beyond shitposting, i don't really care about a GIF keyboard at this current time. i use gifbuddy.lol from nostr:npub1hee433872q2gen90cqh2ypwcq9z7y5ugn23etrd2l2rrwpruss8qwmrsv6 and i'm perfectly happy. we have other, more pertinent tasks that need to be implemented and ironed out, IMO. such as stability and performance, bringing about consistency, are some of our collective largest hurdles.
Discussion
Thanks for saying that. I agree, stability and performance are key. You can add the bells and whistles once the engine is consistently running correctly.
absolutely.
and it doesn't all need to be jammed into a single client. one of the nostr super powers is how well disperate apps work together
Right. If you want a gif button we have at least two clients with it. Good enough for now while others shore up their stability and performance.
I totally hear you, and I agree that stability and performance are crucial. However, my concern isn’t about the GIF keyboard itself—it’s more about the lack of response to user feedback. I’ve personally supported the Damus team with a few million sats over the years, and it’s frustrating to see development time spent on pet projects that don’t align with the community’s expressed needs, while ignoring something as simple to implement as a gif keyboard.
This-guy-gets-it.gif
This is how I feel about note deck. It’s cool for people who care to use it I guess but I know for sure I won’t use it much. I’d love to see other features implemented first that we already started on like muting for X duration or adding notes to profiles. I guess one nice thing to come from exploring on your own is the potential performance improvements that can be implemented into iOS down the road, but at the moment note deck feels like a year long distraction from what could have been an amazing iOS client. For this reason I also stopped donating sats in the same capacity as I used to. I’ll admit though that maybe I don’t have the full picture and there is demand for note deck and I’m just blind to it 🤷♂️
View Notedeck as a Nostr browser, more like a Nostr OS. The picture is very large. It's also an incredible task that will take a long time to build out.
It's hard for me to argue points about Damus development slowing down or whatever because I'm not a Damus user. I am happy to get a taste of Will's early intelligence with Notedeck though. Notedeck is the future of Damus. Now maybe if it was 75% complete and he went to work on another project, I'd feel differently.
Yeah maybe as a nostr os there’s potential. However, simply as a note deck I don’t see it. It’s more of a power user feature tbh. The updated to iOS slowed down quite a bit. I think even without the bells and whistles of other clients there are still many improvements that could be made but it seems ever since Apple knee-capped Damus, all energy left the project. I could be wrong, and I hope I’m wrong because this is literally the only client on iOS worth using design-wise. And I don’t think that’s a high bar to clear.
just because I am temporarily working on our android version doesn't mean "all energy" has left the project. both swift and daniel are working on it and are adding lots of features (recently: multi image upload, push notifications). our milestone the past month has been improving less sexy things like onboarding, starter packs, etc. I've been also working on profile pages and nip05 on damus io links so that we can have more reach outside of our nostr bubble.
For damus to be successful it needs to go beyond the walled garden of apple. Incremental changes to iOS would lead to us running out of money and failing. nostur already has tons of features, so for people who want incremental changes of more and more features can use nostur. At damus we're trying to build a recognizable brand and ecosystem of apps that work together.
I can't #grownostr and onboard new users if the app crashes or is slow or things just don't work correctly. Stability is more important. Sure, a GIF button might seem like a no-brainer, I think it is, but in the absolute grand scheme of things, it's probably lower on the priority list compared to basic functions.
nostr:nprofile1qqsr9cvzwc652r4m83d86ykplrnm9dg5gwdvzzn8ameanlvut35wy3gpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduq3qamnwvaz7tmwdaehgu3wwa5kuegpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuurjd9kkzmpwdejhglzevy3 has said that he wants to implement a GIF button that doesn't track users, so it's not as simple as just implementing a Tenor API. We (nostr) essentially need to build the foundation. nostr:nprofile1qqstuu6ccnl9q9yvejhuqt4zqhvqz30z2wyf4gu43k404p3hq37ggrspzpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejsz9rhwden5te0wfjkccte9ejxzmt4wvhxjmcpz4mhxue69uhk2er9dchxummnw3ezumrpdejqzqqvxz had a nice note about this recently.
I used to really want a GIF keyboard, but now it's a lower priority for me. I now see other things as much more important. That's all.
one of the goals is damus is that it will continue to work after I'm dead. adding more and more centralized integrations that just break is not a direction I want to go with damus.
saying that I don't care is oppsite from the truth, I care and want to do it the *right* way. one that actually makes sense for every user of damus, including japanese users who might not care about tenor memes. They have their own memes and gifs, having a nip94 gif relay would make way more sense in that context.
People upset that I'm spending development time on reaching the 80% of the nostr market (android users) over a gif keyboard, is kind of crazy to me. We can't even begin marketing Damus without an android client.
Donating sats does not mean you get to change the direction of our roadmap, if you want to do that, join our biweekly calls and tell us why your feature should be on our current milestone over the thousands of other things that need to get done.
