I'm taking a break...

[HACKERALERT]

With the security audit concluded and nothing major discovered, I think it's safe to say there's not much to do anymore. Sure, there is PCC-006 which could be resolved, but it is purely theoretical and not an issue at all today (and likely for a while). And yes, there are feature requests, but Picocrypt already does its core functions and remains true to its goal of remaining simple and reliable.

I'm very busy with studies these days and have little free time if at all, and spending my limited time on Picocrypt has become a diminishing return for me. For example, even with the amazing help of @Retengart, I still had to spend time and energy to do everything necessary to create a Flatpak, which sure, a lot of users request, but really brings me no benefit. And if you think I'm selfish for only wanting to do things that benefit me, well, this entire project was created in my free time and I took no money from it, so maybe think again. I'm also taking a different career path that will not deal with cybersecurity or cryptography directly, so there's no further value to be gained as far as I can see.

I took a break from Picocrypt a while ago but came back to do things like moving the project into its own organization and working through the security audit process, but this time I will not make any guarantees if I'll be back. I may stop working on Picocrypt entirely and it'll stall as it as. There's not a ton to do though anyways, and everything is already set up pretty future-proof. If things do break in the future, I'll try to come back and get things working again, but if not, remember that the CLI and web interface are always available, and good projects can always be continued by the community.

Moving this project to a dedicated organization was an attempt at making it easier for others to contribute and maintain, but I've realized that security and open contribution don't really mix unless you have someone monitoring changes, requiring both time on the reviewer and latency during contributions. If I give a member write access, they can also edit existing releases to replace binaries with modified ones. So in the interest of security, the organization only has one member (me) and no one can or will join. This does mean that everything stalls if I'm not working on it though, and I'm okay with that.

Thank you all for your support throughout this amazing journey in developing this popular software. I've learned a lot, contributed a ton, and enjoyed the process throughout, but it's time for me to move on, and I hope you'll understand. Like a lot of other open source projects, there comes a point when it is no longer viable to freely volunteer your time and skill.

If there's one thing to take away from this and remember, it's that good software will always be good software. I'm leaving Picocrypt in a great state -- reliable, professionally audited, and well documented; unless something catastrophic happens, there's no reason to worry about anything really. A secure, audited volume format using the latest and greatest cryptographic primitives will last as long as can be made to last with current technology, and if this software gets popular enough, there will likely be a community continuation like Picocrypt Next or Picocrypt Remix should the demand arise. Until then, though, you have a reliable and secure piece of software you can continue to use without problem or worry.

Later! Or maybe not... 🤷 👋

[iPyGuy]

That’s ok. People can always fork the project and continue development if needed.

Just wanted to say thanks for creating a simple app for all 3 major OS platforms that utilize the latest cryptography!

[orochi02]

if you aint going into cybersecurity whats yo career path steering towards then 👀

[HACKERALERT]

I'm looking toward AI now, there is much research potential in this field.

[HACKERALERT]

Since I'm leaving now, I will need the community's help in answering questions for new users, etc.

One thing I've done is packaged an OpenGL-free Windows executable for older machines.

Picocrypt.zip

If anyone has issues with Windows, you can link them to here.

As well, if you need someone relatively trusted, I can vouch for @Retengart or @hakavlad. Both have gained my trust and I can endorse them as the main helpers for this project if they would like to help around with replying to issues and discussions. Of course, only download files I have uploaded or released.

[HACKERALERT]

As a final parting gift, I added a final paranoind pack to the releases. As I've said in the past, Enjoy! 👋

[gitsnor]

@HACKERALERT Thanks for the finished multi-platform software, it is as you say, I think you finished it at the right time. You can always add something if you are bored or not, after all, it's Picocrypt, not Bloatcrypt ;-)

Take care of yourself, I don't know about studies in Canada, but in Poland most of what is good for your future comes from meeting people and establishing relationships with them during your studies.

And as for AI, it's a very good idea to make money for people with little programming skills, the downside is that it makes people lazy, I noticed from myself ;-)

[HACKERALERT]

It's a finished project as long as no big issues arise; if such things do, I'll be back as always! ✨

[MrSuddenJoy]

@HACKERALERT Enormous thank you for Picocrypt, I wish you all the best in future that awaits you. :)