Date: Mon, 25 Dec 2017 21:21:57 +0000
From: nullius <nullius@nym.zone>
To: bitcoin-dev@lists.linuxfoundation.org
Message-ID: <9b39902347ba7cd03974f6068f025c98@nym.zone>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha512;
	protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="pvnxewz54n5wjxgj"
Content-Disposition: inline
Subject: [bitcoin-dev] Bravo Charlie One: Branding Bech32
Precedence: list


--pvnxewz54n5wjxgj
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
Content-Disposition: inline
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I here record for the devs a thought I had a few days ago on the Bitcoin=20
Forum about BIP 173 Bech32 addresses.  I=E2=80=99ve heard Greg Maxwell say =
that=20
=E2=80=9CBech32 is designed for human use and basically nothing else=E2=80=
=9D; so I hope=20
I be not untoward in considering the following human-friendliness=20
enhancement to entwine with the technical ambit of this list.  This MAY=20
be suitable for mention in an informative specification, or informative=20
section thereof.

To help gain user familiarity with and acceptance of the=20
error-correcting, case-insensitive Bitcoin addresses of the future, I=20
propose a need for what I think marketers call =E2=80=9Cbranding=E2=80=9D. =
 The best=20
branding is that which derives naturally from some intrinsic quality of=20
a thing; wherefore I look to what may perhaps be a bit of serendipity in=20
the specification.

I expect that in practical use, one of the great advantages of Bech32=20
addresses will be the relative ease of communicating them=20
aloud=E2=80=94especially over the phone.  In similar circumstances, when tr=
ying=20
to convey unusual names or pseudorandom strings, I=E2=80=99ve found radio=
=20
alphabets to work well at their intended purpose.  And when reading=20
Bech32 Bitcoin addresses in the most popular radio alphabet, they will=20
always start with a catchy phrase:  =E2=80=9CBravo Charlie One=E2=80=9D.

That=E2=80=99s memorable, $SEARCH-able, and yet also one of those unique,=
=20
otherwise meaningless phrases which gets marketers excited.  Keeping to=20
a word triplet, I hereby submit for consideration as the official=20
nickname for Bech32 Bitcoin use:  =E2=80=9CBravo Charlie Addresses=E2=80=9D=
=2E  These are=20
the Bitcoin addresses with the magic words, suitable for a motto: =20
=E2=80=9CBravo Charlie One means money.=E2=80=9D  Add a logo =C3=A0 la Segw=
it=E2=80=99s, and raise=20
user awareness of this exciting new technology!

Beyond the branding issue, recommendations for Bitcoin spelling-alphabet=20
use in English and other languages may perhaps be a suitable matter for=20
such standardization as would facilitate coherent user documentation.  I=20
invite discussion.

Of course, this branding only applies directly to Bitcoin Bech32=20
addresses.  The BIP 173 authors were gracious to make the standard=20
generally adaptable; and it has already seen some uptake amongst=20
altcoins.  I myself am now contemplating how Bech32 would be a superior=20
human-facing format for key fingerprints for PGP, SSH, and even TLS,=20
with HRPs of =E2=80=9Cpgp=E2=80=9D, =E2=80=9Cssh=E2=80=9D, =E2=80=9Ctls=E2=
=80=9D, etc. and some appropriate means of=20
embedding the key type just as =E2=80=9Cbc=E2=80=9D embeds the witness vers=
ion.  There=20
is an urgent general need for a specification which reduces the inherent=20
pain of wetware in handling pseudorandom strings; and I do think that=20
anything which familiarizes users with Bech32 in a specific use will be=20
beneficial to Bech32 adoption generally.

To celebrate, as seen in my sig, I created for myself a new Bravo=20
Charlie Address which expresses that I am pleased:  Now, I have an=20
error-correcting, case-insensitive address which can receive only=20
genuine Bitcoin cash money.  Because =E2=80=9CBravo Charlie One means money=
=2E=E2=80=9D

Here=E2=80=99s to the Bitcoin address format of the future!

--=20
nullius@nym.zone | PGP ECC: 0xC2E91CD74A4C57A105F6C21B5A00591B2F307E0C
Bitcoin: bc1qcash96s5jqppzsp8hy8swkggf7f6agex98an7h | (Segwit nested:
3NULL3ZCUXr7RDLxXeLPDMZDZYxuaYkCnG)  (PGP RSA: 0x36EBB4AB699A10EE)
=E2=80=9C=E2=80=98If you=E2=80=99re not doing anything wrong, you have noth=
ing to hide.=E2=80=99
No!  Because I do nothing wrong, I have nothing to show.=E2=80=9D =E2=80=94=
 nullius

--pvnxewz54n5wjxgj
Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name="signature.asc"

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----

iHUEARYKAB0WIQSNOMR84IlYpr/EF5vEJ5MVn575SQUCWkFr9AAKCRDEJ5MVn575
STbpAP0YZsBEpzqP3KmvwiVTajQ2J6er22qusINdLRhgw0eq3gD/ZEd/4EtGQ/Ep
S4qF6ll/R0SeZ1bFQ6aaHZ4F5i2UyQQ=
=hXoa
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

--pvnxewz54n5wjxgj--