fmar on Nostr: Thanks for the great review ...
Thanks for the great review
quoting nevent1q…jdfy### State
I've been using Nostr for over a year, mostly via Amethyst. While it's always had rough edges, I'm familiar with the development process and am fine using a tool that has glaring issues with basic usability, as long as it is functional. For me, these issues have been things like: not being able to see 100% of the note I'm replying to, how I have to scroll and type at the same time when making a note longer than a few lines, and screen clutter.
Meanwhile, each version seems to accompany flashy new features; a good portion of which I'm not interested in. And now features are being added solely because they are possible, even if there is virtually zero demand, and contain a high degree of risk. Paying attention to the risk-to-reward ratio is a critical skill, and it's being ignored in this case.
I haven't looked at the code myself, but people are claiming that Amethyst no longer adheres to NIP01. If this is true, then Amethyst is no longer a Nostr client.
So, an adventure begins! I backed up my profile, and went hunting for a new client to replace Amethyst. The following are notes of my journey.
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### Yana
[Spoiler: Meets functionality requirements. It could use a few minor enhancements, to match features users might expect. Ironically, it was my first app in this list to review, and ended up being the only one of this group that I find worth using.]
Kudos to Yana for being compatible with Amber, a signing app that holds your nsec instead of sharing it with every client. NONE of the other apps I reviewed make use of third-party signers. When my feed first loaded, I noticed how smooth the movement is, not the visually jarring jumpiness that I was used to seeing. I was able to see my notifications, zap, post, and reply. There's only one reaction available, but I can handle that. Similar to Amethyst, it randomly crashes, but seems to do so more frequently. After your feed loads, any new posts that are detected are indicated by a button/notification near the top of the screen. You can either tap the button, or swipe toward the very bottom of the screen to load the new material. This ends up being slightly awkward since once the new material is loaded, the user is brought to the most recent post. If you want to pick up where you left off, you need to scroll down until you see familiar posts, then start scrolling up again. The cool thing is, when you open the app, the feed is right where you left it! When replying to a note, the original text isn't visible, but I typically write my text in a separate editor anyway. I hope that if they add that feature, they do more than just show the first few lines. There's virtually no screen clutter, aside from a counter for reply posts of people I'm following, and overall it seems to meet all the standard functionality requirements.
*APK size is 32.3 Mb.*
`. . . . . . . . . . . . .`
### Nostros
[Spoiler: This app is unfortunately DOA]
At first, I was impressed that Nostros provides an interface while syncing up my profile and relays. Other clients just appear broken for a while, then start working normally. Except mine got hung up on the "My relays" step. The available options on the screen are: "Taking too long? Reconnect to other relays",
"Skip", and "Continue". The link for "Reconnect to other relays" and the "Continue" button did nothing other than flash. The "Skip" button produced a warning that I would not have my contacts, etc loaded properly. I opened the app later to see if making a second attempt would work, but instead of the sync screen, I was presented with a feed interface displaying, "You're not following anyone."
*APK size is 16 Mb.*
`. . . . . . . . . . . . .`
### Plebstr
[Spoiler: Zapping is restricted to a pre-determined list of wallets.]
Plebstr is not compatible with signers. In the "Overview" window, there is a "Settings" section that says "Connected relays: 5/7", which is odd since I'm signed up to something like 18 relays. There are also "Notifications", "Messages" for DMs, and (ugh) "Follow suggestions" [sic]. At least the "Follow suggestions" had and "X" so I could remove it from the interface. The feed is referred to as a "Timeline", and would only partially load for me. Maybe because it's only using seven relays? When attempting to zap someone, instead of just failing because I had not connected my wallet (like many clients do), there was a button to "Choose default wallet". Yay! However, when brought to the "Zap preferences" [sic] window, and seeing the field for "Default Wallet", what I was presented with is a hard-coded list of wallets, (not ones on my phone), and no option to connect my Alby wallet. I quit testing at this point, since I won't be using a client that can't zap.
*APK size is 49 Mb.*
`. . . . . . . . . . . . .`
### FreeFrom
[Spoiler: There is no zap functionality. And has a footprint that is over 600% larger than the other apps reviewed here. Other than that, it seems to work well.]
FreeFrom is not compatible with signers. They've chosen a logo that is 100% unoriginal, being a small bird, and in blue. This logo appears at the top of the feed, with no function. The feed has two categories: "Plaza" and "Following". The "Plaza" is what the rest of us know to be "Global". It is listed first, and was presented on default. In the settings area there is a "Plaza management" [sic] section with several non-obvious sliders. I guess I could play around with them in an attempt to find out what they do, but it would be nice if the interface could give me a clue. There is no zap functionality that I could find. As soon as I realized that there is no ability to zap, I quit reviewing. Other than that, the interface looked nice and navigation was easy.
*APK size is 212 Mb.*
`. . . . . . . . . . . . .`
### Primal
[Spoiler: You are required to use Primal's wallet if you want to zap. Wtf?]
I was hesitant to install Primal, since they like to focus on the Big Tech concept of "Trending" lists; which mostly serves to make sheep. When I used their web interface last year, I was annoyed with how much screen space was dedicated to it. At this point, I'm ready to install the Android app, and am even open to liking it, especially since I've heard many people raving about it.
Primal is not compatible with signers. When I started the app and clicked the button to use an existing account, the app saw that an nsec was in my clipboard and pre-loaded it with the message "Valid key confirmed". Convenient, and creepy, but it also reminded me to clear my clipboard. I pressed the "Continue" button, and was brought back to the opening screen. A second attempt successfully loaded my feed. While looking at my notifications, DMs, etc, I tapped the lightning bolt button that is front-and-low-center of the screen. I was presented with an "Activate Wallet Now" button. So far, so good. However, this lead me to fields where it wanted my first and last name, email address, date of birth, and country of residence. I guess connecting any existing wallets is out of the question. Well, screw that. I quit reviewing Primal at this point.
*APK size is 31.5 Mb.*
`. . . . . . . . . . . . .`
### Current
During login I was presented with a EULA explaining all the vague things I was not allowed to do using their client. I won't coming back to this client.
*APK size is ... who cares.*
`. . . . . . . . . . . . .`
### Iris/Snort
These seem to be available only through Google Play. This is called "Doing Freedom Tech the wrong way." I didn't bother to install.
---
### With Closing
I was expecting to find several clunky clients with unpolished edges, but mostly found apps that had great interfaces, and chose partial implementations for zap functionality. If a user can't use a wallet of their choosing, then Nostr users will be funneled only to the available options (or the only option). This is the antithesis of freedom, and makes for attractive targets from attackers. The good news is that there is plenty of potential. As these apps mature, their feature set can be rounded out to really allow the user the choices they need to make Nostr their own.
Cheers to that!
#nostr #android #yana