Spot on. If you don’t use an npub then you know it’s out there but it doesn’t exist until it is used.
Discussion
Wait, so I can have many different npubs but I won’t know exactly which one it is until I observe it?!?
Your 12 or 24 word seed words can give as many npubs you want that are unique to your seed. You don’t know them unless you ask the software to give you more npubs which is when it is calculated and given to you.
Wow. Wait, a mnemonic can create an HD list of npriv/npub pairs? Can I derive these from the BIP words list? How?
If you are not pulling my leg then there are many software that will do that for you. Any HW wallet has the capability to generate unlimited npub and nsec pairs from just the one set of mnemonic words.
Certainly not pulling your leg. Non technical here, sorry if that was a silly question. No Nostr client has yet prompted me to make an Xpriv/pub or offered HD or mnemonic in key generation step (vs, say every Bitcoin wallet always does so). It would use useful surely (e.g. personal, company accs; backup/recovery accs; etc).
Thanks, I see the NIP. If you'll humour me, two questions. 1. Why do no clients use this? No offline seed backup, no second/third/etc accounts derived from same seed. 2. What would be the best use in practice? Would we treat Account as an account, and then use all the pub/priv keys generated underneath for some purposes of that account e.g. key rotation. Or some other use?
Alby does use something called a Master which is a 12 mnemonic words which then lets you create multiple keys for different purposes like Nostr, BTC, LN etc but they need to extend it to create multiple pairs for same purposes as well which will come. Key rotation is complex for users so signing a message offline is better with one pair might be easier. Also you only need ti remember 12 or 24 master words which can restore all your accounts.