[Nix-dev] Funding Hydra Development

[Vladimír Čunát]

On 01/22/2015 04:12 PM, Alexander Kjeldaas wrote:
> > Therefore, the untrusted computers bring very little added value.
 >
> I don't understand how this follow from the previous point.  [...]

 From a kind-of paranoid point of view, if I don't trust a computer at 
all, it shouldn't be able to increase my trust in anything. I can't know 
for sure whether it did compile anything at all or just copied the 
result of the one it wants to confirm. In such a setting the 
majority-vote with anyone free to join is cheap to manipulate. (That is 
why e.g. bitcoin requires proof-of-work, so it needs superior 
computational power to manipulate it.)

> Thus a normal NixOS (unknown, untrusted computer) can still recompile
> some random package that is being installed in order to strengthen trust
> in the official builds.


Of course, unknown people can rebuild random packages themselves to 
increase *their* trust in what they downloaded, etc.

But for redundant builds to work at all, we would first need better 
determinism and purity.


Vladimir


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