@@ -2,6 +2,119 @@
2title = "FAQ"
2title = "FAQ"
7+<details><summary class="fs5 medium pb3 pt4">The Urbit Project</summary>
9+[Why Urbit?](#why-urbit)
11+[How secure is Urbit right now?](#how-secure-is-urbit-right-now)
13+[How can I contribute to Urbit?](#how-can-i-contribute-to-urbit)
15+[What is Tlon?](#what-is-tlon)
17+[Who Works at Tlon?](#who-works-at-tlon)
22+<details><summary class="fs5 medium pb3 pt4">Grants</summary>
24+[What are the different types of grants](#what-are-the-different-types-of-grants)
26+[How do I get a gift?](#how-do-i-get-a-gift)
28+[How often are gifts awarded?](#how-often-are-gifts-awarded)
30+[What happens if a user does not complete a proposal but meets some milestones?](#what-happens-if-a-user-does-not-complete-a-proposal-but-meets-some-milestones)
32+[Can I create a bounty?](#can-i-create-a-bounty)
34+[How are proposals approved?](#how-are-proposals-approved)
36+[If I win a proposal, do I have an exclusive claim on the project?](#if-i-win-a-proposal-do-i-have-an-exclusive-claim-on-the-project)
38+[Will milestones be embedded in a smart contract?](#will-milestones-be-embedded-in-a-smart-contract)
40+[Do I have to pay taxes on stars?](#does-reputation-play-a-role-in-the-assessment-of-grants)
42+[I completed a proposal. When will I receive payment?](#i-completed-a-proposal-when-will-i-receive-payment)
44+[Can I see the proposals of others that have been accepted?](#can-i-see-the-proposals-of-others-that-have-been-accepted)
46+[How do I safely store my stars?](#how-do-i-safely-store-my-stars)
48+[Can I delegate a bounty or proposal to someone else?](#can-i-delegate-a-bounty-or-proposal-to-someone-else)
52+<details class="pt4"><summary class="fs5 medium pb3">Azimuth</summary>
54+[What is Azimuth?](#what-is-azimuth)
56+[What are stars, galaxies, and planets?](#what-are-star-galaxies-and-planets)
58+[How many planets, stars, and galaxies are active?](#how-many-planets-stars-and-galaxies-are-active)
60+[What are comets and moons?](#what-are-comets-and-moons)
62+[What is a `@p`? Why is my username generated for me?](#what-is-a-p-why-is-my-username-generated-for-me)
64+[Can I change my `@p`?](#can-i-change-my-p)
66+[How do I get an identity?](#how-do-i-get-an-identity)
68+[How do I send an identity to someone else?](#how-do-i-send-an-identity-to-someone-else)
70+[What is the best way to access Azimuth?](#what-is-the-best-way-to-access-azimuth)
74+<details class="pt4"><summary class="fs5 medium pb3">Urbit HD Wallet</summary>
76+[What is the Urbit HD Wallet?](#what-is-the-urbit-hd-wallet)
78+[What is a master ticket?](#what-is-a-master-ticket)
80+[What is an ownership address?](#what-is-an-ownership-address)
82+[What are proxies?](#what-are-proxies)
84+[What are seeds?](#what-are-seeds)
86+[What does it mean to “set public keys”?](#what-does-it-mean-to-set-public-keys)
88+[What do I do if I want to own multiple points?](#what-do-i-do-if-i-want-to-own-multiple-points)
90+[How should I take care of my Urbit HD Wallet?](#how-should-i-take-care-of-my-urbit-hd-wallet)
92+[I have a galaxy or star with lockup conditions. How does this work?](#i-have-a-galaxy-or-star-with-lockup-conditions-how-does-this-work)
96+<details class="pt4"><summary class="fs5 medium pb2">Arvo</summary>
98+[What is Arvo?](#what=is-arvo)
100+[What is unique about Arvo?](#what-is-unique-about-arvo)
102+[How is Arvo connected to Ethereum?](#how-is-arvo-connected-to-ethereum)
104+[Will the Arvo network survive if Ethereum dies?](#will-the-arvo-network-survive-if-ethereum-dies)
106+[How do I install Arvo?](#how-do-i-install-arvo)
108+[How do I use Arvo?](#how-do-i-use-arvo)
110+[How do over-the-air updates work?](#how-do-over-the-air-updates-work)
112+[What is Landscape?](#what-is-landscape)
114+[I have a point, now what?](#i-have-a-point-now-what)
5## The Urbit Project
118## The Urbit Project
7### Why Urbit?
