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Portobello

OpenBazaar Beta 0.4.0 “Portobello” is released for Linux and OSX

April 21, 2015 by Sam Patterson

Note: This blog post is outdated. Read this article for the latest code.

The fourth OpenBazaar beta has been released, named after the famed Portobello Road Market in London.

Please note this is still a beta and for users with some level of technical expertise. This isn’t a consumer ready release.

Binaries will be released soon. Windows users will need to wait for binaries. You can install beta 0.4.0 on Linux or OSX using the following instructions. For a detailed overview of the 0.4 beta client, visit this post.

We’ve also released quick start guides, visit these links for buyer, merchant, and notary.

This release includes a substantial number of new features and improvements. Most notable are the networking changes, which should allow better connectivity and largely eliminate the need for port forwarding. Also greatly improved is stability. Other improvements include:

  • Signing keys are now HD for increased privacy;
  • Internal messaging system for online parties to communicate;
  • Users can now select their avatars;
  • Images are now externally hosted and listings can support three images (including gifs);
  • Notaries can now offer refunds to buyer or release funds to seller;
  • Notaries can now set their fee (as a percentage) if their services are utilized;
  • The order workflow has been significantly improved;
  • Addition of simple walk-through on start up ;
  • Search improvements.

New Installation

If you don’t have Git installed on Linux, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and type:

sudo apt-get install git

If you don’t have Git installed for OSX, download here and install.

Now run:

git clone https://github.com/OpenBazaar/OpenBazaar.git

Once that’s complete, change directories:

cd OpenBazaar

Run the configure with this command:

./configure.sh

Please note that as of the 0.4 beta release, the default branch will be develop instead of master. This means that beta testers will receive more frequent updates if they run ‘git pull’. If you prefer to keep to the more stable releases only, then switch to the master branch by running this command:

git checkout master

To start your node:

./openbazaar start

To stop your node:

./openbazaar stop

To get help on the commands you can use with OpenBazaar:

./openbazaar help

Existing Users

If you’ve run a previous release, you need to delete your existing database:

rm db/ob.db

Run git pull:

git pull

And also run ./configure.sh again:

./configure.sh

If you find a bug, please let us know on our Github or on the bug reporting thread in our subreddit.

Filed Under: Beta Tagged With: 4.0, beta, Portobello

Merchant’s Guide to OpenBazaar Beta 0.4

April 21, 2015 by Sam Patterson

Note: This blog post is outdated. Read this article for the latest code.

For the fourth beta release, we’re issuing guides for each of the three user types in OpenBazaar: buyer, merchant, and notary. The installation instructions are the same for each user. These guides assume that installation was successful and that the user can reach the client interface in their browser. If you can’t, please check the Github issues and our Help Desk to see if it’s a known issue; if not then open a new issue on the Github or ask a question at our Help Desk.

Quick Start Guide

This guide is meant to get merchants set up and offering goods and services as quickly as possible. For a detailed overview of the entire client, visit here.

Step One: Set up Store

Settings Tab

  1. Click the Settings tab.
  2. Enter a new Nickname for your store. This is how other users will see your store.
  3. If you want a unique image for your store, put in a URL for an image in the Avatar URL field.
  4. Input a Bitcoin address that you control into the Bitcoin Receiving Address field. This is where you receive funds from multisig if the notary needs to take action manually.
  5. Describe your store in the Store Description field.
  6. Click Save.

Step Two: Set Communication Information

communicationOB

  1. Click on the Communication section.
  2. Enter an email address if you want to communicate with other parties via email.
  3. If you have a website that you want displayed, enter the URL in the Your Web Site field.
  4. Enter a Bitmessage address if you want to communicate with other parties via Bitmessage.
  5. Click Save.

Step Three: Create Backup

backupOB

  1. Click on the Backup section.
  2. Click Create New Backup.

Step Four: List your Goods or Services

Create Contract

  1. Click on the Contract tab.
  2. Click Add Contract.
  3. Input product details, including a title and description of your product, as well as the price (in Bitcoin), the cost of shipping, how many items are available, and what condition the items are in.
  4. Add up to three externally hosted images in the photos section.
  5. Make sure you click on the Keyword section next to Photos and input keywords that describe your product. This is how users find your items through the search function. If you don’t add keywords, your items cannot be found via search.
  6. Click Save. This publishes your product to the network.

Step Five: Manage Trade

sellerOB

  1. Manage your sales by viewing the My Sales section under the Orders tab. If you have an order, click on it to display details.
  2. If someone purchases your product, the item will display “Buyer Paid.” Please double check the linked multisig account in the order description to verify; at this point a buyer can mark an item as paid without actually paying.
  3. productOB

  4. Determine if you trust the notary involved. Since at this point the buyer chooses the notary, if the two parties are colluding, they can cheat you out of the Bitcoin. You can view the notary involved by clicking “Contract Details” in the item description. Early in the beta, we recommend test transactions or small transactions until trusted notaries become established.
  5. If you verify the buyer has sent the funds to multisig, and that you trust the notary, then ship the item to the buyer at the address they provided. This address is displayed in the “Shipping Information” tab when viewing the order.
  6. Once you’ve shipped the item, input your Bitcoin address into the Shipping & Payment section of the order view, where it asks “Where would you like payment sent to?”
  7. Once the buyer receives the item, they should release payment. If they don’t in a reasonable time, contact the buyer and request they release funds. If they are non-responsive, contact the notary involved in the transaction and request they release funds.

Step Six: Give Feedback

To make this network and client the best it can be, we need your feedback on how to improve. Bug reports are obviously very helpful, but feedback can be about which new features you’d like to see, or changes to the interface, or anything you like. Please submit these ideas by opening up new Github issues or by posting at out Help Desk.

Filed Under: Beta Tagged With: 4.0, Announcement, beta, Portobello

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