It's important to take a step back and realize the direction things are headed as well.

I think overall, you are making a great choice on gatekeeping what this app will become, because I really like it a lot and would hate for it to head off in a more niche direction than just an app that I can use with my friends to talk and hangout.

[jeremyckahn]

Thank you @dillfrescott! If this does get implemented, it seems reasonable to allow for disabling crypto functionality via an environment variable so forks like yours can go without it. That way everyone can get what they want. :)

[dillfrescott]

Actually thats a great idea!

[Mindires]

Why not try using DAO for decentralized governance of multi-person chat? Of course this should require #249. I guess this makes more sense than supporting cryptocurrency trading.

[jeremyckahn]

Why not try using DAO for decentralized governance of multi-person chat?

I’m not a crypto person, so I don’t understand what that means. 😅

After thinking about this issue a bit more, it seems that integrating Metamask et al. should deliver the functionality that’s desired here. That should enable Chitchatter to largely avoid the complexities of implementing crypto transactions.

How does that sound to others?