15 sats \ 13 replies \ @bellabaxter 27 Apr \ on: Permissionless alernative to Github over nostr bitdevs
How widespread is nostr these days? I must admit that I haven't tried it out yet.
What scares me about nostr is that it's technicalities are keeping the community small. Sure we can decentralize everything but if the barrier to entry entry is high most people will avoid it
What scares me even more is when the community begins to deny the technical hurdle. I call this the "torrent effect" because the same thing happened to the torrenting community.
It is undeniably super easy to get into it, the community thinks it's easy, I think it's easy but the fact that normies don't use it is evidence enough that we failed somewhere. I don't know where but somewhere we did.
The same could happen to Nostr. It's too early to be pessimistic about the "torrent effect". But people already beginning to call it easy with little adoption outside the bubble.
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What scares me even more is when the community begins to deny the technical hurdle.
THIS. This is very real. It's the "Curse of knowledge" (I had forgotten the name, but just looked it up in a list of cognitive biases). I run into it all the time.
Basically "better-informed people find it extremely difficult to think about problems from the perspective of lesser-informed people."
It can be easily (but temporarily) cured, by trying to get real people, in person to try to understand something that you think is simple.
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you do not need everyone to join the bandwagon to make an effect on the world. Bitcoin is proof of that concept.
"It does not take a majority to prevail...but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting bushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams
^^relating to Boston Tea Party
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Freedom as to be normalized or freedom itself will be seen as suspicious.
An irate, tireless minority is what users on Truth Social think of themselves, whereas I only see an echo chamber.
But I very much appreciate the optimism and I plan to join.
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They can print all they want. But it's the other countries that will suffer as US is reserve status. Japan apparently are eating it. The yen is 150+ against the USD.
I think it's just a matter of time of other countries joining the bitcoin movement. It's a little sad seeing El Salvador dancing alone.
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I don't get this really. It's not that technical.
To get an account, go to any nostr app and create one. On most it'll tell you "save this nsec and keep it secure". Done.
Most will even say: get alby or nos2x extension and create an account there and use it to log in. Done.
How the fuck is that technical. Man the bar is low 😅
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What’s an nsec? How do I keep it secure? Why do I need a browser extension to use this? Do they work on my phone? Why can’t I join this alby thing? Why do I need to be referred? Oops I lost my super secret thing I was told to keep secure, how can I contact nostr support to recover my account? Why do all these apps talk about NIPs? What are NIPs anyway?
^ Things the average user will likely say when trying to use nostr.
Maybe it’s not too technical, but I think it’s a long way from being usable for the average human.
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What's a browser extension?
This seems shady. Is it legal?
Where are the celebrities I want to follow? I just see a bunch of weirdos talking gibberish.
What are all these error messages?
What are relays? How do I know which ones to connect to?
Why's that racist frog everywhere?
I want to use the lightning bolt thingy. How do I attach my credit card?
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Some story as for bitcoin privacy:
BTC 100 million users but shit the blockchain is so fkng public!
Let's try coinjoin. Now we are 10k weirdos mixing our shit with together, stirring the pot pretending it doesn't smell.
Coinjoin is not respectable: let's try funneling a few sats through LN... turns out not even LN sender privacy is that good.
How do I fix LN privacy? why not testing out an obscure layer 3 solutions like cashu. By this point the crowd got so small that we all know each other. Not very private I guess.
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At some point there are only like 12 of you and 8 are probably feds.
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It's different and new, yes. One must learn new things. It's not technical or hard to get. It's just new.
But I understand there's a hurdle. So is learning facebook or twitter or whateverthefuck. Takes 5-10 minutes to get acquainted.
Will gramma 70+ get an account? Nope. She needs your help with tik-tok.
I mean, come on.
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I agree, it's a new concept. Identity by Encryption is new for most people. But this method is worth pursuing unless you enjoy KYC every platform on the internet. Which is the preferred choice? Want to buy those pretty hand made shoes, shirts, oils, soaps? That may cost $5 but require an ID to use the platform to buy is your choice. whereas, you can go to your local supermarket and buy it with cash.
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amen
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