Introducing Thunderbird - Ryder firmware 0.0.5
We’d like to announce something you’ve all been waiting for: the next Ryder firmware milestone, dubbed "Thunder Bird". It’s taken us a while because we wanted to get everything just right - and make sure all the moving parts play together nicely. It’s a big one, with lots of changes under the hood; but most importantly, it’s the first version with full features and Hiro Wallet support!
Sign into any Stacks app with Ryder
You read that right, thanks to the hard work of our core contributors, Ryder can now be used to sign into any Stacks app. Transaction signing and apps that require Gaia are fully supported. The flow is already familiar: click the sign-in button and continue in Hiro Wallet. The only difference is that you’ll need to confirm the action on your Ryder device as your private information (private keys) never leaves the device.
STX Transfers and contract calls
The new features include STX transfer and contract call support with informative displays. The Ryder is capable of displaying full contract calls with all parameters. (It’s a bit bare right now, but we’re already designing a prettier and better UI.) Simply scroll through the list and make sure that the values are what you expect them to be. Single signature transactions are supported in both allow and deny mode. Multi-signature options are coming soon.
Contract Deploys
The Ryder is now also able to sign contract deploy transactions. For now, the screen will only display the transaction ID, but we’re experimenting with ways to best utilise the smaller screen to give a better idea of the contract you’re deploying. But don’t worry, the contract code shows up in Hiro Wallet, and you always have the Cryptoglyphs to check if you’re signing the right contract deploy.
Signed Messages
Support for so-called signed messages is also added to this version. Signed messages can be used to prove you own an address or token and can even be submitted to a smart contract to trigger some on-chain event. The firmware now supports the SIP018 standard and can display and sign these messages.
What about those colored shapes? Introducing Cryptoglyphs
What you might have noticed in the image above is that there are eight colored shapes on the screen. These are called Cryptoglyphs and are used to verify that nobody tampers with your transaction between the moment when it leaves your Hiro Wallet and enters the Ryder. Cryptoglyphs are a visual representation of your transaction and are displayed both in Hiro Wallet as well as the Ryder. If they look the same, you’re good, but if not, something fishy is going on. The colors and shapes are carefully selected to account for common types of color blindness. And of course, tapping the Cryptoglyphs will reveal the full transaction hash for those who would still like to see it.
How to use the firmware?
You can download the Ryder Simulator to try the firmware for yourself. The version with firmware 0.0.5 can be found on GitHub: https://github.com/Light-Labs/ryder-prototype-firmware-releases/releases
We work on integrating Ryder into the Stacks Wallet, and we will release pre-built versions. Brave developers can already setup their test environment using the instructions in the firmware release repo.
Downloads & links
Towards 0.0.6
This version was all about adding the necessary features to provide a full experience. We’re currently putting together a list of what’s going to be part of the next release: firmware 0.0.6. We’re focusing on providing a better user experience and work on the user interface (UX & UI). Version 0.0.6 will also bring more Stacks 2.1 features, like versioned contract deploy transactions. Stay tuned for future blog posts and tweets.
Get involved
We’re excited to see what you’ll do with this release — interested in contributing? We’re always open to new insights and ideas. Join our Discord and be part of the conversation on how to make web3 social: https://discord.gg/EA7SapF5hp
