Trying out the Damus Nostr client.

Well, that sucks.

Still centralized. And the protocol's userbase is still like 99% Bluesky.

I mean, while Charlie Kirk was a douchebag grifter who hurt people's feelings the United Healthcare CEO was an IRL vampire ghoul who actively harmed people's lives in direct and quantifiable ways wholly for greed. I don't think it's necessarily a good thing that people assassinate political chodes like Kirk but the world would be an objectively better place with more murdered CEOs.

I'm so sleepy!

In comparing Bluesky to Nostr I'm specifically comparing the client/app/FE, as I said.

Bluesky, more proper, is (in AT Protocol terms) a whole platform: client/app, app view, firehoses, relays, PDSs, etc.. —All the moving parts that makes AT Protocol so incoherent and difficult to truly decentralize with self-hosting and independent providers (the only really viable self-hosting right now are PDSs, but +90% of users will never do this; There exist a couple alternative app-views, but nobody fully hosting out a complete AT Protocol platform as Bluesky is).

But, specifically, I'm referring to Bluesky as the client/app/web FE when I discuss it here. Their client experience and onboarding is beautiful and straightforward. Very palatable for new users.

I'll definitely have to check those out and do more research. I'm strapped for time right now but I earlier elaborated further on what I think is necessary:

nostr:nevent1qqsq3uctn8pnnnnjlltvr9cgakufufhxhyyre6exaze9jshz4cj6eyspupmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhj2v3swaehxw309aex2mrp0yhxumm5daeks6fwwa5kute9xgc8wumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmv9ujnyvrhwden5te0wfjkccte9eekjctdwd68ytnrdakj7ffjxpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuvrcvd5xzapwvdhk6te9xgc8wumn8ghj7mnxwfjkccte9eshqup0y5erqamnwvaz7tmjv4kxz7tjwvhxumm5daeks6fwwa5kute9xgc8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnwv4u8getj0ghxxmmd9ujnyvrhwden5te0vejkuunfwgkhxtnwda6x7umgdyh8w6twqgsp3yl7yahydmcfllcak3w4czlxmeza9ncj6v6dr2cz6mxcueavdjcrqsqqqqqpuj3zpv

🧠 Nostr needs:

🔸 Simple, functional, reliable, straightforward, elegant client that doesn't try to do too much nor pack in a huge amount of features. It needs to be straightforward, clean, and essentially just focus on micro-blogging and basic social networking.

🔸 A set of curated relays therein with an intentional focus away from the current extant Nostr zeitgeist/user-base (crypto spam, essentially; crypto fanatics). Focus on normal and organic user content that is more accessible to a wider quantity of users.

☁️ Bluesky has the client/app and onboarding figured out 100%. —Their stuff is totally polished, functional, and a joy to use. But, AT Protocol is de facto not-decentralized and Bluesky's zeitgeist/user-base is hysterical Western politics and general hostility/toxicity towards one another.

🐘 Activity Pub has a wide variety of clients/FEs which are also very polished and enjoyable to use. Primarily, though, Activity Pub has curated, generally, a phenomenal community and user-base. The zeitgeist/user-base on the Fediverse is great and probably it's strongest asset. But, from a protocol standpoint, Activity Pub is probably the weakest between AT Protocol and Nostr.

💡 If there is a way to code an app/client that delivers the onboarding and UI/UX of Bluesky or other Fediverse FEs, with relays and default community curation that incubates a wider community more akin to the Fediverse, all built on Nostr as a protocol, then I think this is a massively winning combination that can deliver greater network effect and traction to Nostr as a whole.

I don't really understand how Activity Pub has such good clients + web FEs, and how polished and nice Bluesky's app + FE at `bsky.app` is. While virtually all of Nostr's clients and FEs are really poorly designed, clunky, buggy, and generally not enjoyable to use.

I really wish I knew how to code/program because I'd honestly love to make a Nostr client in my own image.

Nice! I'll try that. I'm trying out a different client now (more macOS-friendly) called Nostrmo and things are working better already.

Okay, yeah, we’re essentially seeing the same thing. So, good to know it’s not just on my end!

Yes, this is on the `nos.social` client. I just checked on `iris.to` (not a great interface!) and the majority of this content is loading, but still not in an entirely complete sense.

Yeah, it’s probably that. The “best” thing from a technical or functional standpoint isn’t always the thing that ends up sticking or becoming adopted. Which, for example, is something I fear for Nostr. Both Activity Pub (which has been around *a lot longer*, to be fair) and AT Protocol (which is newer) are gaining or have gained more traction and adoption despite both being technically inferior protocols to Nostr.

