Edit: #1439752
I've mentioned parts of this before 🤦
Before finding Bitcoin and Nostr and SN I was a normie using vanilla YouTube with all the annoying ads, which have got progressively worse over the years
I think it was Gigi who mentioned NewPipe in a note that prompted me to go down the frontend rabbit hole
iirc I found it around the same time I found ZapStore and the sideloading phenomenon
It worked well for a while until it didn’t, confused that it didn’t just work like legacy apps, I learnt that Google are in a constant game of cat and mouse with these developers
Google devs change the code slightly, copycat frontend breaks, foss devs update their code, success! back in business 🙌 and on the game goes
Enter Google 'We've had enough edition'
Google introduce android verification programme that forces app developers to verify and essentially doxx themselves
The response
Tubular issues a statement saying they won't be cooperating with Google and Tubular will not work on verified android devices, even if sideloaded
My thinking
Idea: Create a PWA YouTube frontend in a Stacker News style
- Use Tubular source code
- Add Nostr/Lightning implementation
- Works across all platforms
The major issues
- Constant maintenance
- More trouble than it's worth
My capitulation on the idea 💡
Rather than trying to save the world 🌎 from YouTube ad hell
- Buy a Google Pixel
- Run GrapheneOS
- Install Tubular
- Stack sats
As a sidenote and tell me if this a stupid suggestion @justin_shocknet have you ever thought of scraping YouTube and integrating it into lightning.video?
Scrap that, yes it's a stupid idea 🤦
If you’ve read this far...
I totally understand the actual goal is not to use YouTube at all! But until we have a reliable alternative 🤔 (hoping Justin's L.V increases in adoption 🙏)
Haven't considered scraping but something that i'd like to do at some point is allow creators to export into LV to backup/clone their channels
Thats a great idea, almost like a halfway house , a bridge between legacy and new ideas
Could open up opportunities for creators to get paid in two forms, one from views on yt and zaps from lv