Bug 2263906 - libsecp256k1 is packaging fork
Summary: libsecp256k1 is packaging fork
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED CURRENTRELEASE
Alias: None
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: libsecp256k1
Version: rawhide
Hardware: Unspecified
OS: Unspecified
unspecified
unspecified
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Jonny Heggheim
QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2024-02-12 17:52 UTC by Janus Troelsen
Modified: 2025-02-15 21:28 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed: 2025-02-15 21:28:56 UTC
Type: Bug
Embargoed:


Attachments (Terms of Use)

Description Janus Troelsen 2024-02-12 17:52:43 UTC
Description of problem:

Bitcoin ABC version of the library is not what users expect from the name 'libsecp256k1'

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):

all

How reproducible:

1. Go to https://packages.fedoraproject.org/pkgs/libsecp256k1/libsecp256k1/
2. Observe that is it the ABC version of the library instead of the upstream version at  https://github.com/bitcoin-core/secp256k1

Expected results:

Should be the secp256k1 library from bitcoin-core since that is what is used in the prevalent Bitcoin implementation. The ABC library is for bitcoinabc.org which is e.cash, a cryptocurrency that Fedora doesn't even support.

Comment 1 Janus Troelsen 2024-02-12 17:55:09 UTC
I see on https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2263906 that it is pointed out that the fork support Schnorr signatures. But the upstream version also does this, albeit with a different interface, see https://github.com/haskoin/secp256k1-haskell/issues/46#issuecomment-1872193146

Comment 2 Jonny Heggheim 2024-02-12 21:00:00 UTC
It was changed from upstream to Bitcoin-ABC in 2020, due to the better Schnorr support.

I will have a look at the latest bitcoin-core release.

> Should be the secp256k1 library from bitcoin-core since that is what is used in the prevalent Bitcoin implementation. The ABC library is for bitcoinabc.org which is e.cash, a cryptocurrency that Fedora doesn't even support.

This package is currently only supported/tested for the official Fedora packages for electrum and electron-cash.

Comment 3 Warren Togami 2024-05-23 22:13:49 UTC
In my opinion it's a mistake to package secp256k1 separately as if it's useful as a dynamic link to multiple downstream projects. The "upstream" is a reference implementation. Downstream clients incorporate a particular version or fork of the upstream source with testing only against their own version.

Comment 4 Janus Troelsen 2024-05-23 23:47:20 UTC
@wtogami This package is depended on by the Electrum package, and that package, even in its official version, requires libsecp256k1: https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/blob/2f02e0acc321bce30b5ef8a3d9464d7105d883b9/README.md?plain=1#L37

So it would make sense to first convince Electrum to stop using the system package.

Comment 5 Warren Togami 2024-05-24 01:49:37 UTC
Is Bitcoin Core using this library? If not it's OK to be exactly what Electrum expects but please note it prominently in description?

Comment 6 Janus Troelsen 2024-05-24 03:09:57 UTC
No, you can see on https://packages.fedoraproject.org/pkgs/bitcoin-core/bitcoin-core-desktop/fedora-rawhide.html#dependencies that libsecp256k1 is not a dependency

Comment 7 Jonny Heggheim 2025-02-15 21:28:56 UTC
This have been fixed in Fedora 41


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