BTC update: launching the Magic Internet project

[Brian Warner]

I'm pleased to announce that we (the "Tahoe-LAFS Software Foundation")
will be granting some of our BTC to sponsor a new effort, named the
Magic Internet Project. Their goal is to build new
(non-backwards-compatible) Tahoe-like protocols and libraries in a way
that supports modern app development, as well as to support and
integrate Magic-Wormhole introduction systems.  The project will also
seek non-profit status.

We are committing 20.0 BTC (about 10% of our remaining reserves), in
anticipation of a two-year effort. Funds will be transferred through
Open Collective until the project can obtain non-profit status, at
which point we'll transfer BTC directly to the new organization.

Per our practices, we'll create a separate transfer address for this
project, 12HZ2rGfgcAqJY2Y55Dxt4Z2qUXiK2WFf8 (or "12HZ" for
short). We'll transfer each amount of BTC from our main 1Pxi address
to 12HZ, then transfer it from 12HZ to OpenCollective, then fold any
leftover tokens back into 1Pxi. I'll be updating donations.rst with
the new address, and then expenses.rst with the details of how much we
spent.

This new effort is in addition to our ongoing work with Least
Authority. We're allocating at least another 5% of our reserves
towards work (including maintenance) on the Python codebase.

Many thanks to Pete and Meejah for spearheading this project, and to
all the developers past and present whose work has enabled this
effort.

I've attached the project's mission statement and objectives below.

cheers,
  -Brian Warner, on behalf of the Tahoe-LAFS Software Foundation


Mission Statement
=================

Magic Internet is an independent FOSS steward that delivers building
blocks for decentralized software. An applied research & development
lab, we design and implement foundational libraries, services and
useful sample applications. We support a broad ecosystem of FOSS &
proprietary developers who create fully-featured applications that
enhance privacy & autonomy.

Our initial projects are Magic Cap, a decentralized data capability
storage system, and Magic Wormhole, a decentralized data transfer
protocol. We’ll develop future projects in line with our broader
mission and in response to changing market and technology trends.

Objectives
==========

Magic Cap will make the "data capability" innovations pioneered by
Tahoe-LAFS more widely deployable & integratable. The core library
will be written in Rust, with bindings to Python, NodeJS & browser
Javascript, along with real-world usable sample applications.

We'll add new functionality to the Magic Wormhole transport library,
including seeds & dilation, and improve feature parity and
interoperability in the Rust implementation, as well as creating
additional example applications built on the protocol.

People
======

Magic Internet is led by Meejah (Technical Director) and Pete Fein
(Executive Director), along with Shae Erisson (Senior Engineer); we'll
retain additional staff on a full & part-time basis in the coming
months.