Comment by malgorithms | Hacker News Reader

Comment by malgorithms | Hacker News Reader

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Oh HN, so much for a soft-launch! (But thanks for all the positive comments on here.) We've been testing Keybase a lot with iOS and Android testers and we quietly released into the app stores last night. In many ways it's an MVP focusing on: (1) Keybase chat, and technically important (2) your phone acting as an additional device key, so you can easily provision new desktop computers.

There are still some things missing from the app, such as the ability to browse your encrypted files (KBFS), although the app actually has KBFS running inside it. So we're close on that front. Also, provisioning is still a bit clunky.

Possibly interesting to HN: Keybase is one of the only large apps we know of which exists on all 5 platforms (iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, and Windows) and which was programmed almost entirely in Go. Except for the chrome, which is react/react native. Source code for all platforms at https://github.com/keybase/client

If you're an HN user and give it a try, please send us feedback. It's `Gear Icon > Feedback`. We read all the feedback.

> the ability to browse your encrypted files (KBFS)

I'm really looking forward to that. I use something I cobbled together for password management that's completely backed by KBFS [Passbase] and I haven't worked on it much, but the main gripe I have is the difficulty in using my passwords in Android apps. Web apps are fine, Chrome syncs the password so I just login once from a computer, but any app is a painful `passbase read appname > /Drive/tmp.txt` and open-copy-switchapp-paste experience via Google Drive.

That's a long introductory way of saying: KBFS on phones will be fantastic - but I've long intended to move my (pretty much personal use only, but still) app to using a database rather than raw files, so is there any plan for programmatic access to KBFS for other apps? I realise there are non-trivial issues concerning permissions there, but it could be really great - perhaps silo other apps from full access, e.g. 'App is requesting access to KBFS/Appname, approve?' and 'App is requesting access to KBFS/none-of-its-business, approve?'?

[Passbase]: https://github.com/OJFord/passbase

>That's a long introductory way of saying: KBFS on phones will be fantastic - but I've long intended to move my (pretty much personal use only, but still) app to using a database rather than raw files, so is there any plan for programmatic access to KBFS for other apps? I realise there are non-trivial issues concerning permissions there, but it could be really great - perhaps silo other apps from full access, e.g. 'App is requesting access to KBFS/Appname, approve?' and 'App is requesting access to KBFS/none-of-its-business, approve?'?

Alternatively, have you considered implementing an input method provider as the means of inputting passwords into your apps? I know that on Android you can create your own input method apps. I think on iOS you will need to jailbreak the device and even then I don't know if you can make your own input method app for it.

I am imagining that the input method shows you your list of credentials and allows you to select from it.

> Alternatively, have you considered implementing an input method provider as the means of inputting passwords into your apps? I know that on Android you can create your own input method apps.

Yep, that would be ideal :)

I'd like to use KBFS' multiparty private storage for shared passwords too though, which I think would be far easier to implement with a proper DB than text files.

The issue then is that if KBFS just comes as an 'explorer' view within Keybase app, I wrote have no way to copy a password for use. Hopefully cross-app access or a fully mounted drive is on the cards though.

Keybase is utterly unusable since you introduced the chat feature. I use a yubikey to store my gpg key so I get prompted every 5 minutes to enter my pin because for some reason keybase insists on requesting it over and over again even though I'm not even using the applcation.

Have you tried filing an issue against the client? https://github.com/keybase/client/issues

FWIW, I also use a Yubikey and don't have this problem with Keybase. I'm running Keybase on a combination of Ubuntu and Debian machines. My master key is completely offline, and my subkeys are all on my Yubikey.

I have the same setup. I was never able to make Keybase work with GPG on a Yubikey. Did you have to jump through hoops to make it happen?

> your phone acting as an additional device key

This means I have to wipe it when crossing borders.

Will doing so pollute my graph with lots and lots of device keys?

One thing that trips me up is the folder system; I can't quite figure out how to delete or hide folders, especially the ones with typos in them. As a result, I have a bunch of legacy folders that just clutter the interface, and the "Ignore Folder" button doesn't seem to be working.

Not the end of the world, but I take it this particular UX is a work on progress.

How did you manage to get something written in Go into the iOS app store? I was under the impression that foreign binaries weren't allowed.

There was a brief period where they seemed to be insisting on Objective-C, but it didn't last long. Now they don't care what language you use as long as your functionality follows their guidelines.

This was brought up a couple days ago during discussion of a game built in Rust on the app store. A comment there[0] claims that the restriction on languages is no longer in the guidelines.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14302931

In fact, it was only in the guidelines for a few months back in 2010. I can only quote the response to the comment you linked:

> This rule got so much press 7 years ago that it will be one of those "truths" about a platform that never dies on internet forums, that and the Playstation platforms using OpenGL as their primary API...

Google has had a Go app, "Ivy," on the app store since 2015. I think it was just an experiment at getting Go to build for the App Store and getting it approved, but it was in fact approved.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ivy-big-number-calculator/id...

It's true that fork() isn't allowed on non-jailbroken phones, so you can't shell out to a Go binary (you can on Android if you want). But you can build a static library in Go and link it and call into it with cgo from Objective-C or something.

The bigger problem with go is if/when Apple requires bitcode on iOS.

For those who don't know what "bitcode" refers to and why the "if/when":

https://medium.com/@FredericJacobs/why-i-m-not-enabling-bitc...

I hope never ...

Unless devs are given the option to test the final binary, it's delivering untested binaries to users, and as such should be a no go.

> exists on all 5 platforms (iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, and Windows)

Last night I was pleasantly surprised to discover it is in the FreeBSD repository as well. I really like what you all are doing.

They could better say "exists on 5 platforms", to avoid implying that other platforms don't exist, even if they are considered unworthy in some way.

I've had the hardest time with keybase because on my Mac I have multiple user accounts (one for each client I have) and I started experiencing all kinds of permissions conflicts - and then I had trouble uninstalling. Have you tried testing it out for these kinds of environments?

Is there a way to mount the filesystem not on /keybase?

> exists on all 5 platforms (iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, and Windows)

How about Chromebooks?

I thought Chromebooks can run Android apps now?

> one of the only large apps we know of which exists on all 5 platforms (iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, and Windows)

I've been evangelizing keybase for a while now and was checking almost every week for info on an Android app, but this 'existence' by way of a React app is a huge disappointment. Without a simple, lightweight, native app, it is very difficult to do verified builds and engage community contributions. I sincerely hope there are plans in place for a real Android app; I would happily contribute in any capacity I could.

Any chance to be able to prove also my own Google+ profile?

Take a look at https://github.com/keybase/keybase-issues/issues/518

Any plans for a Universal/iPad app? Chat would be awesome there, I use Slack on my iPad to keep chat away from my main screeen...

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