Oddbean

The best solution I can see for practically everything you mention is Namecoin/BitDNS for Nostr names (xxxxx.bit). The protocol is under-utilitized but this is a blessing since it reduces the load clients and relays need to run. If clients packaged a light node with their offering and relays ran full nodes (~6.8Gb), Nostr would simultaneously get a global consensus mechanism for: i) Human readable/uncensorable names ii) Proof-of-Work attached to those names (reducing the potential for spambots to operate without cost) iii) Ability to register names anonymously iv) Deep integrations with Tor for both domains and TLS v) A key management system so users can have different keys sign different notes (and avoid burning your nsec) and vi) A far better way to discover and build a social graph than Web of Trust can ever provide on its own Yes, there's a shitcoin attached to it but the relays could handle everything to do with that so that users wouldnt be encumbered by another token (ie. paying for name operations in sats to relays). So think of it like a shitcoin without shitcoinery. Namecoin is a serious project with significant miner support (~400ExaHash/s). It has kept current with its development despite a severe lack of interest/funding. Maybe its time Bitcoin embrace its younger brother?

I know people keep proposing alternative dns systems for Nostr, but I don’t see much value. If relays can easily be replicated and accessible via Tor, then is it really a big deal that the domain name the relay is using disppears. It seems to me folks advocating from alternative dns systems are all in to it because they want to collect the domain name taxes instead of it going to ICANN. Feels like rent seeking to me. ICANN’s not perfect, but it’s an example of internet governance which has done the minimal thing needed to keep nation states away from the internet. Even the way DNS seizures are tied to countries and not across the entire system, lose a .af domain and you can register .co. And there’s a decent process by which you’re not losing your domain names when the dns keys are lost the way a blockchain dns system would happen. So if somebody figures it out, gets all of Nostr to adopt it, then sure, if we need to we’ll support it, because why not, but this seems like such a silly thing to focus on.

Thanks for the detailed response...🙏🏻😃 As a hardcore voluntariest myself, I have no interest in rent seeking; I like the idea of human-readable addresses, and I see a well designed DNS replacement as the antidote to cancellation by ANY central authority. Details of a functional, decentralized DNS aren't on my personal radar, and I don't know how it might be administered, but (as someone who's experienced arbitrary abuse at the hand of the state) it seems to me worth exploring.

When you say "is it really a big deal that the domain name the relay is using disppears" I wonder why you wouldnt want a name that you can permanently identify with, that no one for any reason could use to impersonate you?

This is incredible!!! We still need unconfiscatable cryptographically unique human-readable names and Namecoin is the best solution for this specific purpose as I see it. Again, running a client is super lightweight and it gives us Proof of Work to impose a cost (however small it may be) to spinning up a new ID.