Re: [Ring] Lost device = Lost account?

[AHIB]

Thanks for the fast reply. I understand a decentralized robust system must have 
some costs, but is there at least an easy Android way to backup your username 
via a file just like Bitcoin? Needing to have two devices just to backup is an 
overkill IMO especially that in Beta app failure is common. What's especially 
frustrating for me is I still have the password, but because the lack of 
synchronization it's no good to retrieve my nick.

That said I don't know if it's technically feasible to incorporate a username 
expiration feature eg. if a username's last seen date by the network is 6+ 
months ago the network would revoke its RingID, allowing its recycling. 
Otherwise it'd be a matter of time before easy and popular usernames are 
reserved to people who are unable or uninterested in using them.


On Sun, Jan 1, 2017, at 02:43 AM, Bruno Pagani wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Le 01/01/2017 à 00:33, AHIB a écrit :
> > Android user here. I registered an account on the network and tested a 
> > couple of calls with Ring, but after a while it would crash upon opening 
> > despite a restart so I uninstalled it. Upon reinstalling I tried to 
> > register the same nick using the same password but it keeps saying username 
> > already taken and asks for some PIN(?). Does that essentially mean if one 
> > was to uninstall Ring or lose his device or ROM that his account is 
> > permanently lost? Because it'd be crazy if that happens after a year of 
> > using the app with dozens of contacts suddenly lost.
> 
> Unless you have a backup or have configured your account on another
> device, yes, you’ve lost it. Ring is a totally decentralized system,
> which means they are no server holding your account data, those are on
> your device(s). The PIN thing is here for that: allow you to copy your
> account on a different device, which is one great thing the SFL team did
> to solve (at least) two challenges at once, namely being able to use
> your account on different device and allow an easy backup of it (if you
> switch phones, just have to copy your account from your desktop or even
> previous phone if still at hand using the built-in feature).
> 
> The nickname part rely on a blockchain, once an user register a nickname
> no one else can register it again, and it can’t be unregistered either
> AFAIU. So, if the account that was linked to this username is lost, the
> username is too.
> 
> High levels of privacy, security and resilience have costs, and this is
> one of them. And outside of those considerations, backups are always a
> good idea. ;)
> 
> Bruno
> 
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