Thanks! 👋

See, I’d love to check these things out, but most of them are just `npub`s with empty profiles. I can see they exist, and I can see that some people I follow are following them already, but beyond that there’s zero content—entirely empty. 😰

I have tried Amethyst, and it works, but it’s a bit buggy and kinda clunky. Using `nos.social` now and it’s a much better experience, personally. I have not tried Yakihonne. A good web-based client would be nice. Right now I’m running the iPhoneOS/iPadOS version of `nos.social` on my MacBook.

Really wanting to try going “all in” with Nostr. I’m huge on Activity Pub, host my own Fediverse instance, and love the community therein. But, I’m not a huge believer in the Activity Pub protocol. Recently tried AT Protocol via Bluesky and I am also extremely skeptical of the AT Protocol architecture. Also, the entire ATP community (+90% Bluesky, de facto) is extremely hostile and toxic. Meanwhile, while I think Nostr has a lot of problems with their community (or, lack thereof, kinda), onboarding, and clients, I believe in the architecture of the protocol and I think Nostr is “the way to go” when looking for viable decentralized networking alternatives. It’s the best-designed protocol of the lot which pre-solves a lot of conceptual problems I have overall for what I want. Also has the greatest potential for facilitating a client experience I am looking for and wanting to vanguard (something SSB like). I really like Nostr, conceptually. I want to commit to it.

Mostly wandering/in a discovery mode. I’m trying to discover content and users I can follow so that I have a healthy, enjoyable, and active following feed. I’m using `nos.social` as my client as it’s *far and away*, hands down, the best client experience I’ve come across yet.

Compared to some web clients like `iris.to` it’s quite dead (but only comes with 3 default relays available to subscribe to) but is also “clean” insofar as not inundated with spammy crypto stuff.

There is a lot of content out here that I’m just not seeing. I’m assuming it’s because I’m not subscribed to the relays that these users are on? I’ll browse a profile directory and 90% of the profiles will be devoid of NIP-05 usernames, profile pictures, bios, display names, or posts. But, I can see that my mutuals are following them. So, I’m guessing they certainly exist but that my client just cannot ingest their content because of relay differences? 🤔

That’s so cool. I used to go to a bunch of regional burns years ago before they kinda fizzled out (and then COVID took a lot of them as well, in many cases). Never been to big Burning Man.

I haven’t been able to fly on an A350 yet but I understand they’re really nice airplanes all-around.

I need to get NIP-05 setup for my Nostr existence.

My company can block domain access on my company-issued iPad regardless of location or network connection. On the opposite side of the country on a hotel WiFi connection and my company disallows connections to various domains on this device. Kinda dystopian.

Nostr has a huge problem with clients, onboarding, user-base + community, among other various issues and "teething pains". However, between Activity Pub and AT Protocol, Nostr is the best technical implementation of a decentralized social network and has the greatest potential.

Slam dunk an Israeli into the trashcan.

Want to learn how to write my own code so that I can build an actually good NOSTR client.

Is there a way to set content filters on NOSTR clients? For example, if I never wanted to see or hear the word "bitcoin" ever again.

roundhouse kick an israeli into the concrete

Eliminate Israel.

Back when I used GrapheneOS Android Auto wasn't available with it.

This has only ever really been for national services. You can easily utilize delivery and e-commerce websites and video websites without needing any photo ID.

There are a few features and abilities that NOSTR has which the Fediverse lacks. However, Fediverse/ActivityPub development is deeply fractured and lacks a cohesive, unified standard or implementation scheme which would allow for feature and ability developments to be made and incorporated. Furthermore, lots of the Fediverse has convinced itself that it doesn't want or otherwise need additional features (e.g. nomadic identities) because these features are either "bloat" or would lead to "extensibility hell" or are "already implemented" (albeit in an unfinished and half-baked state without widespread support or adoption) in some Fediverse project. I think the Fediverse is often its own worst enemy. I don't know if NOSTR will continue to develop and evolve or thrive in the future. ---But, at least I see NOSTR iterating and maturing and polishing as a protocol. #NOSTR #Fediverse

So, do NOSTR relays store data indefinitely? Like, with a database(s)? Or, do they function more akin to exit nodes for messages? 🤔

Really looking like I'm finna' just make money and be depressed and die alone. 🥲

I want to learn more about cryptocurrency in a functional, practical sense. I don't really understand how, for example, Bitcoin is capable of facilitating huge quantities of transactions---a prerequisite for a currency---with its paltry TPS. I'm surprised that more liquid and performant cryptocurrencies like Algorand aren't more popular for general transactions on networks like NOSTR.

Tried out Bitchat. It's pretty cool! I think it could have some usefulness in the future if it matures and grows in adoption. #bitchat

I think it would be pretty cool to host a NOSTR relay and `NIP-05` service.

The biggest thing that the Fediverse has going for it is the very-well-established Japanese community using Misskey.

I think one of the single biggest problems that NOSTR has going for it is the lack of good, clean, intuitive, and performant clients. Especially web clients.

Does anyone use this protocol? Hello, world!