alp's avatar
alp
alp@nostrplebs.com
npub175nu...g6w0
Muslim, Turkish man living in Germany, Internet veteran, husband and father. My Projects: ✨ #NoorNote, a premium Linux & MacOS desktop Nostr client: https://noornote.app/ ✨ #NoorSigner, a CLI Linux & MacOS desktop Key Signer: https://github.com/77elements/noorsigner Book "The White Ram Lamb": A dystopian Muslim cyberpunk science fiction novel https://mslmdvlpmnt.com/the-white-ram-lamb/ Other small projects: - Muslims Follow Pack: https://following.space/d/bsb40kv9nwr4 - ZapStar 💫 - Find out who zaps you the most: https://mslmdvlpmnt.com/zapstar/ - Search npubs by keywords: https://mslmdvlpmnt.com/SearchInNpub/ - Relay Inspector: https://mslmdvlpmnt.com/tools/relay-inspector.html
alp's avatar
alp 5 months ago
A year or so ago, I mentioned how I really don't like the pure timeline display of all social media UIs, that it brings serious design weaknesses, like the short lifespan of posts. Once you scroll past them, they're gone. We feed these timelines and 99% of all posts just vanish into nowhere. And I imagined a slightly different UI that could counteract this problem. Well, with my Nostr client, I'm taking a first cautious step in this direction: multiple pinnable notes stacked vertically in the sidebar on the right. Or bookmarks, or whatever you want to call them. image Later I'll add folder organization and prioritization (visually too). So basically, I want to keep the old chronological timeline on the left, but gradually build up a "workspace" in the right sidebar where users can set up and manage different notes regardless of chronology. For whatever purpose they might need it. Later on, we could maybe let people choose which notes others see on their profile page. Like, based on how you've organized and prioritized your notes. The main thing is to get away from having that same chronological timeline everywhere. And usually, once you head down a certain path, more inspiration comes to you over time inshallah. I definitely see a lot of potential here.
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alp 5 months ago
Awesome. Do we have a Kind for ebooks? If we could replace the entire Amazon Kindle ecosytem, now that would be great. View quoted note →
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alp 5 months ago
Based. But do you know what else we need? Something like a feature packed Linux client, command line based, kind of like Mutt for email. That would be awesome. Maybe the next vibe coding project? View quoted note →
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alp 5 months ago
Interesting discussion that emerges from the conversation between two client developers. The basic question comes down to whether: 1) Should every Nostr app integrate all needed functions and thereby minimize third party dependencies? Advantage: simplified onboarding, standalone solution. Disadvantage: requires trust in each individual app developer, which becomes more difficult with each new Nostr client app. or 2) Should things on the client side be built in a more modular way, using a separate app for each critical function? Advantage: trust investment only needed in one critical app, simplifies trust management. Disadvantage: no standalone clients, app stack on the user's side gets expanded, makes onboarding new users more difficult. The "critical function" in this case is authentication via nsec. But in principle, it can also be applied to the Lightning wallet needed for zapping, or to security aspects like Tor support. I clearly lean toward the latter approach. For these reasons: Forget the onboarding argument. Nostr is already complicated enough, it will never reach the typical Facebook user who entrusts all their data to Meta and takes the risk of being harassed by the entire Meta ecosystem (WhatsApp, Instagram) if an algorithm or a "moderator" goes haywire. We Nostriches are more like the Linux users among social media protocols, rather than Windows or Apple users. We appreciate the advantage of modularity over proprietary systems. And I would rather keep an eye on how Amber (or any other similar key signer) is built and how it proves itself over time (stability, security scandals etc.), than monitoring each Nostr client individually. Our onboarding is already more difficult, key pairs, zaps, decentralization... a new Nostr user has to deal with these things anyway. We are a protocol, not a platform, we have a free ecosystem that unleashes growth potential ("you can just build things") that would never be possible in other, centralized environments. Look at how quickly it has grown in 2-3 years compared to Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. There, the last 2-3 years have only brought new frustrating functions like more KYC, more questionable business models for monetization, and a few trivial "goodies" like more characters, more emojis, or a greater share of ad revenue for the top 1% of users. In this respect, we have already won. The philosophical dilemma mentioned at the beginning of this post isn't appearing for the first time with the nsec topic. We've already experienced it with Lightning wallets. Should users get an external wallet from a third party provider (more effort, worse onboarding, etc.), or do we pack it into the Nostr client, as Primal and Yakihonne have done? Honestly, I don't find what Primal and Yakihonne have done that successful. This is also a security critical issue, I want to be able to switch wallets if something better comes along and not be tied to what the Nostr client has provided. Most users accept modularity here. So: For security critical functions, I am clearly for modularity and self determination. The disadvantages that come with it are worth it to me. I want to choose my own zap wallet and my key signer too. View quoted note →
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alp 5 months ago
I like to come up with exaggerated or somewhat embarrassing marketing lines because I'm not really a marketing type. But it's still fun. This is what's on the back of my book cover: "In a vibrant mega-metropolis of the year 2140, where technology and tradition have inseparably merged, an ordinary man pushes against the boundaries of his everyday life. Called by a mysterious symbol, he ventures into an unknown world that transforms him at breathtaking speed: from a simple citizen to a leader who redefines the foundations of his community. This gripping novel in the style of Muslim Futurism weaves science fiction elements with spiritual depths into an epic tale of awakening and transformation. Every scene, every detail comes from an intense dream the author experienced, who saw the story more vividly than any film before his mind's eye. Immerse yourself in a future that's approaching faster than you think, and experience a transformation that might call your own life into question." And yes, I dreamed the story a few months ago; it wasn’t entirely made up from scratch. I woke up one morning with the whole "movie" vividly in my mind, complete with all the visual details. Otherwise, I wouldn't have finished the book in just three weeks. By the way, it's currently in the review phase; two native English speakers are reading through it. I hope they’re honest and give it a tough critique. Otherwise, I won't learn anything from it.
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alp 5 months ago
My book is finished! The German version is done, the English version (translated with AI) is ready, all the images are included, and the cover is designed. It's almost ready to go to print. I've already found two people to review the German version. One is even an editor-in-chief and incredibly intellectual. I'm a bit nervous about his opinion. For the English version, I definitely need reviewers too, especially since I'm not a native speaker. But once that's done and I've incorporated their feedback, it's off to the printers, inshallah.