👊
🎯
Hey Will, I appreciate the response and your commitment to making Damus something that lasts. I respect the long-term vision. That said, here are some of my thoughts:
iOS Feels Left Behind
Focusing on Android makes sense to grow the user base, but it feels like the iOS client—and the early users who helped Damus get started—have been left in the dust. A lot of us stuck around because we believed in what Damus could be, but now it’s hard not to feel like the iOS app has been abandoned. Not to mention that Android already has an excellent client that will be challenging to compete with, and you’d most likely be cannibalizing current nostr users as opposed to growing nostr.
Priorities Seem Off
It’s not about a GIF keyboard. It’s about listening to your users and focusing on things people actually want. Instead, it feels like time is being spent on features that don’t make the app more usable for most of us. The frustration comes from feeling like feedback isn’t taken seriously.
Compete With Primal
If you think Primal’s going in the wrong direction, why not focus on making Damus the clear winner? A lot of early users have moved on because Damus doesn’t feel relevant anymore—it’s fallen behind. It would be great to see some competition again.
I get that sats donations don’t buy influence, and I appreciate the invite to join calls. But I’m a full time physician and don’t have time to jump onto a dev call. For most users, leaving feedback is how we contribute. When it feels like that feedback is ignored, it’s tough to stay engaged.
I hope I’m just missing the forest through the trees here and that all of the other projects you’ve been working on like Notedeck and Damus Android, and offline nostr really do push nostr to a sustainable mass adoption. Best of luck.
This idea that the ios app is abandoned is ridiculous and insulting to our iOS devs (eric, swift, daniel). Just because I don't post about it here anymore doesn't mean work is not getting done there.
Priorities are not off, we have a very specific plan that we are trying to execute before we can begin to market Damus to a wider audience. If we don't have android/desktop we're not going to be able to compete with anything. Our marketing strategy is not going to be "use primal". That is rediculous.
Users wanting one off features is not going to make damus succeed, there is a larger plan and goals. We want to onboard hundreds of millions of people into a proper, decentralized client that works on all platforms. It's imperative we do this before the bluesky of nostr takes over marketshare and onboards everyone first. This new client is a part of the plan, so your comment about competing with primal is weird. It's the entire point of notedeck, it have a primal-quality client without a centralized relay. I just had to do a shitton of upfront work to make it possible.
doing things the hard but right way takes a lot of time, and I am a single person. I could have easily gone the primal route and just made a centralized relay that does all the hard work, but it's completely against the core pillars of damus: "The social network you control".
It’s not about one-off features, and it’s definitely not about dismissing the work being done by the iOS devs. The issue is how you’re engaging with users and supporters who’ve been here since the start.
This reply is a perfect example. Instead of acknowledging valid frustrations or fostering a constructive dialogue, it comes across as rude and dismissive. Users want to feel heard, not scolded for sharing feedback or concerns.
It’s clear that you’re prioritizing your vision of a multi-platform client over addressing the needs of the current iOS community—and maybe that’s the right decision. But the dismissive tone and lack of engagement with your core supporters only alienate the very people who have championed Damus from the start.
Predictable with the use of terms such as 'abandoned' and 'cannibalizing'. Ok for will to use shorthand without optimizing for your butthurt if you can. Criticizing post per post scales better than responding to criticism. Productivity requires strong defense against.
Wisdom of crowds requires filter
If Casey Neistat joined nostr and requested a GIF button in the Damus client, would you implement it, or say no and risk losing the millions of users he could attract?
Damus is not ready to onboard millions of users yet, I want a client that can handle the load (which is why I created nostrdb)
well dodged the question
I mean yes probably
People are trying to make this like we aren’t working on it or something. nostr:npub12gyrpse550melzx2ey69srfxlyd8svkxkg0mjcjkjr4zakqm2cnqwa3jj5 built a full gif keyboard frontend to avoid the invasive tracking done by external libraries. We’re just working through the details on the backend with nostr:npub1hee433872q2gen90cqh2ypwcq9z7y5ugn23etrd2l2rrwpruss8qwmrsv6 now
I’m not saying you’re not working on solutions, and I understand you have very limited resources to accelerate progress. This isn’t really about a ‘stupid GIF button’—it’s more about the ability to listen to user feedback, even from those of us who might not have an audience or resources to attract. Often, the feedback we give includes suggestions that wouldn’t hurt to implement and could enhance the overall experience(even as a temporary solution). I think for #nostr clients that want to work on the project and not being sold to VCs, users should be counted and if not us being on here or leaving back to X app then #nostr is pointless and failed project.
We get tons of feedback, which nostr:npub1zafcms4xya5ap9zr7xxr0jlrtrattwlesytn2s42030lzu0dwlzqpd26k5 and nostr:npub1h50pnxqw9jg7dhr906fvy4mze2yzawf895jhnc3p7qmljdugm6gsrurqev meticulously catalog and coordinate quarterly planning meetings around. This idea that we dismiss feedback is insane to me.
