Saying “they can build their own clients” is a copout.

Protocols are about interoperability, if the clients don’t talk to each other, it’s not a protocol, it’s just a bunch of walled gardens sharing a name.

That’s exactly why we need to expand the Zap NIP to read the payment preferences in users’ profile metadata. Profile data should allow more than just a Lightning address. If a user specifies another currency, clients should respect that.

Right now, in response to closed, coin specific ecosystems, we’ve basically created our own version of the same thing, just dressed up as “freedom” and “openness.” If Nostr really wants to lead, it should be open by design, not by slogan.