Replying to Avatar Saurabh

I have a few queries:

1. Who is this platform for? Because it is sounding too technical for me

2. What is zap?

3. Who are the clients who can ban users?

4. How does one build using a protocol?
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Crizzo 2y ago

1. It's for everyone. You don't need to be technical to use it. There is a lot of technical talk because there are a lot of devs and enthusiasts who like those details. Over time people will build clients that take care of the technical stuff or make it easier for you.

2. Zaps are Bitcoin sent via the lightning network to other users. You can zap someone's note and the amount will show up publicly on the note. If you are using Damus though that feature was removed because Apple couldn't take a cut.

3. No client can be ban anyone completely. Some will block potentially bad users for you. Some relays may also attempt to filter out unwanted users. Amethyst on Android is one client that uses the report system to decide who to filter for you, and it has be turned off if you don't want filters.

4. Someone else will have to answer, I'm not a dev.

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mutatrum 2y ago

I can answer 4, as I am a dev.

Nostr the protocol is defined in small parts, called Nostr Implementation Possibilities. The first one is NIP-01, that explains the basics of the protocol, how to receive notes and how to send notes. These basics are really really simple, and the document is about 2 pages long.

The other NIPs go into detail on more specific use-cases. Some are useful for everyone (f.e. metadata, e.g. your profile picture and alias), some are specialised for a single use-case. The nice thing is they are optional.

This means that someone with a little bit of experience with software can start building something for Nostr in a matter of hours, because the basis is so simple. The fact that all Nostr applications adhere to this basic simple protocol, means that they are interoperable, all notes you create are understood by all clients and you can read all other notes from people.

An analogy would be LEGO. The NIPs specify how the blocks should look like. So if you make a block, it'll work for everyone and with all other blocks.

7b
Lucky Kite 2y ago

'If you are using Damus though that feature was removed because Apple couldn't take a cut.'

This means zapping is essentially at a dead end for Nostr. It will almost certainly never take off, since a LOT of people use apple iphones/macs. (at least in the western world). It won't kill nostr but it is a major setback that can not be overcome if the owners of one of the worlds most used operating system won't allow it. Apple also prevented bitcoin from becoming more popular. It makes one realise how powerful one company can be when it comes to global politcis and global finance.