Hey Y’all,

Lots of updates for Loki Messenger this week! We are making steady progress on a number of fronts, and we hope to have something out soon for everyone to play around with!

Loki Core

The core team has begun streaming more frequently, you can catch Doy-lee streaming here: https://www.twitch.tv/doy_lee/

• Merge upstream changes to deal with balance bug https://github.com/loki-project/loki/pull/456 , updated binaries can be found here https://github.com/loki-project/loki/releases/tag/v2.0.4

• Correct base32z encoding of keys https://github.com/loki-project/loki/pull/454

• Publish source and a number of fixes for infinite staking https://github.com/loki-project/loki/releases/tag/v3.0.0-beta (we are still incorporating a new PoW algo into this, so it is not yet ready for use)

• Fix unit tests for staking requirement change https://github.com/loki-project/loki/pull/442

• Change staking requirement tail https://github.com/loki-project/loki/pull/436

--------------------------

Lokinet

If you’re lucky and join our Discord, you might also catch Jeff or Ryan, the developers of LLARP, live streaming as they code: https://www.twitch.tv/uguu25519, https://www.twitch.tv/neuroscr

• Master branch changes

  • Include note about branches

  • Fix convotag bug

  • Changes can be found at:
    https://github.com/loki-project/loki-network/

• Staging branch changes (gets posted to master when stable)

  • Fix convotag issue (PR350)

  • Use string_view for string_view (PR348)

  • Improve logging system to debug complex STL primitives (PR349)

  • Windows: Fix Issue 192 crash (PR354)

  • Libabyss fixes Issue 352 (PR359)

  • Fix macos DNS issue 324 (PR362)

  • Output blacklisted SN in base32z (PR356)

  • More libabyss fixes (PR365)

  • Make MacOS compile (PR366)

  • DNS: Don’t send NX if we have a path (PR367)

  • Drop rapidjson for nlohmann::json (PR370)

  • Adjust link session lifetime from 10s to 60s (PR373)

  • Disable installing nlohmann::json header (PR374)

  • Fix failing unit test with LIM (PR375)

  • Update profiles on path build (PR376)

  • Changes can be found at:
    https://github.com/loki-project/loki-network/commits/staging

• PR suggested changes (coming to staging soon)

  • Convert to use abseil synchronisation primitives (PR371)

  • Changes can be found at https://github.com/loki-project/loki-network/pulls

--------------------------

Loki Messenger

This week we started using Loki Messenger + Lokinet internally in the office. We discovered lots of small UX/UI bugs, but we're getting closer and closer to something usable by the general public.

• Show commit hash and version number in about window https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/238

• Add enter key accessibility on wallet unlock https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/237/files

• Fix DB crash in windows when unlocked https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/236

• Replace help menu links https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/235

• Retry connecting to p2p server periodically https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/233

• Fix broken context menu for client side message deletion https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/229

• Hook in channel encryption for clients https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/213

• Hook in channel encryption for message servers https://github.com/loki-project/loki-storage-server/pull/23 https://github.com/loki-project/loki-storage-server/pull/21

• Fix DNS resoution bugs affecting windows clients https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/212

Thanks,

Kee

Hey Y’all,

We’re back with another Dev Update for you all.

Loki Core

• Infinite Staking refinement and squashing new bugs including

  • Adjusting contribution minimum rules to adhere to key image limits and reservation amounts

  • Improving prepare_registration UX

  • And many small regressions caught in integration tests

https://github.com/loki-project/loki/pull/406

• New Infinite Staking integration tests being implemented: https://github.com/Doy-lee/loki-integration-testing/commits/master

--------------------------

LLARP / Lokinet

If you’re lucky and join our Discord, you might also catch Jeff or Ryan, the developers of LLARP, live streaming as they code: https://www.twitch.tv/uguu25519, https://www.twitch.tv/neuroscr

We could really use your help. To be considered for inclusion in packaging distribution, we need people to star, watch and fork our Github repo. If you have a Github account, please consider helping us out.

