1 2013-10-17 00:14:20 <olalonde> how many bits are private keys?
 2 2013-10-17 00:17:49 <lianj> olalonde: 256
 3 2013-10-17 00:30:58 <maaku> olalonde: a private key can be fully specified as a 256-bit number. most serialized forms are longer, however...
 4 2013-10-17 00:31:15 <olalonde> thanks
 5 2013-10-17 04:40:50 <olalonde> if someone sends me a transaction with a random script, will the bitcoins still show up in my balance although my private key alone might not be sufficient to spend the coins?
 6 2013-10-17 04:41:57 <CodeShark> the script IS what says for whom they are
 7 2013-10-17 04:42:41 <CodeShark> or at least what says how they can be redeemed
 8 2013-10-17 04:42:44 <gmaxwell> olalonde: no. By definition.
 9 2013-10-17 04:43:15 <olalonde> so the bitcoin client makes sure that the coins are spendable before adding up to the balance?
10 2013-10-17 04:43:38 <olalonde> what if they are spendable by 2 private keys, one of the keys being the one u own
11 2013-10-17 04:43:51 <CodeShark> pretty much all wallet apps right now look for specific script types
12 2013-10-17 04:43:56 <gmaxwell> olalonde: as codeshark says, the script is the definition of who the transaction is to. If it isn't a script the wallet specifically reconizes then it's not yours as far as the wallet is concerned.
13 2013-10-17 04:44:33 <gmaxwell> CodeShark: any competent one always would.  Someone sending you weird scripts would be a great way to rob people if they fell for them, and a great way to send money into a black hole for the sender.
14 2013-10-17 04:45:03 <olalonde> ok
15 2013-10-17 04:45:05 <gmaxwell> olalonde: the reciever of funds should always be the party specifying a scriptpubkey. This was more formalized in P2SH but in general its the only sane way to use the system.
16 2013-10-17 04:45:44 <CodeShark> gmaxwell: it would be nice to do away with the whole "address" concept and just share the full output script when requesting payment