CacheCoin (CCCN) 0.1.4 for Windows

CacheCoin (CCCN) 0.1.4 for Windows

This is the fifth portable Windows package of CacheCoin: cachecoind.exe and
cachecoin-cli.exe from the tagged tree, the PowerShell launcher, the
documentation and a bundled Tor Expert Bundle.

The binaries are unsigned and this build is not reproducible. Read the whole
note before running.

Why 0.1.4 exists

0.1.3 was correct but not simple enough for people who do not program. A new
user had to know which mode to choose and how to run PowerShell commands for a
backup or for their private keys. 0.1.4 adds plain double-click entry points and
a guided keys tool. The node itself is unchanged (same patch fingerprint).

What is new in 0.1.4

Four double-click files now sit next to CacheCoin.cmd (which still works):

• Start Node.cmd - run the node only. Safe default; no mining, low CPU.
• Start Mining.cmd - run the node and mine. The wallet is created
  automatically with a modern SegWit address (cccn1q...); nothing has to be
  typed. Mining still waits for a saved and confirmed backup first.
• My Keys and Backup.cmd - the guided tool:
  • Option 1 (recommended): saves cachecoin-main-wallet-<date>.bak and
    cachecoin-main-descriptors-<date>.json to a folder or USB stick and
    prints their sha256 values. Warns if the folder syncs to a cloud.
  • Option 2 (advanced): shows your private keys only after you type a
    confirmation phrase, after asking you to turn the internet off. The keys
    are never written to a log file, and the screen is cleared when you are
    done.
  • It never generates a separate key: it exports the keys of your existing
    wallet. A standalone key that is not part of the wallet would be easy to
    lose and would not hold the coins that the wallet holds.
• Check Status.cmd - shows block, peers and balance without remembering
  commands.

Under the hood: the package builder now ships tools\ and all entry-point
.cmd files, version.json covers them (34 files in this build), and
docs\BEGINNER_GUIDE.md and docs\START_HERE.txt describe the new files.

What deliberately did not change: mining never pays to an address the user
types (a typo would burn the reward), and there is no separate "create a key"
step (the wallet already has keys; the backup files are the key material).

0.1.3 is frozen as published; the UX work ships as 0.1.4.

Files

• CacheCoin-Windows-0.1.4.zip
  sha256: aa4693f74955254a3dcc55cd03260ae56b69c320793d74838c577c4e7e71252c
• SHA256SUMS.windows.txt (sha256 of every file in the package)
• SHA256SUMS.windows.txt.asc (detached GPG signature of the checksum file)
• version.json (inside the package: pins, patch fingerprint, per-file sha256)

Signing key fingerprint:
7D85B6F364CC47BA9209BB54F750900C7C911728
(CacheCoin (CCCN) Releases releases@cachecoin.org; public key also in the
repository as release-key.asc and in doc/release.md).

Provenance

• Base pins: Bitcoin Core v31.1, commit
  9be056a8a72b624dae9623b2f7bded92c2a21c91; RandomX commit
  7607fb2faed24d5a679e139a9828d194bbc644a4.
• Patch fingerprint: 6a89aa144620ea2c019f2678ea80ae8b2de45544bc64d871cd3bb2fefcf1ddda
  (cat patches/*.patch | sha256sum). Compare it with doc/verification.md.
• The release tag windows-0.1.4 is a signed Git tag; verify it with
  git tag -v windows-0.1.4 after importing release-key.asc.
• Tor Expert Bundle 15.0.24 (tor 0.4.9.13); its files are hashed in
  version.json. The bundle's sha256 was checked against the Tor Project's
  published sha256sums-signed-build.txt.

Verify before running

Get-FileHash CacheCoin-Windows-0.1.4.zip -Algorithm SHA256

Unpack it, then:

gpg --import release-key.asc          # from the repository or the release page
gpg --verify SHA256SUMS.windows.txt.asc SHA256SUMS.windows.txt
sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.windows.txt

The gpg --verify output must name the fingerprint above. The sha256 values
prove the files arrived unchanged; the signature proves the checksum file came
from that key. Neither proves the binaries can be rebuilt from source.

What this is

A portable Windows package. The node is Tor-only; the launcher starts a bundled
Tor if none is running. Data lives in %APPDATA%\CacheCoin, not ~/.cachecoin.
Double-click Start Node.cmd to begin. New users should read
docs\BEGINNER_GUIDE.md. There is no GUI and no daemon mode.

Honest limits

• Not reproducible. The sha256 values prove only that the files arrived
  unchanged in transit; the GPG signature proves the checksum file came from
  the CacheCoin release key. Nobody can yet rebuild the exact bytes.
• The executables are unsigned at the OS level (no Authenticode).
• SmartScreen. Windows will show "Windows protected your PC" on first launch;
  choose More info, then Run anyway, after checking the sha256.
• Outside the suites. The Windows .exe files are not covered by the
  repository's automated test suites. CI starts the node in regtest, verifies
  the genesis and mines one block; on this package the node was also run against
  mainnet, synced to the live tip and connected to a peer over Tor. The new
  .cmd entry points and the keys tool were exercised on a clean sandbox:
  backup files, key display behind the typed phrase, wrong-phrase refusal, and
  the status output.
• No daemon mode. cachecoind -daemon does not exist on Windows (MinGW has
  no fork()); run it in a window or under Task Scheduler.
• Mining is a lottery. Expect weeks without a block; it may never pay. The
  PER ticket system shares fees only when fees exist. Mining costs electricity
  whether or not it pays.
• No financial advice. This is open-source software provided as is under the
  MIT license; nothing here is financial advice, an offer or a promise of return.