Two months ago I created a dhf-proposal that was meant to be the first project in a series of projects aligning to bring a post-quantum future to the HIVE blockchain. The proposal was for a modest sized 3 month development project that aimed to create a set of HIVE-geared hash-based-signatures libraries in C++ and Python. Two generic non-HIVE-specific libraries for single-level hash based signatures and two libraries for multi-level hash based signatures and wallet logic aimed specifically at HIVE. The project, importantly, also included a data analysis part of dimensioning the higher level library just right for typical and outlier key usage on the HIVE blockchain.
Today the dhf-propsal has been votable for two months and active for one, but at just 11% of required support and with just two months left on the proposal, the time has come to realize that even if I were to reach 100% next week, there won't be enough time/funding left to finish the project in the projected time. I was expecting the community to realize both the importance of my proposal and the fact that the 70 $HBD a day is quite reasonable for a project like this. Unfortunately it didn't, and I need to face up to the reality it most likely will not realize either in time for the post-quantum reality to catch up with it. In fact, one idiot even accused me of running a scam.
Today I deleted my dhf-proposal and un-delegated a large chunk of my HIVE holdings with the plan to power down. No plans for selling yet, but with a community not ready to invest in a post-quantum future, and with me having bills to pay and not as much spare time to burn as I would like, it seems important to reduce my personal exposure to a QC event. I'm not giving up on HIVE (yet) or on my attempts to help HIVE secure a post-quantum future. I am just scaling down both my efforts and my exposure.
So what does this mean for my open source projects? For one it means I'm scaling down from allocating 6 hours per week to work on my open source post-quantum efforts to whenever I have time. It also means I'm dropping the data analysis part of my proposal and, given it relies heavily on the data analysis, dropping the HIVE-specific part of the project. No more pqhivepp C++ library or pypqhive Python library.
So what will I keep working on? Well, that partially depends on if I can find some alternate funding for my time.
Worst case scenario
Just complete the spq-sigs C++ library and the Python pyspqsigs libraries as originally planned, moving older Python code to libsodium and later work on ports to other languages for what libsodium bindinggs exist, end with which I have some experience, like JavaScript, Clojure and Rust.
The best case scenario has me working at the bottom of the hash-based-signatures stack, making the foundation as broad as I possibly can in the few hours of unpaid spare time I manage to find.
Best case scenario (or not quite)
Well, the actual best case scenario is the one that just fell through, getting funding for my dhf-proposal and focusing 100% on HIVE. I didn't, so this is the best case scenario of the scenarios that are left.
I find alternative funding for the project, or, if after completing the above we are still well inside the quantum grace period where we find ourselves now. In that case I will be moving functionality that was planned for pqhivepp/pypqhive into the spq-sigs and its cousins. multi-level signatures and wallets. Just not as shrink-fitted for HIVE as the original proposal aimed for. Everything will be parameterized with much room for developer mess-ups picking inappropriate parameter values.
Somewhere in between
If I find alternate funding from alternate crypto's, chances are a parameterized API might be preceded by one specifically tailored for the funding ecosystem. That means the functionality might be in there, sooner rather than later, but not immediately usable for HIVE and not imediately for the languages that make up the HIVE ecosystem. Right now I'll take any funding I can to get myself some more hours to work on this project, even if that means HIVE will take second seat to some other crypto in need of a post-quantum future.