He does, he just thinks once a developer of a nostr client is threatened by a government or otherwise compromised, the rest will be intimidated and pull out of app stores like Phoenix did. Not exactly a NOSTR killer attack, but he kinda has a point
Discussion
We don’t need the app stores. We have nostr:npub10r8xl2njyepcw2zwv3a6dyufj4e4ajx86hz6v4ehu4gnpupxxp7stjt2p8. Also, it’s easy to run web clients like Nostrudel locally.
He has a point but only in a vacuum. That scenario is plausible but is not anywhere near the whole picture.
He is not considering the fact that we can simply turn to any of the other nostr clients.
Oh, they're all "banned"? We we can easily sideload the apps.
And if that doesn't work we can spin up private clients with open source code.
All the while your identity persists like nothing happened.
A protocol is PRECISELY what we need. Saying we need unfaliable devs is like saying the solution to corruption is a perfectly virtuous government. All humans have a weak spot.
Nostr provides trustless identity and the foundation for it.
99% of ppl are not gonna do any of that the same way they are not gonna stamp their seed phrase on a steel plate. If NOSTR is going to be the new public square it will beed great clients on app stores. I’m not saying that scenario would end NOSTR, but like I said there is precedent (Phoenix) of clients pulling out of app stores. It is a legitimate concern, but not a reason or excuse to favor X
Nostr isn't claiming to be the town square. It is a censorship resistant protocol where people can go (often as a last resort) to maintain their voice.
To expand on this, nostr is there for the most desperate, much like bitcoin to be honest.
It gives those who would otherwise have no voice the ability to communicate, just like bitcoin gives the unbanked the ability to transact.
I agree 99% of people won't do all those things, but also 99% of people likely aren't desperate enough right now. If/when that time comes, nostr will be here for them. Things like that don't happen in a vacuum. And when it does happen to a given population, that disenfranchised group alone will be enough users to make nostr "worth it" and appreciated.
I noted this a while back but I think its appropriate here: nostr doesn't have to be big, to be big.