Oddbean new post about login | logout Attacking Nostr "because you can" is like pouring red wine on a wedding dress simply because you’re able to do so. Technically, you might have the ability to take such an action, but that doesn't justify it. In both cases, the act causes harm to something others care about, with no constructive outcome. The wedding dress is a symbol of an important event, just as Nostr is a platform that a community has built up and invested in. Ruining the dress—or in Nostr’s case, disrupting the user base and causing people to leave—serves no purpose other than to destroy the hard work and joy of others. The argument "because I can" overlooks responsibility. Just because one has the ability doesn’t mean it’s right to use it in destructive ways.
Agreed. This also applies to people who insist on using racial slurs on nostr just because "free speech". Yes, you have free speech but that doesn't mean you have to be a verbal asshole.
Very good point.
I'm wondering if maybe it would have been better for the attack to have been announced prior as a stress test of some sort. Maybe then, with some heads up, people wouldn't now be so angry about it. I don't really know where I fall on this but I definitely see the better arguments coming from the "It was bad" camp. I see the utility of it, but I can't help but feel that the anger over it is completely justified. Fumbled ball for sure.
Hard disagree. We've been complaining about these vulnerabilities, ad nauseum, and they just ignored us. They have known about all of the problems and they simply refused to fix them because fixing things doesn't get you street cred, around here. If the test had been pre-announced, they would have just told everyone that it's just a test and to ignore it and come back in two days. Everything is kept buggy and sloppy because of the small market, but that just gave us all a taste of the sort of market we want to aspire to be, and the quality that we need to produce to service that market. They only responded because it created mass-chaos and they weren't emotionally prepared and they had no idea how long it would last and everyone freaked out. That was needed, to break through their lethargy. I repeat: THESE WERE KNOWN ISSUES, FOR AT LEAST A YEAR. THEY REFUSED TO FIX THEM. Give the ReplyGuy a 🏆 . Nostrich of the year, as far as I'm concerned.
I disagree, simply because stresstesting vulnerabilities early on is good. As Nostr grows larger someone is bound to get a little mischievous and see if it can withstand whatever they throw at it. The Nostr wedding has millions of guests, from all backgrounds, ages, and with different incentives. There’s gonna be red wine thrown around no matter how irresponsible it may be.
This is most well-articulated version of this argument I've seen so far.
#bitcoin shouldnt attack fiat? pretty sure the bankers would use this argument against bitcoin also
I've been on nostr a few weeks now. I use Amethyst on android. Besides occasionally things loading up after a few seconds, I havent really noticed any disruptions. Reply guy abit annoying, but other than that nostr seems really promising. Not been here long, so maybe I will be pulling my hair out in a few months.
Could you be prosecuted for such attacks on the PM if they knew who you are?
Yes, absolutely. All he Teo Tier Keir has to say is, that I'm inciting a national security threat because its making people want to go out and protest which lets face it, often protests turns into riots. There are people that attended protests, when protests turned ugly, they did not act with any violence, no aggression, they didn't even use bad language, their simple presence and expressing that they don't believe tax money should be spent on illegal immigrants and they were given 20 months prison sentences. Its absolutely terrifying how far Keir Stalin Starmer has taken this. On my x profile, fb, I'm squeeky clean, I wouldn't dare express what I am on nostr. And I can't use my real name, it just gives them an attack vector.
Nostr has no leaders. It will become a threat to those who would throw enough spam to not just annoy users, but to handicap nostr. I'm glad the spam was a fire alarm and not a real fire, but testing the limits of nostr is not like spilling red wine on a dress intentionally. It may feel like that to some who came out of curiousity, but then they would also jump ship when a critical mass of people joined and caused any other issue you can think of. Now or later... at least they get the experience of seeing nostr still alive a few months or years later and will give it more respect next time. A dress is personal. It is designed to look nice and its "flaws" of being delicate is well known. Nostr is more like an army tank. If 1mm thick steel is not enough, or if it is way less effective than assumed even, it's better to know now than later.
Basically comes back to the great saying that covers most things in life...... "Dont be a dick"
I agree, but the state only knows how to be a dick, so we kind of have to be prepared for when that moment comes and the state wants to attack Nostr, because one day they will. With that said ReplyGuy GFY 😂
It's more like hosting a wedding in a tourist spot with an open invitation then later complaining about someone not following the unspoken rules. If the system has to rely on all parties being good actors, it's already failed.
Not attacking Nostr, is an attack on Nostr!