Oddbean

Should I create a new browser by forking Firefox or Chromium? The core idea is to provide users with a key pair that syncs existing browser data like saved passwords, browsing history, and open tabs This would allow us to directly integrate NIP-07 (nostr.window) capabilities into the browser.We could also include a Bitcoin (Lightning) wallet, even if it's just interfacing with users' existing wallets. From there, we can continue adding key-based features that users need, be it Pkarr DNS resolution, Web5 support, and Pubky integration We could also fork Proton Drive + Docs + Calendar, but replace email + password authentication to their servers with key-based E2EE user generated data. Some private communications tool could also be built directly into the browser using something like the protocols used by SimpleX I believe that once we get private keys into the hands of many users, it won't matter which protocol(s) ultimately succeed - we'll already be on the right path and will have taken the crucial first steps Tell me how dumb this idea is

It is very high risk. The work is immense and the reach is almost non existent. This is why we didn't demand that people install pkdns to use Pubky, in fact we are doing a lot of work to allow web apps as easily as possible. You gotta go to people where they are, I am even worried about asking users to install a key management app, and that is why there is always the option to upload your keypairs to a web app on your own risk, just to lower the barrier to test the system and what it has to offer.

My thought is that because there's already a group of people willing to manage keys to access things - a group that's growing due to Bitcoin adoption - we might as well give them a single app that incrementally provides more and more features While normies will primarily interact with these technologies through existing websites and apps (that adopt them), this key-managing group can start using a single app that makes all the needed technology available to them, whether for generating public social data or private data for work and communication The app (browser) would decide whether to use Nostr, PubKey, Web5, or whatever protocol underneath. While power users will make these decisions explicitly - choosing to use Nostr or changing their DNS server to something that uses PKDNS - there seems to be a middle group that wants to use self-sovereign tech but doesn't want to invest time in learning about the underlying technologies

we have a bunch of new browsers that niche groups use anyway. brave, librefox, zen, arc, etc also developing on top of the chromium embedded framework, or tauri which provides an interface over the system's webview, shouldn't be too hard... right? 🧐

well, if you can do it, someone has to do it... i for sure would switch from brave if it was bitcoin/nostr centric, but otherwise mostly the same (so, basically, removing a lot of stuff mainly, but keeping a few of the distinctive brave bits like sync and anti-tracking bits

I need to figure out how many hours of effort went into developing Zen, Arc and Brave's initial releases. Also I am just a web developer, don't have much experience messing with CPP code, but I think I have to do it. Don't see anyone else doing it because it's too hard