Oddbean

what do you want us to do? They sure have a place. and it might be OK to rely on others. We just think that the user should be in control and we just cannot offer it. We’ve learned a lot over the time and the tech got so much better that this is now feasible. So we focus our resources on what is the best future. and btw. I also think it’s a bit like Nostr and Mastodon and X. On Nostr I personally think we should care about self-sovereignty.

The reality is that humans always have and always will rely on each other. Alby had an amazing product/service that many relied on because it was reliable. You’ve decided to completely shut that product/service down. That’s your prerogative. Now you have launched a new product that is no doubt equally amazing, but for a much different and more niche market segment and user base. Again that’s your prerogative. But the attitude I’ve encountered from you and others on your team is that you are dismissive of this market segment. Well, I appreciate what your team has done, it’s a bit offputting.

yes, it’s sad, but we just can’t offer it on scale as we wish and I also think people should be in control and that this leads to better solutions long term. we know some will not be happy, and trust me that’s hard for us. We have also put a lot of work in the options in communities, and friends, and families share a hub for example.

I respect the work you and the Alby team have done, and building easier self custody tools is great. It’s just a major shift in what Alby has been, and for me it doesn’t provide what I need. Many users already went through this in the US when Wallet of Satoshi pulled out, and Alby was a reliable and stable alternative that filled that gap. Now that gap has been reopened and most of the users like me, who don’t need to run our own LN node and can’t justify the expense for the cloud service, we will simply leave Alby. It doesn’t matter how good the new product is, or how dedicated your team is, because while it is admirable it simply doesn’t fit our need. You’ve lost customers because of this.

I love Alby and have used it for zaps and small payments. I don’t mind custodial wallets for these types of transactions. Since the custodial version is closing down, I started using Wallet of Satoshi again for #nostr