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Date: Wed, 22 May 2013 11:59:53 -0400
Message-ID: <CABsx9T3iS4m_SOvZG0FDkrMojKTjH0WxbieKGNzR49ZBi4d1BA@mail.gmail.com>
From: Gavin Andresen <gavin@bitcoinfoundation.org>
To: Jeff Garzik <jgarzik@exmulti.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Cc: bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net
Subject: Re: [Bitcoin-development] UUID to identify chains (payment protocol
 and elsewhere)
Precedence: list

Getting back to the original proposal:

RE: uuid instead of "main" / "test" in the payment protocol:

I vote no.

The payment protocol will become at least 3 BIPs:

1) Protocol messages (current gist, essentially)
2) MIME type
3) bitcoin: URI extension

An alt coin will need its own version of (2) and (3), so when you
click on a foocoin: link a foocoin-specific MIME type is fetched and
foocoin.exe is launched to handle the request.

... or a specific MIME type is fetched and delivered to the
HandlesLotsOfCoins application (... and it knows what MIME type it is
getting, so can Do the Right Thing).

If a payment request is delivered via HTTP or email, it will be
bundled up in an envelope of some sort with the MIME type attached.

So, after further thought, I've changed my mind: which coin would be
encoded in the MIME type.  Which chain for that coin would be encoded
in PaymentDetails.network.

-- 
--
Gavin Andresen
Chief Scientist, Bitcoin Foundation
https://www.bitcoinfoundation.org/