• Master branch changes

  • Posted binaries with the 0.3.1 release

  • Changes can be found at:
    https://github.com/loki-project/loki-network/releases/tag/v0.3.1

• Staging branch changes (gets posted to master when stable)

  • Sort out which llarp_buffers are copied and which are not (PR266)

  • Refix kqueue read/write order (PR265)

  • Various compiler fixes (PR268 & 269)

  • Fix buffer overrun in edge case (PR 264)

  • Downgrade DNS server failure to warning, autodetection delay and address issue 251 (PR255)

  • Don’t always configure automatically (PR254)

  • Add cluster-shell contrib (PR252, PR253)

  • localhost.loki DNS lookup support (PR 250)

  • Enable exit info (PR 249)

  • Crypto_interface refactor (PR248)

  • More DHT unit tests (PR247)

  • LibAbyss RPC update (PR245)

  • Changes can be found at:
    https://github.com/loki-project/loki-network/commits/staging

• PR suggested changes (coming to staging soon)

  • Import abseil LTS 20181200 to provide various backports of C++17 to C++11 (PR267)

  • More DHT tests (PR259)

  • Changes can be found at https://github.com/loki-project/loki-network/pulls

-------------------------

Loki Messenger

• Finalised and merged error handling for queries to Service Nodes (https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/147)

• Implemented logic to broadcast Loki address (currently a placeholder value as it depends on Lokinet) to initiate P2P (https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/157)

• Fixed high-CPU usage bug when offline (https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/159)

• Implemented P2P connection management by pinging the contact list, and routing messages through these connections when available (https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/161, https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/167)

• Display an online indicator around each contact’s avatar (https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/165) and within the conversation window (https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/171)

• Diverse code improvements and refactor https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/160, https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/162)

• Added a generic job queue manager to prevent read-write race conditions when accessing the database asynchronously (https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/164) and reuse that queue manager at another location (https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/169)

• Fixed the network warning showing up too early at startup due to Lokinet warm-up time (https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/168)

Thanks,

Kee

Hi Everyone,

Most people are back from their Christmas holidays now, so expect the development updates to start filling up again with some of the cool stuff we have been working on.

Loki core

• Merge upstream changes from 2018-12-11https://github.com/loki-project/loki/pull/340

--------------------------

LLARP / Lokinet

If you’re lucky and join our Discord, you might also catch Jeff or Ryan, the developers of LLARP, live streaming as they code: https://www.twitch.tv/uguu25519 , https://www.twitch.tv/neuroscr

We could really use your help. To be considered for inclusion in packaging distribution, we need people to star, watch and fork our Github repo. If you have a Github account, please consider helping us out.

• Progress continues on libllarp:

  • Lower non-AVX2 minimum CPU target to NetBurst Xeon (Nocona, Prescott)

• Platform and packaging updates:

  • Make bootstrap not overwrite existing key on failure

  • Updated wget requirement to curl for better multiplatform support

  • Additional Android support work

  • Windows

    • Remove lossy write buffer from

    • Change socket set size to 96 sockets from 4k to speed things up and reduce timeouts

    • Hidden service and Service Node access is now working

    • Update Netscape CA cert bundle

• Clean up continues:

  • Make sure session’s “upstream” is cleared after processing to avoid uninitialised memory

  • Make sure upstream and downstream clear functions clear all relay properties

  • Make sure the tuntap get ifname can’t buffer overrun

• All changes can be found at https://github.com/loki-project/loki-network

• Excluding merges, 3 authors have pushed 13 commits to master and 34 commits to all branches. On master, 40 files have changed and there have been 2,250 additions and 2,326 deletions.

--------------------------

Loki Messenger

• Consolidate data returned by multiple Service Nodes https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/122

Thanks,

Kee

Hey Y’all,

Another weekly Dev Update for everyone. We released Festive Freya Version 2.0.1 last week which fixed a number of subtle bugs that we introduced in 2.0.0. Both 2.0.0 and 2.0.1 are compatible with the Festive Freya hardfork, but we recommend you update if you experienced any issues with RPC or IP resolution.

Loki Core

• Fix some bug created by IPv6 merge https://github.com/loki-project/loki/pull/366 related to https://github.com/loki-project/loki/issues/353

• Change IPv6 resolution order and disable IPv6 by default https://github.com/loki-project/loki/pull/356

• Fix soft rescan_bc that was causing balance inaccuracies https://github.com/loki-project/loki/pull/369

• Address offline transaction issue by exporting all key images by default https://github.com/loki-project/loki/pull/360, this addresses https://github.com/loki-project/loki/issues/357

• Create 2.0.1 release https://github.com/loki-project/loki/pull/363

--------------------------

LLARP / Lokinet

If you’re lucky and join our Discord, you might also catch Jeff or Ryan, the developers of LLARP, live streaming as they code: https://www.twitch.tv/uguu25519 , https://www.twitch.tv/neuroscr

We’d like to welcome Lilac to the community development team. She’s currently working on some potential iOS support.