You do dismiss feedback I’m just lazy to go and find it. Let’s just bookmark this for the future reference
Please allow me to flip this into a positive note
You can truly see the passion in this thread that everyone has for Damus and Nostr as a whole
It is a privilege to be in a position where people care enough to criticize your work
The developers at Damus have built something incredible that people can’t get enough of and are demanding more
With that said, I think we have a solution that will be scalable, non-intrusive, and will be unique to Nostr
Looking forward to contributing and working with the Damus team
GIFs are inevitable
I look forward to trying on android.
Work after you are dead. That would be very impressive.
I am a slut. You give me a million sats, you can get whatever you want on Amethyst.
👀
Was bout to offer some bounty in that range tbh...
So slutty, I like it
OK 1 MILLION SATS FOR A PRONOUN KEYBOARD. ANOTHER MILLION FOR A PERMANENT CREED APP BACKGROUND FOR ALL USERS
One of the best notes of the year
This is the way 🔥
Women live on easy mode
It's the 'easy' men who allow it.
Men are at the helm, and it is our responsibility to set the right example through the principle of meritable action.
Setting up possibilities to make their life easier always comes from the state.
It’s a intergenerational cycle, it also happened in Sparta and Rome.
Sparta collapsed for giving excessive power for women, including to decide whether or not to get pregnant and other abject sexual practices.
It usually comes alongside currency degeneration and state corruption.
Any similarity to what we have been facing nowadays?
Hierarchy:
God
Man
Woman
Child
Only a million! You are a cheap slut too! 🤦🏼♂️
What I want is honestly too complicated and when my specs are ready you'll be able to ask me for more than that if you can meet them.
To put it simply I want a P2P censorship resistant nostr. You're actually kinda getting somewhere already with your built in Tor support
We will get there. P2P sucks because people don't have servers to stay online. Phones go offline quickly. The reason we even have relays is because no one could make a working P2P network. There were prototypes, but nothing at this scale that is truly P2P (meaning no server whatssoever is involved).
With the right web of trust plan it can work 🤙
Sometimes, it is important to listen to users; even while other more audacious projects are being carried out in the background.
Sempre!
?cid=9b38fe91d0nbm32mkottnl48wk9zvxshcm4l7qefyxgxoho3&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g
I know it's an order of magnitude lower, but definitely 100k zap from me when the olas tab has direct video upload.
👀👀👀
big if tru
I have a friend that called himself a "tech prostitute: I solve problems for money; give me more money and I'll work for you"
That's honest work then!
If I had an Android, I would zap that for you.
Amythest, slut client of nostr.
Victor big pimping up in the NOSTR
🤔 whats a million sats in bitcoin decimal these days 😂😂😂
Good attitude.👏
Just to confirm, you have Amethyst set to open source and forkable? Right? When I get my personal shit solved here, I'm going to experiment on some Nostr building. I think you have a really good starting point on Amethyst from a lot of levels. But there's a lot I'd change and improve too.
Just confirming from the horses mouth. Happy to work together in some form too.
There's been forked versions of Amethyst before, Vitor welcomes them.
Will you let me filter out the mostr bridge for 1M SATs?
I don't think that is possible. Once bridge creates events, anyone can send them to any relay...
Can't he just add mostr.pub to his filter list and call it a done day?
Like this? The first two words filter out most of mostr.
It doesn't work. Bridges are stupid.
you mean you are a whore. A slut doesn't charge. #bitcoin $btc #givemedatorangethang
Like, for a full 24 hours?
Tempting
Voulez-Vous couchez avec mon app ce soir? 😂
Wish I could scrobble my subsonic on nostr and wavlake
Nothing personal against you, and high 5 to all that donations - but something like a gif-keybord is really the least thing i could think of.
I mean, thats totally unrelated to nostr.
Aren't there some "gif capable kryboards" you just install on your device?
Who needs that? It's (gifs) just unneccesarily incrementing throughput on tor nodes to deliver a GIF.
What did you not understand about this “isn’t about a GIF keyboard”
Like nest bugs.
Nests doesn't have a GIF button allowing Kieran all the time in the world to work on the bugs. I can only assume that's what's happening 😁
Didn't know about nostr:npub1hee433872q2gen90cqh2ypwcq9z7y5ugn23etrd2l2rrwpruss8qwmrsv6 before, thanks! 
Is it #Gif or #Zif or #Jif
#askNostr
And I say it is the MOST important thing ..
If I needed STABILITY.. I can be on X 😜
I'd gladly be a slut for 1,000,000 #Satoshis with all of the great things on #Amethyst with #Nostr
I prefer without a meme keyboard.
It makes the meme game more wholesome