120### Why Urbit?
@@ -46,11 +159,74 @@ Tlon is the San Francisco-based company that develops Urbit. Tlon doesn’t own
46You can see who we are at [tlon.io](https://tlon.io/).
159You can see who we are at [tlon.io](https://tlon.io/).
164+### What are the different types of grants?
166+There are three ways to receive a grant of stars for your contribution to the Urbit ecosystem.
167+- You can submit a **Proposal** if you’re interested in working on a project of your own creation for a number of stars that you pitch.
168+- You can apply to claim a **Bounty.** Bounties are requests for work created by Tlon that are claimable by the public, with a predetermined number of stars as the reward.
169+- The **Gifts** program, which is Tlon’s informal way of rewarding contributions that don’t fall into the above categories. There is no way to apply for a gift.
171+### How do I get a gift?
173+Make useful and substantial contributions to Urbit. These can be contributions to the project itself, or they can be outside tools that aren’t part of the Urbit codebase. There’s no formal system for determining who gets a gift; it’s at the discretion of employees at Tlon. Nothing is guaranteed, but you can get an idea for what kinds of contributions results in gifts by looking at the [gifts history.](grant.urbit.org/history)
175+### How often are gifts awarded?
177+Gifts are awarded semiannually.
180+### What happens if a user does not complete a proposal but meets some milestones?
182+You must complete the proposal to be guaranteed to receive the star grant. Partial star payouts can be negotiated for incomplete work, but such payouts are at the discretion of Tlon.
184+However, either party may terminate a proposal on seven days’ written notice. In such a scenario, you may be paid pro rata for any portion of the proposal that has been completed.
186+### Do I have to pay taxes on stars?
188+Yes. If you are American, we need your W-9 before we can pay you your stars. If you’re not an American, you don’t need to get us any forms, but you do need to personally follow the relevant tax laws in your jurisdiction.
190+### Can I create a bounty?
192+No. Bounties are only created by Tlon, but we draw inspiration for bounties from various sources, including the community. If you want to pitch a project, use the Proposals system.
194+### How are proposals approved?
196+The manager of the Grants program approves them after consulting with the relevant members of the engineering team. This proposal can be accepted, rejected, or accepted with changes by Tlon. The proposal’s star payout can also be adjusted.
198+### If I win a proposal, do I have an exclusive claim on the project?
200+You have a claim to the reward of the project as long as milestones are met to the satisfaction of Tlon. However, Tlon may allow another developer to work on the same project in parallel, for a separate reward.
202+### Will milestones be embedded in a smart contract?
206+### Does reputation play a role in the assessment of grants?
208+Yes. We consider this to be a feature.
210+### I completed a proposal. When will I receive payment?
212+We will pay you within a 30-day window.
214+### Can I see the proposals of others that have been accepted?
216+Yes. Check out our (proposals page.)[grant.urbit.org/proposals]
218+### How do I safely store my stars?
220+We recommend storing each star in its own in its own Ethereum wallet. The private keys to these wallets should be stored on physical media that is not connected to a networked computer. Redundancies don’t hurt!
222+### Can I delegate a bounty or proposal to someone else?
224+No. Not unless explicitly authorized by Tlon.
49## Azimuth
226## Azimuth
51### What is Azimuth?
228### What is Azimuth?
54Azimuth is a general-purpose identity system. It is the Urbit identity base-layer. This system is implemented as a suite of smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain, and it determines which Ethereum addresses own which Urbit identities, called points. There is a fixed number of possible points, and they exist in three classes. Urbit uses it in Arvo, the Urbit OS.
230Azimuth is a general-purpose identity system. It is the Urbit identity base-layer. This system is implemented as a suite of smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain, and it determines which Ethereum addresses own which Urbit identities, called points. There is a fixed number of possible points, and they exist in three classes. Urbit uses it in Arvo, the Urbit OS.
@@ -81,7 +257,7 @@ Comets are 128 bits and have no parents. They can be launched by anyone. They ar
81### What is a `@p`? Why is my username generated for me?
257### What is a `@p`? Why is my username generated for me?
84−A `@p` (pronounced pat-pee) is a name like `~zod` or `~lodleb-ritrul` composed of pronounceable, three-letter phonemic elements like `zod`, `lod`, `leb`, `rit` and `rul`. Shorter names, such as `~zod` and `~marzod` are assigned to ships with special duties on the Arvo network ([stars and galaxies](/./docs/concepts/galaxies-stars-and-planets/), respectively. Longer names like `~palfun-foslup` are identities for typical users.
