Dev Update :safe: Sprint 2 - 8 September - 28 September

Development Updates
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Hi Everyone,

It is clear to all of you that the dev update is going through some transformation. We are currently hotly debating inhouse the better approach for keeping you guys informed.

Firstly, after we moved to maidsafe.org, the original mailing list maidsafe-development@googlegroups.com, has dried up. To remedy this, we will keep pushing all the developers to put our technical discussions back out there on the public mailing list.

Secondly, the weekly update at times was often rough collection of bullet points, more than an easy to understand news update. To this end we want to focus more on stories. At least software stories; it’s a term we use for a high-level requirement for the code. It is important to us that we do not just show you that the work continues; we really want to get you guys involved in the core development process!

We are close to wrapping up Testnet1 which had the main focus picking up network problems. These are intensely being addressed by removing bugs we uncovered along the way. This code will serve as a baseline for Testnet2, where we add new features - some of which are already listed in the current roadmap. You can expect an updated roadmap in a few weeks time. We will work out in more detail the road ahead with what we’ve learnt over the past couple of months.

Let’s first go over a short bullet point list of some things that have been going on around here:

  • Connection map: a second visualising tool to explore close group connection in real-time within the network.
  • Porting the SAFE client API to more platforms, including mobile platforms. This includes Python and Node.js, objective c for iOS, and java for Android
  • RUDP: many bugs have been addressed. Work continues on bootstrapping issues. Some bugs are specific to running the code on virtual machines.
  • SQLite: levelDB has been completely removed as a dependency in the code base - and with it the associated problems. All databases are now based on SQLite.
  • Send Acknowledgment: improves message handling at routing level; you can read more about that in the in-depth update here.
  • Refactoring Drive: defined portable attributes for access control that works both on FUSE (Linux and OSX) and CBFS (Windows). Initially we implement read/write permissions for the current user on FUSE. Windows counterpart is currently being tested. Symbolic links are made to be restricted within the Drive filesystems, not across other system filesystems.
  • Continuous Integration: a Jenkins plugin is under development to align with the new workflow. Launching automated cross platform builds, tests, soak tests for all code changes, prior to merging into the next-branch. Integrated cross-platform reports for all completed tasks. This will protect the code against regressions.
  • Out-of-the-box installers have been made for deploying the SAFE network on new computers. Also the vault manager is being polished, ready for deployment. These will be formalised in Testnet2 and used to roll it out. We hope to get Testnet2 running this week.
  • Smaller, more digestible design documents are now being created and you will find these in the docs folder of every repository. This will provide a simpler overview of some components and allow design to get ahead of implementation. This will hopefully allow the roadmap to auto generate effort statistics. An important step for planning and actual measurement of progress.
  • Significant efforts in routing statistics and measurement are underway, these are huge tests with tons of data to sort. We are using many methods to provide math proofs (search Google for robotic scientist to see examples), but ultimately the results of tests show the attacks on even the routing layer are in excess of 70% (meaning nearly 22,000 nodes required to attack a 7000 node network). This work will continue through launch.
  • All remote developers now involved in tracking and planning tasks, rUDP2 and drive2 are both examples of the effort there, which is significant, but on track. (both rUDP1 and drive1 are acceptable for launch).

Be sure to read the In-Depth Development post on Send-Acknowledgement too!

See you guys soon
the MaidSafe team

22 Likes
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What’s this? I don’t understand. Ahh, I get it, the link next to the Send-Acknowledgement bullet - but the link is MISSING! :slight_smile:

EDIT: Changing the title to fit other updates.

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Here is the missing link

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Does that include Linux command-line also? :slight_smile:

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Have you considered using Haxe language? It can compile to all the quoted targets from one source file. It will save a lot of time and help with DRY.

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Update?

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Running in the office seed network just now on a DMZ with digital ocean remote vaults. There was a problem in a commit in rUDP which caught us out somehow. We know what it is now though, thankfully. The Qa system never caught it as it was done before we introduced the new system (well during actually).

All looking good though and the next sprint which will be 14 days (hopefully starts Mon/Tues) will introduce the public names and messaging components. Also we will be moving the resources that have been doing the visualiser work to apps now. So expect to see that moving much faster again. We got through a ton of work in the last three weeks and its almost invisible to everyone and this should now change. rUDP and drive are undergoing a parallel upgrade as well and this is coming on great.

Should have a conference tomorrow to hone the network filesystem API. That should be a part of the following sprint.

So bottom line on track, but still very long days, it will all be worth it. Having testnet2 up and the sprints under way will make us all feel much more relaxed as it’s horrible being invisible, we should never be again :slight_smile: Here come the apps :santa:

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First entry on the Testnet2 Roadmap is Messaging and public shares …so does it follow that the sprint starting Mon/Tuesday is in fact the commencement of Testnet 2 ?

But maybe not Testnet2 in the sense of, here’s the one click dev environment, sample apps rollout and expansion of the physical test network?

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Yes this is where we roll out these things. We need to prioritise dev environment with the API and same app roll out. This should follow that sprint.

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Also worth noting that a lot of work is being put development planning right now and this will lead, in the very near future, to a much more detailed dev roadmap which will will publish as soon as possible.

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I knew there was something fishy about this, so I did some digging. Turns out, they brought in a specialist, someone that could handle the intense heat generated at these Maidsafe meetings…it seems they have vulnerabilities, exactly who is doing the dousing up there? :smile:

@dirvine threw this out there as I clue I believe:

“one of the guys in the office is previously a fireman yet is a math genius and one of the top C++ programmers globally. We may not have the best team in the world, but it is a pretty good team, happy to make mistakes, get up in front of others on white boards and know that they may be told ‘that approach has vulnerabilities.’”

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That article was written before the crowdsale.

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From article:

“And as part of the upcoming Safecoin crowdfunding, the company will setup 6 international, independent development pods, each designed to compete with the MaidSafe team.”

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Excellent I’ll be able to get SAFE on my tablet.

I hear testnet 2 is up and running. Where are these installers and how do I get things up and running?

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Yes it’s an old article, but a good one. Was just having a laugh…not sure who the ex fireman is, but thought it a good story.

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I just can’t wait to try it. :smile: