On Apple's banning of Damus \ stacker news ~nostr

Apple banning Damus is as bullish for Nostr as China banning mining was for Bitcoin.

I got into Bitcoin as a direct result of China's ban. I had been on the sidelines since 2017 smugly telling everyone that when the government decided the party was over, it was over. I didn't really get it. Then the ban, and I started to watch very closely. What persuaded me was not as much what I saw, but what I didn't see. I didn't see the system crash, I didn't see panic, I didn't see people stop using it, I didn't see any Bitcoiner give up, I didn't see a single instant of down time.

It was such a non-event that I started to get really excited about the possibilities, and I started to read. Then I realized that these weren't mere possibilities, many of them were realities, and many more were virtually assured certainties (some have since become realities as well).

Nostr cannot be stopped by the likes of Apple any more than Bitcoin can be stopped by the likes of China. And I know the surface level argument is that it's just the zaps and then just on notes and bla bla bla. But it's not. It's the first assault on Nostr from the mainstream, and it's a sneaky ambush dressed in rhetoric. China said the mining ban was due to environmental concerns. It wasn’t. The truth behind the rhetoric is that they're scared. They're scared of you. You degenerate, unruly, ungovernable children of the Cypherpunks. And they should be.

So, Will, don't be a martyr. Look to your own interests. Martyrdom is already upon you whether you would choose it or not. But we are not cannibals, we do not require your sacrifice. Nostr and all its Nostriches have benefited massively from your work, we are incredibly grateful, and most of us, recognizing the cowardly assault on our citadel, will likely stand behind you to the bitter end. But Nostr is here. The can is open, the worms…everywhere, and just as Bitcoin doesn't need Satoshi to survive, and it doesn’t need Muun or BlueWallet to survive, Nostr doesn't need Will or fiatjaff or any particular person anymore, and it doesn’t need Damus or Amethyst or any particular client to survive.

The lesson in letting sleeping ostriches lie starts now. Pay attention.

***Original Nostr Note: nevent1qqsvfsg62nhmld696kp2vn7g6n9zy0dzfmx8j6x8ln50a44f8hfqmjgpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3exjmpwvdsk6q3qfj9uzy0zywqt4dfxsmw5dr3u9eah4nvecr7xwjtqqf5zuttslz3qxpqqqqqqz0zrxl3

41 sats \ 2 replies \ @0xIlmari 14 Jun 2023

I agree. We don't need a martyr here. This event in itself will become an eye opener to many Apple freedom-inclined users.

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @_stacktoshi 14 Jun 2023

Sure was an eye opener to this Apple user. I never really had much of an issue with Apple's profit-protecting tactics until now. It's time to unwind.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @_b_o_n_e_s_ 15 Jun 2023

do it and don't look back

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @siggy47 14 Jun 2023

I couldn't agree more. Great post. I believe this also goes for centralized exchanges, though it will be tough in the short term. Thanks

2194 sats \ 0 replies \ @jgbtc 15 Jun 2023

It never ceases to amaze me how people have so much confidence in the government's ability to do whatever it wants, like it's some omnipotent being or something. This is only true when it comes to centralized systems. It's really quite powerless against truly decentralized systems. For me the eye opener was observing the utter failure of the war on drugs.

1 sat \ 0 replies \ @kepford 14 Jun 2023

Great stuff

1 sat \ 0 replies \ @sudonaka 14 Jun 2023

Great perspective thanks

1 sat \ 0 replies \ @franzap 14 Jun 2023

Exactly!

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @ssaurel 15 Jun 2023

The reality is that we should already be thinking about doing away with these app stores that centralize power in the hands of both Apple and Google. Progressive Web Apps now do the job very well, and that's where we need to be heading to encourage the decentralization that will take power out of the hands of these giants.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Gar 15 Jun 2023

I began weening myself off of apple products back in 2015 or so when they banned some Bitcoin wallets from the app store. As good as their products and ecosystem are, they are not free (as in freedom). They can brick your app and probably your hardware too if they wanted to.