A New Approach to Bitcoin Tools

Bitcoin is supposed to be all about freedom, right? But honestly, 99% of us rely on wallets to manage our coins... we should be able to handle our own private keys and create transactions ourselves, using third-party services just to broadcast them.

Sounds interesting! Are you planning to put the source code on GitHub? Also, I noticed some weird address formats, like with BIP39 paths.

Totally agree with that 'don't trust, verify' vibe. If your wallet's open-source and built by you, it shifts the trust factor. But let’s be real, not many folks take the time to verify it.

I don't get it. You’re against third-party software yet you’re building another one? That's pretty much what wallets do already, just in a fancier package.

Yeah, your reasons for using this over a proper wallet aren’t too convincing. But I think working offline, on a separate device, is a solid way to protect your funds. I prefer hardware wallets for that balance of security and convenience.

Electrum is a classic. Open-source and reliable. You can check all the code if you want. Trust Wallet is just a multi-coin extension, not exactly comparable. You gotta think about what you really need in a wallet before diving into research.

You can check out all the address formats by clicking on 'show all formats > addresses'. I’m still seeing some bugs, though. Gonna fix those. I know it’s not on GitHub yet, but anyone can grab the zip and tweak it.

But your toolkit kinda falls into that same category too. If users don’t check your code, they’re still trusting it. So how do you define 'third-party' here, really? Is it just custodial wallets or all wallets, even self-custodial ones?

I can run Bitcoin Core or Electrum without using a wallet, but that doesn't change the fact it's still third-party software. Not everyone has the time to audit every bit of code they use. I control my private keys, so no one else is involved.

That’s a bizarre definition. If someone compiles Electrum themselves, they’re not using third-party software? You need to realize that people can download your version with malware too. Just showing transaction steps doesn’t mean it’s secure.

There’s a difference in how my toolkit broadcasts transactions. Wallets use their nodes; I send my transactions through a third-party service. It’s not the same connection to a Bitcoin node at all.

Yeah, you can create and sign transactions offline too, just like your tool. But if you run a full node, you don’t even need to skip that broadcasting step. Using a third-party service for that can be a bit risky.

I can use wallets without a wallet feature. It seems like you’re addressing a problem that isn’t really there. My node does everything it needs to do without complicating things into multiple steps.

I hear you all, but I'm not trying to outdo wallets like Electrum or Bitcoin Core. The transaction feature is just a small part of my toolkit, and I thought it’d be cool to share. I’m open to feedback, though. What do you want to see?

For sure, positives first: your toolkit combines a bunch of tools that usually require multiple tabs. That's a win. But some tools seem basic compared to their standalone versions. Implementing better features like Ian Coleman's BIP39 tool would be awesome.

If you could throw in some EC math and hash functions that’d be neat. Things like encoders and decoders, plus basic operations would be super helpful!

Exactly, those are the essential tools we need in a solid Bitcoin toolkit! I’ll work on adding those features in the next update. Not sure when it’ll be ready, but I’ll make it happen when I can.