Nostr Web Client

**Bitcoiners should do the work and figure out self-custodied lightning.** Yes, even for pocket change. Yes, even if it means you can't see zaps.

If normies or casuals end up using custodial solutions, that sucks, but it's entirely predictable. But if you are all-in on the ethos of bitcoin as a tool that enables self-sovereign control over money, then help us keep the culture alive.

Lightning has a lot of issues and the direction of how this ecosystem plays out is in a bit of a precarious state. The barrier to entry for running and managing a lightning node is high. I get it. But if the most hardcore bitcoiners aren't willing to forgo trusted third party intermediaries, then we're sowing the seeds for lightning to become a network of centralized, trusted service providers from top to bottom.

If there's no demand from bitcoiners for improved self-custody UX, then people aren't going to build solutions. Every bitcoiner who chooses to sacrifice self-sovereignty for convenience is ever so slightly tipping the scales towards a culture that favors such expediency.

I don't think this is hyperbole. Lightning is super early and this is precisely the time to set a strong cultural foundation because it will only get worse over time as we've seen with on-chain bitcoin.

If an idiot like me can do the work and figure it out, you can too.

signal_and_rage 2y ago

#[2] your response? 🎤

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Discussion

Mike Brock 2y ago

We are pursuing a self-custody-first strategy at TBD across the board. Nothing we are doing is geared towards enabling custodial solutions. Outside of TBD, we are currently in early beta testing of our self-custody Bitkey hardware wallet, for which Lightning support is a priority.

signal_and_rage 2y ago

You don’t think the average person will demand privacy from first-principles, but you think they will want self-custody?

Mike Brock 2y ago

Privacy and anonymity aren't the same thing. You're conflating what I'm saying.

signal_and_rage 2y ago

Yes, my apologies.

I guess the question is who do you want anonymity from. Clearly you want transactions to be know by the other party, at times you may or may not want your identity know by them, but does the transaction and the identity of the parties need to be known by financial institutions and the government? And does the average person even care about this question? Will all Bitkey transactions be known and ID’d by a financial institution and subpoenable by the government?