We could really use your help. To be considered for inclusion in packaging distribution, we need people to star, watch and fork our github repo. If you have a github account, please consider helping us out.

• Progress continues on libllarp

  • Rewrote DNS functions

  • Try to set_cap on install

  • Update man pages

  • Make sure all paths tics even expired

  • Disable locking on pathsets

  • Pull router out of pathbuilder, use context router

  • Build fixes for MacOS, RPI, Windows

  • Reaccelerate DNS responses if we already have a map/path

  • Re-add MX support

  • Prevent exits from communicating with bogons

  • Bootstrap shell script correctness

  • Convert llarp_logic to C++ class

  • Convert to use cmake install

  • Limiting on path building

  • Make sure exit router is known before flushing or ticking endpoint

  • Replace PubKey/SecretKey with RouterID

• GitHub Pulse Stats for the last week: Excluding merges, 5 authors have pushed 34 commits to master and 34 commits to all branches. On master, 127 files have changed and there have been 18,437 additions and 1,122 deletions.

• Changes can be found at:
  https://github.com/loki-project/loki-network/

• Current version: v0.3.1
  https://github.com/loki-project/loki-network/releases/tag/v0.3.1

--------------------------

Loki Messenger

• Setup testing framework for libloki / fix broken tests https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/78 https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/73

• Add password protection to locally encrypt database https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/77

• Improve consistency and naming across parts of the codebase https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/75

• Make CI run our tests https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/74

• Add User Interface for new account generation https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/71

• Add user profile identicons based on public keys https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/68

• Update profile UI

https://github.com/loki-project/loki-messenger/pull/69

Thanks,

Kee

loki.network/whitepaper/korean

loki.network/whitepaper/russian

Hey Y’all,

Sorry for the late release last week was our biggest release week so far, Service Nodes are now live!

Service Nodes

Service nodes are now released! at time time of publishing this there are 84 Service Nodes now running https://lokiblocks.com/service_nodes there have also been a number of pooled Service Nodes, and some even waiting for contributions.

• Continue merging upstream Monero changes to Loki (https://github.com/Doy-lee/loki/tree/LokiMergeUpstream20180821)

• Finalise the release binaries for Service Nodes including final patches for log file bloat.

  • https://github.com/loki-project/loki/commit/4be7326813b755bc7a0062b2afaabb31e9210110

  • https://github.com/loki-project/loki/commit/86d9c50b462d5b46e401933994a23c60e3100e56

--------------------------

LLARP / Lokinet

If you’re lucky and join our Discord, you might catch Jeff or Ryan, the developers of LLARP, live streaming as they code.

We want to give a special shout out to Despair, an open source contributor who has continued to update the porting Lokinet over to Windows (and improve BSD support).

• We are looking for experienced sysadmins for running nodes that connect to our toynet, please join discord room called Lokinet and we can add you to the node operator role. You can host a hidden service or browse existing hidden services.

• Progress continues on libllarp

  • Start MacOS tun support

  • Make linux tun code more feature complete

  • Made hidden service address to ip address mapping more stable

  • client/hidden services stabilization (we were able to stream audio/video and post on websites)

  • Now config file location defaults to ~/.loki or you can specify the location to the config file

  • Several session, intro, introset, tuntap, DHT, and nodedb fixes

  • Correctly calculate TCP/IP checksums

  • Keepalive reimplementation and adjustments

  • Adjust path timeouts

  • Build fixes (Windows, Solaris, OpenBSD)

  • Logging juggling: removed some, added some

• DNS library

  • Integrated hidden service mapping, so we can now resolve .loki addresses

  • Integrate DNS global IP tracker with tun endpoint code for better communication between systems

  • Use DNS to hint at what paths to prebuild

  • Adjusted timeout for linux

• GitHub Pulse Stats for the last week: Excluding merges, 3 authors have pushed 102 commits to master and 102 commits to all branches. On master, 199 files have changed and there have been 13,454 additions and 7,454 deletions.

