Remove 'slack' (and other things)

Author: tnull

README.md

@@ -11,66 +11,57 @@ it is runtime-agnostic, but users must implement basic networking logic, chain
 interactions, and disk storage. More information is available in the `About`
 section.
 
-The `lightning-net-tokio` crate implements Lightning networking using the
-[Tokio](https://github.com/tokio-rs/tokio) async runtime.
-
-The `lightning-persister` crate implements persistence for channel data that
-is crucial to avoiding loss of channel funds. Sample modules for persistence of
-other Rust-Lightning data is coming soon.
-
 Status
 ------
-
-The project implements all of the BOLT specifications in the 1.0 spec. The
-implementation has pretty good test coverage that is expected to continue to
-improve. It is also anticipated that as developers begin using the API, the
-lessons from that will result in changes to the API, so any developer using this
-API at this stage should be prepared to embrace that. The current state is
-sufficient for a developer or project to experiment with it. Recent increased
-contribution rate to the project is expected to lead to a high quality, stable,
-production-worthy implementation in 2021.
+The project implements all of the [BOLT specifications](https://github.com/lightning/bolts) in the
+1.0 spec. The implementation has pretty good test coverage that is expected to continue to improve.
+It is also anticipated that as developers begin using the API, the lessons from that will result in
+changes to the API, so any developer using this API at this stage should be prepared to embrace
+that. The current state is sufficient for a developer or project to experiment with it.
 
 Communications for Rust-Lightning and Lightning Development Kit happens through our LDK
-[slack](https://join.slack.com/t/lightningdevkit/shared_invite/zt-tte36cb7-r5f41MDn3ObFtDu~N9dCrQ) & [discord](https://discord.gg/5AcknnMfBw) channels.
+[Discord](https://discord.gg/5AcknnMfBw) channels.
 
 Crates
 -----------
-1. [lightning](./lightning)   
-  The Core of the LDK library, implements the lightning protocol, channel state machine, 
-  and on-chain logic. Supports no-std and exposes on relatively low-level interfaces.
+1. [lightning](./lightning)
+  The core of the LDK library, implements the Lightning protocol, channel state machine,
+  and on-chain logic. Supports `no-std` and exposes only relatively low-level interfaces.
 2. [lightning-background-processor](./lightning-background-processor)
   Utilities to perform required background tasks for Rust Lightning.
 3. [lightning-block-sync](./lightning-block-sync)
   Utilities to fetch the chain data from a block source and feed them into Rust Lightning.
 4. [lightning-invoice](./lightning-invoice)
-  Data structures to parse and serialize BOLT11 lightning invoices.
+  Data structures to parse and serialize
+  [BOLT #11](https://github.com/lightning/bolts/blob/master/11-payment-encoding.md) Lightning invoices.
 5. [lightning-net-tokio](./lightning-net-tokio)
-  Implementation of the rust-lightning network stack using Tokio.
+  Implementation of the rust-lightning network stack using the [Tokio](https://github.com/tokio-rs/tokio) `async` runtime.
   For Rust-Lightning clients which wish to make direct connections to Lightning P2P nodes,
   this is a simple alternative to implementing the required network stack, especially for those already using Tokio.
 6. [lightning-persister](./lightning-persister)
-  Utilities to manage Rust-Lightning channel data persistence and retrieval.
+  Implements utilities to manage Rust-Lightning channel data persistence and retrieval.
+  Persisting channel data is crucial to avoiding loss of channel funds.
 7. [lightning-rapid-gossip-sync](./lightning-rapid-gossip-sync)
   Client for rapid gossip graph syncing, aimed primarily at mobile clients.
 
