BitcoinTalk

URI-scheme for bitcoin

30
Satoshi-only
BitcoinTalk
#4
From:
satoshi
Subject:
Re: URI-scheme for bitcoin
Date:
That would be nice at point-of-sale.  The cash register displays a QR-code encoding a bitcoin address and amount on a screen and you photo it with your mobile.
BitcoinTalk
#11
From:
satoshi
Subject:
Re: URI-scheme for bitcoin
Date:
Quote from: Karmicads on May 01, 2010, 06:06:53 AM
A freenet URI is like this:

http://127.0.0.1:8888/USK@oshw3DxmJUt7q4ThF4dCez5IXbc9hCGcv0VuwLRCmeQ,ckeXv20F1gBzkqssB4RXHZ2nB1YRT8Pb8KYZk8wj-bs,AQACAAE/occamsrazor/6/f.pdf

There you go, we could easily do it the same way, like:
http://127.0.0.1:8330/?to=<bitcoinaddress>;amount=<amount>

Bitcoin can answer port 8330 on local loopback just as it does for JSON-RPC on 8332.  It would give an HTTP answer.


Quote from: DataWraith on May 02, 2010, 11:13:09 AM
A bitcoin-link should be more like mailto: than magnet: IMHO.

I think we can do that.

Although it would be possible for Bitcoin to take care of business in the HTTP response by presenting HTML UI to the user, as a user I would wonder if some website is trying to trick me or if I'm really talking to my own Bitcoin server.

The HTTP response could simply be HTML with the JavaScript equivalent of the back button, sending it back to the page.  Bitcoin then pops up the Send Bitcoins dialog with the destination bitcoin address and amount already filled in.  It would work just like a mailto: link that pops up a new email with the address filled in.

127.0.0.1 loopback is accessible by any user on the machine, it doesn't have per-user separation, but it's OK because it would only serve the convenience function of pre-filling the fields in a dialog.  You'd still have to press Send.  We'd have to make sure the Send button is not selected so it couldn't jump into the foreground while you're typing a space or enter.


BitcoinTalk
#13
From:
satoshi
Subject:
Re: URI-scheme for bitcoin
Date:
http://127.0.0.1:8330/?to=domain.com&amount=200.00&comment=order_12345
or
http://127.0.0.1:8330/?to=<bitcoinaddress><separatorchar>1.2.3.4&amount=200.00

But as long as the link is already doing the typing for you, I don't see much benefit in using a domain address instead of bitcoin address.  With a bitcoin address, the user can't send an unidentified payment.  They can't send payment until they've been given a correct bitcoin address to send to.

What would be nice about sending by domain is you could visually verify who it's going to.


A more crucial issue is what if the browser isn't allowed to connect to 127.0.0.1:
http://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=63.msg1589#msg1589

and if that's true, then what about that example freenet link that had 127.0.0.1 in it?
BitcoinTalk
#18
From:
satoshi
Subject:
Re: URI-scheme for bitcoin
Date:
Quote from: lachesis on June 16, 2010, 06:14:05 AM
I think you're misunderstanding the issue. My browser will always be able to go to 127.0.0.1 (barring some strange IE settings or a virus). If I type the address into the URL bar or click a link, it will work fine. However, it isn't possible to use Javascript to complete POST requests between domains (or ports on the same domain).
That's what I thought too.

Quote from: sirius-m on June 16, 2010, 08:26:14 AM
Yeah, I meant to say that cross-domain javascript calls are forbidden, so you can't call 127.0.0.1 from a javascript that doesn't reside in 127.0.0.1. Come to think of it, it would be quite funny if browsers allowed malicious cross-domain javascript to change people's Facebook pages etc.
Now I'm hearing a report that it IS possible for javascript to do a cross-domain POST request to 127.0.0.1.  Not other domains, but just specifically to that one.  Great...

If this is the case, then do not use the -server switch or bitcoind on a system where you do web browsing.

I'll get started on adding the password field.