Keep your reading list private
Buy books with GNU Taler
Welcome to our deliverable D3.2 that aims to
demonstrate GNU Taler operations in the context of
publishing.
The bookseller implements TALER software to enable
people testing secure electronic payment with GNU Taler
with a fictional currency we call BOOKZ. With BOOKZ, you
can acquire electronic versions of the books published
by Éditions petites singularités, operated
by petites
singularités ASBL, a partner in the NGI TALER
consortium.
This document introduces GNU Taler and the NGI TALER project, as well as the demonstrator itself, its context for publishers, and means to learn more and eventually participate in the deployment of this privacy-preserving electronic payment system across Europe.
What is GNU Taler?
GNU Taler is a set of free software programs based on
open standards and advanced cryptography that create a
privacy-preserving, secure electronic payment
system. Taler is made in Europe and co-founded by the
European Union. Taler makes privacy-friendly online
transactions fast and easy.
You can learn more
about GNU Taler and
its features
of the main web site.
What is NGI TALER?
NGI TALER is a project to deploy GNU Taler across the Eurozone. The consortium brings together 11 partners and is funded under Horizon Europe (Pilots for the Next Generation Internet).
TALER Bookseller demo overview
In order to go through the demo and acquire electronic books from petites singularités using the Taler payment system, you will need to follow these steps:
- Install a Taler Wallet
- Open a bank account for BOOKZ
- Withdraw BOOKZ to your Taler Wallet
- Finally, shop for books
Known limitations
The following limitations may hinder your experience, but we're working on it. You can follow our progress on TALER Integration Community Hub.
- The demonstrator is limited to the fictional currency BOOKZ, due to current limited offering for merchants beyond Switzerland and Germany.
- The only available shop is Samizdat, PS bookstore.
- There is no web interface besides the Taler APIs: it is recommended to contact the PS team and schedule a live demo using the Taler Point of Sales.
Open a bank account for BOOKZ
Normally, if you were to pay in euros, you would use your own bank account, wiring money from it to the Taler Exchange, so this step is specific to the demo.
The Taler Exchange is the financial entity that is authorized to convert fiat currency (like EUR) or regional currency (like Netzbon in Basel, or BOOKZ in our demo) for digital cash. We call it digital cash because the converted value is like paper notes and metallic coins: the value is transferrable to the bearer and not tied to any single identity, which is consistent with the privacy-by-design and privacy-by-default goals of TALER to preserve customers' privacy in the digital environment.
Opening a demo bank account is a one-step process requiring no private information: you may use any login, password and full name you like.
Let's go: please complete the demo bank account registration form and you will receive a number of BOOKZ to spend with your Taler Wallet.
Withdraw BOOKZ to your Taler Wallet
Once you have a bank account and a Taler Wallet, you need to fill your wallet with digital cash.
Configuring the Taler Exchange
In your Taler Wallet, you must add the TALER Bookseller Exchange, as it is not (yet) part of the default exchanges shipped with the Taler wallet software.
You tap the parameters button with the gear to find the
Payment System Providers (PSP):
tap that too. It will reveal a list (of currently one
Exchange for KUDOS) and a plus sign at the bottom right:
this is where you want to add:
https://exchange.bookseller.taler.net/.
If it does not work the first time: try again! Sometimes
the network is not playing with us.
Once you have the Taler Exchange registered, you may continue. If this step fails, please see this issue.
Withdrawing: sending money to the Taler Wallet
Once the Exchange is configured, you can hit the central
button and make appear the menu: choose 'withdraw' and ask
for 50.00 BOOKZ from
the exchange.bookseller.taler.net PSP,
and confirm. The wallet will provide details for the bank
transfer, including a reference, the name of the
destination bank, and the Taler Exchange account
information.
From your bank account interface, you can now wire to the Taler Exchange, the amount of BOOKZ you want to withdraw, using the provided reference. The reference is a structured cryptographic token that will ensure the Exchange delivers the money rightfully to your Taler Wallet.
After a few seconds or minutes, your Taler Wallet transactions should show the completed transaction, and your balance should be augmented by 50.00 BOOKZ. Time to spend them!
Go shopping for books
The Bookseller Shop page lists the available venues where you may spend your digital cash to acquire books.
Currently, due to a limitation, there is no available web front-end, and we recommend using the Taler PoS app to complete the transaction.
In the meantime, because you have made the effort to follow the demo until now, we do not want to frustrate your experience, you are welcome to browse our catalogue and download anything you like from there. Since this is written in English, we recommend Synware. free software syndicates. Enjoy your reading!
Beyond the Bookseller demo
The Bookseller demo will evolve with our experience using Taler, and promoting its adoption within the independent book sector. As the software evolves and the European context becomes more supportive to this unique value proposition, this demo will evolve until, hopefully, we can deploy the real thing in Euros, across the Eurozone.
If you are interested in supporting this project, in contributing or testing it for yourself, in promoting it to your legislators, your bank, your suppliers and your customers, then by all means, let us know! See PS Taler page for ways to help.
Our current plans for upcoming changes will be documented on TALER ICH.