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perun-network / perun-eth-payment

Simplified payment channel API of go-perun.
Apache License 2.0
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Proposal: remove type `ETHAmount` and replace uses with `*big.Int` #13

Open sebastianst opened 3 years ago

sebastianst commented 3 years ago

I think it would be better to scrap the ETHAmount type and just use *big.Int. go-ethereum users are accustomed to work with *big.Int and it is just confusing that they need to create special amount types. Handling ethereum amount big.Int should not be the scope of this wrapper package.

For conversions, users can use free functions like, e.g., from Erdstall's eth package ((Eth|Wei)to(Wei|Eth)(Int|Float)).

ggwpez commented 3 years ago

I implemented it like this originally but @matthiasgeihs convinced me to add ETHAmount.
This way it prevents ETH/WEI mix-ups and is easier to use than convenience functions.
Otherwise we would at least need to link these convenience functions

matthiasgeihs commented 3 years ago

Yes, we discussed that and even though ethereum developers might be used to juggling with *big.Int, it's not nice.

sebastianst commented 3 years ago

I still think that it adds more confusion than it helps. Users of channels are usually Ethereum experts. They probably already have their solution how to handle eth/wei in their frontends and configurations. Mixing up eth/wei denominated number is more of a beginner's issue. Even somewhat experienced Ethereum devs know that amounts are always denominated in wei. Only frontend devs have to take care of these conversions. And because the conversion from/to eth/wei is a frontend issue, it is, in my opinion, misplaced in this package, which has more of a "backend" nature.

I would find it confusing as a new user of this package that I now have to create an intermediary type ETHAmount just to input an amount that my application probably already holds as a *big.Int.

IMO a package should focus on one thing, in this case, Perun ethereum payment channels. The API is simply cleaner if it accepts the default go-ethereum type for amounts, that is, *big.Int.