260+A `@p` (pronounced *pat-pee*) is a name like `~zod` or `~lodleb-ritrul` composed of pronounceable, three-letter phonemic elements like `zod`, `lod`, `leb`, `rit` and `rul`. Shorter names, such as `~zod` and `~marzod` are assigned to ships with special duties on the Arvo network ([stars and galaxies](/./docs/concepts/galaxies-stars-and-planets/), respectively. Longer names like `~palfun-foslup` are identities for typical users.
86These names are pre-generated because they map directly to a number in the urbit address space. Galaxies occupy the 8-bit address space, so any galaxy is actually a number between zero to 255. Stars occupy the 16-bit address space, and planets occupy the 32-bit address space.
262These names are pre-generated because they map directly to a number in the urbit address space. Galaxies occupy the 8-bit address space, so any galaxy is actually a number between zero to 255. Stars occupy the 16-bit address space, and planets occupy the 32-bit address space.
@@ -123,7 +299,7 @@ The Urbit HD Wallet is different from cryptocurrency wallets that you may be fam
123### What is a master ticket?
299### What is a master ticket?
126−In the context of the Urbit HD Wallet, master ticket is the entropy seed from which all of your other keys are derived. It should be treated like a master password: you should never share it with anyone, and you must store it very securely (see our practices below). This ticket can derive your ownership address and all of your proxy keys. You’ll have a ticket if you used the Urbit Wallet Generator or claimed a ship on our hosted version of Bridge.
302+In the context of the Urbit HD Wallet, master ticket is the entropy seed from which all of your other keys are derived. It should be treated like a master password: **you should never share it with anyone, and you must store it very securely (see our practices below).** This ticket can derive your ownership address and all of your proxy keys. You’ll have a ticket if you used the Urbit Wallet Generator or claimed a ship on our hosted version of Bridge.
129### What is an ownership address?
305### What is an ownership address?
@@ -136,9 +312,9 @@ An ownership address is an Ethereum address that has full rights over points ass
138Proxies are Ethereum addresses that can be thought of as sibling sub-wallets of your ownership address. They are meant to be used much more often than the ownership address, and have more restrictive, less valuable rights than the ownership address. These rights include spawning child points, voting, and setting networking keys.
314Proxies are Ethereum addresses that can be thought of as sibling sub-wallets of your ownership address. They are meant to be used much more often than the ownership address, and have more restrictive, less valuable rights than the ownership address. These rights include spawning child points, voting, and setting networking keys.
139−Management Proxy: Can configure or set Arvo networking keys and conduct sponsorship related operations.
315+- Management Proxy: Can configure or set Arvo networking keys and conduct sponsorship related operations.
140−Voting Proxy: Galaxies only. Galaxies are the part of the galactic senate, and this means they can cast votes on new proposals including changes to the Ecliptic.
316+- Voting Proxy: Galaxies only. Galaxies are the part of the galactic senate, and this means they can cast votes on new proposals including changes to the Ecliptic.
141−Spawn Proxy: For stars and galaxies only. Can create new child points.
317+- Spawn Proxy: For stars and galaxies only. Can create new child points.
144### What are seeds?
320### What are seeds?
@@ -166,37 +342,37 @@ We recommend using different HD Wallets for each point. You are able to assign a
167Urbit points have accompanying security realities that must be taken seriously. Cryptographic assets are unique among things of value, because all of the responsibility for keeping those assets safe rests with the party that owns them.
343Urbit points have accompanying security realities that must be taken seriously. Cryptographic assets are unique among things of value, because all of the responsibility for keeping those assets safe rests with the party that owns them.
169−But the nature of decentralization means that there is no authority that has the power to restore any lost or stolen wallet. Neither can anyone force you to follow good security practices. At most, they can give you recommendations. Remember: if critical items, such as your ownership key, are lost or compromised, your assets are likely gone forever.
345+But the nature of decentralization means that there is no authority that has the power to restore any lost or stolen wallet. Neither can anyone force you to follow good security practices. At most, they can give you recommendations. **Remember:** if critical items, such as your ownership key, are lost or compromised, your assets are likely gone forever.
171Below we list some good practices for storing keys, strictest first. Higher-value assets should be secured with stricter measures.
347Below we list some good practices for storing keys, strictest first. Higher-value assets should be secured with stricter measures.
