Mastodon also uses the @.
I suppose NIP-05 syntax has been derived from LN addresses. I don't know if choosing an email like format has been the best idea (in both cases) because it's easily recognizable, but the goal is completely different and this can create a lot of troubles in the UX.
Why not simply change the separator and create a new and unique Nostr address?
user#domain.tld
If I see a @ linked address on a web page I expect to click it to open my email client. If I found a # linked address I know it will open my Nostr DM micro app to the user chat, or will fallback to the user profile.
In fact it can actually be a landing page pointer too; root domains can be ##domain.tld
Nostr apps that extensively use NIP-05, like the just proposed "shared login" by nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft could improve the communication and avoid a lot of confusion.
Probably we can save newcomers from silly frustrations, e.g. "why I cannot login in Coracle with my Gmail?!", and perhaps prevent some security related problems too.
Maybe it can also help to spread the protocol, becoming a neutral brand in business cards and advertising.
Make sense?
Any cons?
#nostrdesign
Discussion
Right, more chaos.
No, it's a good thing. The @ notation was never meant to be used just by email, email was just the protocol that was more successful. It's time to change that. Also, email is horribly bad, centralized, awful, no one should even be using it. We can't just let them win.
About Gmail, we can probably easily implement something like this: https://www.onebigfluke.com/2013/06/bootstrapping-webfinger-with-webfist.html
And it wouldn't be disruptive to NIP-05 at all as we would hardcode just the top 5 big email providers (I don't even know if there are this many).
I knew it would end this way, capture the @ haha
Okay!