Nah. The problem with steem is that there's so many apps, it's hard to keep track of what's what. Sometimes I look at links, and think 'yeah, that's a good one, I'll use that', and then forget all about it one week later. Other times I think I'll go check that link out tomorrow, but never get around to it. I did check out Vessel once after seeing one of your links, but can't remember what it was about.
Looking at the link now I see that it's a desktop wallet. We don't need a desktop wallet for steem, do we? The great thing about having it online is that it can't get lost or destroyed in a house fire. Having said that, I don't really know what a desktop wallet is... :D
IMHO using a website-based wallet is a recipe for disaster and has a much, much higher risk than using a desktop wallet.
Everytime you enter your master password or active key on a website - there's a risk that the website has been compromised somehow and you could lose everything. You are trusting that website to not send your keys off to some hackers inbox, and most likely you won't know when it's been compromised until after the funds are gone.
Storing your keys in a desktop wallet prevents the need from ever having to use those keys and accept that risk of entering that sensitive information on a website. You control what version of the software is on your computer, it's encrypted, and the keys never leave the app. If your computer gets compromised/hacked, someone could keylog you or alter your copy of Vessel, but the chances of that are tiny compared to a website getting compromised.
Also regarding the "stored online" - the only place it's stored when using steemit is your browser and anyplace you've chosen to back up your keys/passwords. You could definitely lose it or it could get destroyed in a house fire if that browser is the only place you use it. It's the same with Vessel, since they're both on your computer, but in either case you should have backups someplace that's not on fire :)
Realistically, everyone should be:
Using their posting keys on steemit for everyday activities.
Storing active keys in a desktop/mobile wallet, and never using them on a website.
Never using the owner key on a computer for anything, except account recovery.
Backing up ALL of the keys/passwords offline, someplace that's safe in the event your house burns down.
So yes - we absolutely need a desktop (and mobile) wallets for Steem! Pretending your web browser is a safe place can be very very dangerous, especially when money is involved.
Short of being hacked (or steemit going rogue), my steem isn't getting lost.
Regarding a desktop wallet, can you store a copy of it somewhere else? Is that a valid firesafe mechanism? I always assumed the concept of a hardware wallet was that it was tied to that particular hardware. If that isn't the case, then I can see how controlling your own wallet with offsite backups is the safest approach.
What exactly is Vessel, @jesta?
You messing with me right now? :)
https://github.com/aaroncox/vessel
Nah. The problem with steem is that there's so many apps, it's hard to keep track of what's what. Sometimes I look at links, and think 'yeah, that's a good one, I'll use that', and then forget all about it one week later. Other times I think I'll go check that link out tomorrow, but never get around to it. I did check out Vessel once after seeing one of your links, but can't remember what it was about.
Looking at the link now I see that it's a desktop wallet. We don't need a desktop wallet for steem, do we? The great thing about having it online is that it can't get lost or destroyed in a house fire. Having said that, I don't really know what a desktop wallet is... :D
IMHO using a website-based wallet is a recipe for disaster and has a much, much higher risk than using a desktop wallet.
Everytime you enter your master password or active key on a website - there's a risk that the website has been compromised somehow and you could lose everything. You are trusting that website to not send your keys off to some hackers inbox, and most likely you won't know when it's been compromised until after the funds are gone.
Storing your keys in a desktop wallet prevents the need from ever having to use those keys and accept that risk of entering that sensitive information on a website. You control what version of the software is on your computer, it's encrypted, and the keys never leave the app. If your computer gets compromised/hacked, someone could keylog you or alter your copy of Vessel, but the chances of that are tiny compared to a website getting compromised.
Also regarding the "stored online" - the only place it's stored when using steemit is your browser and anyplace you've chosen to back up your keys/passwords. You could definitely lose it or it could get destroyed in a house fire if that browser is the only place you use it. It's the same with Vessel, since they're both on your computer, but in either case you should have backups someplace that's not on fire :)
Realistically, everyone should be:
So yes - we absolutely need a desktop (and mobile) wallets for Steem! Pretending your web browser is a safe place can be very very dangerous, especially when money is involved.
My keys are in the cloud as well. ;)
Short of being hacked (or steemit going rogue), my steem isn't getting lost.
Regarding a desktop wallet, can you store a copy of it somewhere else? Is that a valid firesafe mechanism? I always assumed the concept of a hardware wallet was that it was tied to that particular hardware. If that isn't the case, then I can see how controlling your own wallet with offsite backups is the safest approach.
All it takes is one clever guy using an XSS attack while you're trying to do a transfer, and your steem would be gone.
Your keys are just text - you can store them wherever you want. Paper someplace laminated, etched into metal, whatever.
Ok, I'm new to cryptocurrencies, so can you describe the process of say sending me sreem/sbd from a desktop wallet vs the online wallet?