173−Security Tier 1: Cold Storage
349+**Security Tier 1: Cold Storage**
175Cold storage refers to any method in which secrets are stored in a way that is not accessible to any network. Cold-stored keys should only ever be generated offline.
351Cold storage refers to any method in which secrets are stored in a way that is not accessible to any network. Cold-stored keys should only ever be generated offline.
177Cold storage media options:
353Cold storage media options:
178−Printing the secret on a piece of paper. However, paper wallets are vulnerable to various forms of physical damage, such as rot, water damage, smoke, or fire. Laminating the paper can mitigate some of these risks, but the lamination can potentially trap moisture. Make sure that you trust the printer: some have memory and network connections.
354+- Printing the secret on a piece of paper. However, paper wallets are vulnerable to various forms of physical damage, such as rot, water damage, smoke, or fire. Laminating the paper can mitigate some of these risks, but the lamination can potentially trap moisture. Make sure that you trust the printer: some have memory and network connections.
179−Storing the secret on a brand-new USB stick or hardware wallet that is never connected to a networked machine.
355+- Storing the secret on a brand-new USB stick or hardware wallet that is never connected to a networked machine.
180−Engraving the secret on a strip of stainless steel. This medium is resistant to both water damage and fire damage.
356+- Engraving the secret on a strip of stainless steel. This medium is resistant to both water damage and fire damage.
182Places to store your cold-storage media:
358Places to store your cold-storage media:
183−A hidden safe in your home.
359+- A hidden safe in your home.
184−A safe-deposit box at a bank.
360+- A safe-deposit box at a bank.
186−It’s a good idea to store your keys redundantly; for example, on both a USB stick and a piece of paper in the safe, in case one of those methods fails. If you deem a key to be valuable enough, you can shard it into thirds (or other splits) and store each third in secure, geographically distributed locations.
362+It’s a good idea to store your keys redundantly; for example, on both a USB stick and a piece of paper in the safe, in case one of those methods fails. If you deem a key to be valuable enough, you can **shard** it into thirds (or other splits) and store each third in secure, geographically distributed locations.
188−Security Tier 2: Hardware Wallet
364+**Security Tier 2: Hardware Wallet**
190A hardware wallet is a digital storage device that’s purpose-built to store cryptographic secrets. They are unaffected by typical key-stealing malware, and have built-in security mechanisms that other digital devices lack. Do research and make sure that you are buying an authentic device manufactured by trustworthy, technically competent security experts with a good reputation. Trezor and Ledger are two popular brands of hardware wallets.
366A hardware wallet is a digital storage device that’s purpose-built to store cryptographic secrets. They are unaffected by typical key-stealing malware, and have built-in security mechanisms that other digital devices lack. Do research and make sure that you are buying an authentic device manufactured by trustworthy, technically competent security experts with a good reputation. Trezor and Ledger are two popular brands of hardware wallets.
192At this tier, it’s permissible to connect a hardware wallet to your networked machine.
368At this tier, it’s permissible to connect a hardware wallet to your networked machine.
194−Security Tier 3: On Your Computer
370+**Security Tier 3: On Your Computer**
196This tier includes any method where secrets are stored on an everyday computing platform. Some such methods are:
372This tier includes any method where secrets are stored on an everyday computing platform. Some such methods are:
198−Encrypted PDFs containing a secret on your desktop’s drive.
374+- Encrypted PDFs containing a secret on your desktop’s drive.
199−Storing secrets on a cloud account protected by multi-factor authentication.
375+- Storing secrets on a cloud account protected by multi-factor authentication.
201This method is risky for a number of reasons. Networked computers can contain malware. Computers that see common use are also prone to crashes and data loss. Storing secrets on cloud accounts mitigates the risk of data destruction, but it exposes a much larger attack surface to malicious actors.
377This method is risky for a number of reasons. Networked computers can contain malware. Computers that see common use are also prone to crashes and data loss. Storing secrets on cloud accounts mitigates the risk of data destruction, but it exposes a much larger attack surface to malicious actors.
@@ -281,3 +457,5 @@ Landscape is the Arvo web interface that includes social functions such as chat
283Follow our guide on how to boot a ship [here](/./docs/getting-started/booting-a-ship).
459Follow our guide on how to boot a ship [here](/./docs/getting-started/booting-a-ship).
461+Get on the [mailing list](/./#mc_embed_signup). Learn [Hoon](/./docs/learn/hoon). Make stuff.