 About
 -----------
-LDK/Rust-Lightning is a generic library which allows you to build a lightning
-node without needing to worry about getting all of the lightning state machine,
+LDK/Rust-Lightning is a generic library which allows you to build a Lightning
+node without needing to worry about getting all of the Lightning state machine,
 routing, and on-chain punishment code (and other chain interactions) exactly
 correct. Note that Rust-Lightning isn't, in itself, a node. There are various
 working/in progress demos which could be used as a node today, but if you "just"
-want a generic lightning node, you're almost certainly better off with
-`c-lightning`/`lnd` - if, on the other hand, you want to integrate lightning
-with custom features such as your own chain sync, your own key management, your
+want a generic Lightning node, you're almost certainly better off with
+[Core Lightning](https://github.com/ElementsProject/lightning) or
+[LND](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd) - if, on the other hand, you want to integrate
+Lightning with custom features such as your own chain sync, your own key management, your
 own data storage/backup logic, etc., LDK is likely your only option. Some
-Rust-Lightning utilities such as those in `chan_utils` are also suitable for use
-in non-LN Bitcoin applications such as DLCs and bulletin boards.
+Rust-Lightning utilities such as those in [`chan_utils`](./lightning/src/ln/chan_utils.rs) are also
+suitable for use in non-LN Bitcoin applications such as DLCs and bulletin boards.
 
-We are currently working on a demo node which fetches blockchain data and
-on-chain funds via Bitcoin Core RPC/REST. The individual pieces of that demo
-are/will be composable, so you can pick the off-the-shelf parts you want and
-replace the rest.
+A sample node which fetches blockchain data and manages on-chain funds via the Bitcoin Core
+RPC/REST interface is available [here](../ldk-sample). The individual pieces of that demo are be
+composable, so you can pick the off-the-shelf parts you want and replace the rest.
 
 In general, Rust-Lightning does not provide (but LDK has implementations of):
 * on-disk storage - you can store the channel state any way you want - whether
@@ -84,21 +75,21 @@ In general, Rust-Lightning does not provide (but LDK has implementations of):
   informed of, which is compatible with Electrum server requests/neutrino
   filtering/etc.
 * UTXO management - RL/LDK owns on-chain funds as long as they are claimable as
-  a part of a lightning output which can be contested - once a channel is closed
+  a part of a Lightning output which can be contested - once a channel is closed
   and all on-chain outputs are spendable only by the user, we provide users
   notifications that a UTXO is "theirs" again and it is up to them to spend it
   as they wish. Additionally, channel funding is accomplished with a generic API
   which notifies users of the output which needs to appear on-chain, which they
   can then create a transaction for. Once a transaction is created, we handle
   the rest. This is a large part of our API's goals - making it easier to
-  integrate lightning into existing on-chain wallets which have their own
+  integrate Lightning into existing on-chain wallets which have their own
   on-chain logic - without needing to move funds in and out of a separate
-  lightning wallet with on-chain transactions and a separate private key system.
-* networking - to enable a user to run a full lightning node on an embedded
+  Lightning wallet with on-chain transactions and a separate private key system.
+* networking - to enable a user to run a full Lightning node on an embedded
   machine, we don't specify exactly how to connect to another node at all! We
   provide a default implementation which uses TCP sockets, but, e.g., if you
-  wanted to run your full lightning node on a hardware wallet, you could, by
-  piping the lightning network messages over USB/serial and then sending them in
+  wanted to run your full Lightning node on a hardware wallet, you could, by
+  piping the Lightning network messages over USB/serial and then sending them in
   a TCP socket from another machine.
 * private keys - again we have "default implementations", but users can chose to
   provide private keys to RL/LDK in any way they wish following a simple API. We
@@ -111,8 +102,7 @@ https://vimeo.com/showcase/8372504/video/412818125
 
 Design Goal
 -----------
-
-The goal is to provide a full-featured but also incredibly flexible lightning
+The goal is to provide a full-featured but also incredibly flexible Lightning
 implementation, allowing the user to decide how they wish to use it. With that
 in mind, everything should be exposed via simple, composable APIs. More
 information about Rust-Lightning's flexibility is provided in the `About`
@@ -129,7 +119,7 @@ Rust-Lightning refers to the core `lightning` crate within this repo, whereas
 LDK encompasses Rust-Lightning and all of its sample modules and crates (e.g.
 the `lightning-persister` crate), language bindings, sample node
 implementation(s), and other tools built around using Rust-Lightning for
-lightning integration or building a lightning node.
+Lightning integration or building a Lightning node.
 
 Tagline
 -------