Can anyone please provide me with an up to date list on all Nostr apps for android that are open source and readily available from anywhere except the google play store?

This is very important.

#asknostr

#nostr

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I have been considering the zapstore, but my gut has been telling me to avoid it. Even though it says it is permission-less.

This mostly stems from me using the F-Droid app store for over a decade. That experience has spoiled me a bit. I like being able to go online through the web browser and explore all the applications that are available through the main website. Also knowing that every single app in the app store itself is open source too is an much needed added benefit for overall peace of mind.

After reviewing the Zapstore website, app code, and overall documentation. I still feel there is a lot of room for improvement. I am not at a point where this project has reached a level of overall trustworthiness in my book. Not for any other reason other than it needs more highly detailed documentation and information readily available for its users. It is suffering from a severe lack of website content and in their GIT repository which may be directly hindering its growth and adoption rates.

I look forward to the day when these requirements for me to use it is met. For I believe it is a very unique concept and a project that I would fully support in the future. Just not right now.

Fair!

I just don't understand exactly what you think is missing (other than a website with available apps, which does not directly contribute to trustworthiness)

In order to proceed forward and grow as a project you need to take a look at your competition. This will help to set the standard of minimal expectations in order to successfully compete in the market. What you have created is going up against some of the biggest players in the business and in order to be taken seriously the content and information you provide must meet these standards.

When people are installing software onto their devices they have to be able to trust it. A website whether you believe it, or not is how normies and even tech aficionados begin their journey to software discovery as the first port of entry for them to experience your project. Having a very barebones website with a few good catch phrases on the homepage is not enough. Especially for modern day search engine optimization practices. It is going to always rank low on the search results and leaving the visitors wanting more information.

Now in regards to the lack of documentation and information you need to take a look at the common structures for popular websites. Developing and maintaining as much technical copywriting as possible is commonly overlooked, but truly appreciated by every developer and curious new user out there. Detailing the project goals. Who are the developers. How to support the project. Creating a climate for contributors to help in the on-boarding process is crucial. While you may get some of the more hardcore nostr users to try out the zapstore. As it is now the average individual will look at what you have and think that this is a very sketchy windows malware level situation.

So moving forward this is what must be done to improve your overall situation and increase your adoption rates to improve the success of the zapstore.

1.) Create more technical copywriting content for your website and github. As of right now both the website and the project page feels like it was slapped together in under an hour. Like a rushed homework assignment turned in at the last minute with very minimal effort.

2.) Make the software available through the app store searchable through the website. You can't expect someone to query the nostr relay and go digging through stuff to find information that should be up front and center. Even though I would like to do it and could probably figure it out. It is more trouble than it is worth.

3.) Analyze your competitors. Then see what are the features that both their website and project pages have. Duplicate what you can. You do not have to worry about being unique, because you already have that in spades.

4.) Create on boarding pages both for the website and the github. You need to go more in depth than what you have done already. Some clever info-graphics about why your business model for developers and users is far superior to that of any app store on the market, because in theory it truly is. Explain your uniqueness in such an eye catching way. That you you would have to have a head injury not to comprehend why you shouldn't get started with the zapstore asap.

5.) Start the download page over from scratch. As of right now quite frankly it is one of the main reasons why I am personally very wary of using your software. I get that verifying is important, but as it is presented it makes me nervous.

6.) Since your software is open source you can leverage other open source projects in order to get the word out to the right audiences. That means putting the zapstore apk in as many places as possible. Such as in the repositories for the offical F-Droid, Izzyondroid, and even the google play store if you do not have any moral conflicts with working with pure evil. Personally I won't touch anything google with a 10 foot pole, but I know these are all good entry points for getting in front of the right audiences. These improve your popularity instantly and would give everyone a seamless way to transition as an app store refuge into the promised land of zaps.

7.) Create a media kit for developers that has information for everything that your project is about. Something that current developers can give to their coworkers in their daytime jobs and spread around the internet like wildfire. This will also allow publications and media outlets to gain a better understanding of what your project is all about. Which in turn will turn into free publicity on podcasts, news articles, video reviews, and more.

8.) Not only make all of the software searchable on the website, but give every project having their own unique website page that can be easily maintained and updated by the developers themselves. Allow people to zap the developers directly through the website for each individual project. As well as provide the ability to download the apk files directly from the website too. These features will help tremendously for both improving your search engine optimization by having as much content as possible via frequently updated quality content. It also will allow people who manage their company devices for their employees a better way to utilize the zapstore daily. For making it an online store and an app can only benefit your overall success. Being in two places in front of many faces will also add to the legitimacy, because this is a standard feature that all your competitors already have.

9.) Video tutorials will also help people who are technically inept in the on-boarding process for the zap store. They do not have to be overly complicated. Just a video recording of what to do on the screen of your computer with some nice music and subtitles will go a long way.

10.) Regularly post to your blog, or eliminate it completely. Now a days blogs on websites are mostly irrelevant, unneccessary, and a time waster if you are not posting to it at least once a week, but preferably daily if it is there. One post on there and that is it makes your website seem dormant. If you are using your nostr profile daily to post original content instead. Then you can utilize an external link to nosta.me, or integrate a viewable representation of your nostr profile content directly into the website.

I could go a lot more in depth about how to improve the overall success of your website and project. Back in the day before the pandemic when I provided executive level consultations for these sort of things and charged a very generous fee for doing so. As well as having my previous company do all of the success work I have laid out as step by step instructions for you.

I provided this information to you for free, because as I said I truly believe in what you are doing. What you have created is unique and deserves to become trustworthy enough for the every day common person to desire to use without hesitation. I truly hope this information helps you to improve your overall situation. Take the app store world by storm by becoming an wild success story.

Take care, become even more amazing than you already are, and have a wonderful day. GM

First off thank you for the time you took to write this, I sense you genuinely like the project and want it to succeed.

Agree with 95% of what you listed, as a matter of fact these are things that I already want to do. Most are documented in Github issues. So I appreciate your free consultation, Sir, the main constraint is I'm running a solo show with zero funding other than a few zaps - not a startup with 12 employees.

Priorities matter, and for my target niche audience (nostr enthusiasts, first stage) trust is established via other means. It would be foolish to focus a minute of my time on the blog, even though I would like to see that looking better.

Normies are not the target audience at this moment.

Query relay.zapstore.dev and filter out all apps that don't have a 'repository' tag. You will not find a better source.