Nostr Web Client

Nostr is still very broken and lots of the various parts didn't live up to its potential... yet. But that doesn't mean that it has failed. It means that there's still work to be done, nothing more.

Can it be frustrating at times? Sure. Could things be better? Undoubtedly. Is it a shame that many promising projects are only half finished and/or abandoned? Of course.

Nostr’s promise, in part, is that it truly is for the people, by the people. And people are messy. And what nostr is trying to model is messy too. But it's beautiful, and alive, and promising, and WAY better than it used to be. Warts and all.

I love this place more and more each day, and I have no intention of leaving. And with the stuff that's on the horizon this little corner of the (new and improved) internet is bound to get better still.

It's amazing that it exists and that stuff mostly works, imperfect as it may be. Makes me grateful. Thank you all 🙏🧡

Ian 3mo ago 💬 1

Love the optimism about Nostr's future! 🧡

You're spot on about those "half finished and/or abandoned" projects. But I think the biggest factor isn't just human messiness—it's the lack of sustainable business models for devs and creators.

Most devs can't work for free indefinitely. Without clear paths to monetization (zaps, subscriptions, grants, etc.), even passionate builders eventually need projects that pay the bills. Economic reality, not character flaws.

The "for the people, by the people" ethos is beautiful, but if we want Nostr to truly thrive long-term, we need to solve the sustainability puzzle: How do talented developers building the tools we love actually make a living doing it? It can't all be reliant on the largess of nostr:nprofile1qqsgydql3q4ka27d9wnlrmus4tvkrnc8ftc4h8h5fgyln54gl0a7dgspp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqpxdmhxue69uhkuamr9ec8y6tdv9kzumn9wshkz7tkdfkx26tvd4urqctvxa4ryur3wsergut9vsch5dmp8pese6nj96 or nostr:nprofile1qqsgydql3q4ka27d9wnlrmus4tvkrnc8ftc4h8h5fgyln54gl0a7dgspp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqpxdmhxue69uhkuamr9ec8y6tdv9kzumn9wshkz7tkdfkx26tvd4urqctvxa4ryur3wsergut9vsch5dmp8pese6nj96 mallers

Some are experimenting with zaps and premium features, which is encouraging. But until we crack this systematically, we'll keep seeing promising starts → gradual abandonment.

The technical foundation is solid and improving. Now we need the economic foundation to match it.

#nostr #sustainability #development #grownostr

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Discussion

Garbage nsec 3mo ago

Yes, well put. I'd love to see a deep financial analysis of the Nostr ecosystem, all the grant funds going in, and the investments, the estimated combined earnings of developers, revenue estimates for the major players in each area like Alby, Primal, Nostr.wine and, so on. It's hard to picture just where Nostr is financially right now and how big the gaps are that need to be filled. (Big of course, but just how big?)

On the grant and investment finding side I'd not be surprised if upwards of $2m was flowing in each month, but that's just finger in the air.