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GNU Taler for payments? (programming.dev)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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https://www.taler.net/

"privacy friendly online transactions"

I came across this and it's looks interesting it seems to have been out for a while and seems to work well in the demo.

it sounds a bit like Blockchain, but it doesn't seem to be. which i would think makes it more appealing because the setup was easy... but i can't find any examples of it being used in the wild.

i was expecting to see more cases that used it when i saw there is funding for it from https://nlnet.nl/

i think this could be good to add into my app. but i wonder if it might not be a good idea if it hasnt established itself as reliable in the wild.

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[-] [email protected] -2 points 2 months ago

It appears to have all of the downsides of a centralized payment processor (like PayPal, Visa, etc.) and also all of the downsides of a crypto-currency. I would avoid this clusterfuck like the plague.

Taler does not require any Blockchain technology, and is also not based on proof-of-work or any other distributed consensus mechanism.

Your wallet stores digital cash and thus ultimately your computer holds your balance. The Taler Exchange keeps funds matching all unspent digital cash in a settlement account.

Since Taler's digital cash in your wallet is anonymized, the exchange cannot assist you in recovering a lost or stolen wallet. Just like with a physical wallet for cash, you are responsible for keeping it safe.

In case of a compromise of one of your devices, an attacker can spend digital cash from your wallet.

Taler e-money is issued with a validity period. One month before the expiration date, your wallet should automatically exchange any digital cash that is about to expire for new digital cash with an extended validity period. However, if your wallet is offline for an extended period of time, it may be unable to do so. Ensure your wallet is regularly online to avoid losing money due to expiration!

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Because it's not a crypto-currency it is a lot more efficient: e.g. no need for wasteful proof-of-work or staking. So it certainly does not have all the downsides of crypto.

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this post was submitted on 02 May 2025
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