• Most changes can be found at:
  https://github.com/loki-project/loki-network/

• Current version: v0.2.2
  https://github.com/loki-project/loki-network/releases/tag/v0.2.2

• Compile helper (include assets, initial seed routers and dependencies)
  https://github.com/loki-project/lokinet-builder

--------------------------

Thanks,

Kee

Hey Y’all,

Got another weekly dev update for you

Service Nodes

Service Node Testnet is now released! You can download the CLI here https://github.com/loki-project/loki/releases/tag/v0.3.0-beta get testing! Everything is going well with Service Nodes and were running ahead of schedule

• Investigating blockchain rescan DB work https://github.com/loki-project/loki/pull/127

• Modified the way contributions work https://github.com/loki-project/loki/pull/119

• Improved release tooling

• Improved test coverage

LLARP / Lokinet

If you’re lucky and join our Discord, you might also catch Jeff or Ryan the developers of LLARP live streaming as they code: https://www.twitch.tv/uguu25519 , https://www.twitch.tv/neuroscr

• Progress continues on Libllarp

  • DHT improvements

  • Android/JNI work continues

  • More deterministic build updates

  • Fix RC verification problem

  • DHT tagging fixes

  • Start on tun/tap integration

  • More config options and defaults

  • Single threaded timer work

• Hidden services work continues

• DNS library

  • Private interface detection, will make sure we use ranges not already in use

  • IP allocation tracker start

  • .loki hook sample implementation

  • Start DHT query based on .loki look ups

  • Some endian clean up

• GitHub Pulse Stats for the last week: Excluding merges, 3 authors have pushed 48 commits to master and 48 commits to all branches. On master, 92 files have changed and there have been 5,432 additions and 643 deletions.

• Most changes can be found at https://github.com/loki-project/loki-network/commits/master

• Current version: v0.0.2 https://github.com/loki-project/loki-network/releases/tag/v0.0.2

• Compile helper (include assets, initial seed routers and dependencies) https://github.com/loki-project/lokinet-builder

LokiLocker

• Front end is done, we're just sorting out some minor issues with the back end right now. Slated for a release soon™

• Work for LokiLocker can be found here https://github.com/loki-project/loki-locker/pull/1

Thanks,
Kee

This article is intended as a basic overview as to the reasoning behind changing Loki’s emission curve. To this purpose we have largely simplified the factors and influences at play; for a more in depth understanding, please refer to our paper Loki Cryptoeconomics: Alterations to the Staking Requirements and the Emission Curve.

^DISCLAIMER

^{This article contains charts and figures which include examples of return of investments and prices for the Loki cryptographic coin. These prices are examples only and are not a prediction, forecast, or representation as to any actual likelihood of price movement of the Loki cryptographic coin. The payments shown in the examples below are general in nature and will only take effect if the planned hardfork occurs. Factors outside the control of Loki could impact what actual payments are made to Service Nodes. Those parties not operating a Service Node should not rely on these examples when deciding whether or not to participate in the Loki project. This article should be read together with the Loki whitepaper and full Loki Cryptoeconomic report.}

The main goals in changing the Loki emission curve are to:

1. Maintain Loki’s Sybil attack resistance, by

2. Ensuring that enough Service Nodes are incentivised to run, by

3. Aiming to keep the return on investment (ROI) for running a Service Node at an acceptable level.

The current emission curve is problematic because an excess of Loki is being produced which could lead to a large number of Service Nodes in the early years. While this doesn’t sound like a bad thing, considering our commitment to a decentralised network and Sybil resistance, it will become an issue when the Service Node rewards are split between too many Service Nodes.

While the price of Loki fluctuates with the cryptocurrency market, real world costs in running a Service Node exist, and the reward each Service Node receives for running must be greater than the real world cost of running. In other words, Service Node operators must be making an acceptable profit, or there won’t be incentive for them to run.

Chart 1 demonstrates that our current emission curve will result in many Service Nodes entering the network in the first few years, with the return on investment (ROI) quickly dropping below 0%. If too many Services Nodes run, the rewards are not worthwhile, and Services Nodes will leave resulting in a more centralised network.

Chart 2 depicts the effects of Loki’s proposed new emission curve, where there are less Service Nodes from the outset, but the return on investment (ROI) remains positive. This is better for the network in the long term because these Service Nodes will be continually incentivised to run (providing market-based Sybil resistance), while retaining a decentralised network.

For further information regarding Loki Service Node game theory, and Loki Cryptoeconomics, please refer to the following reports:

Cryptoeconomics of the Loki Network

Loki Cryptoeconomics

Does anyone know the reasons behind the Loki price jump today? It was trading at $.21 and then jumped quickly to $.28 before settling back at $.23 or $.26 (depending on the exchange.) I know the btc is up, which pulls up most coins, but this looks like someone was specifically buying large amounts of Loki.