Sending lightning in SN isn't zapping. Fight me. \ stacker news ~nostr

Sending lightning in SN isn't zapping. Fight me.

648 sats \ 38 comments \ @premitive1 28 Jul 2023 nostr

The word Zap in contemporary usage hails from terminology describing a lightning payment sent within nostr clients. Stacker News had lightning payments BEFORE the term Zap came to exist, and yet I see people appropriating the word "zap" to describe any lightning payment and I feel butt hurt because Podcasting 2.0 already had a word for sending a value payment by lightning in podcasts, and that word is BOOST. Podcasting 2.0 existed BEFORE nostr. So I will only use Zap to refer to lightning payments in nostr, and will forever look down upon revisionists appropriating zaps outside of nostr.

The end.

view all related items

125 sats \ 1 reply \ @k00b 28 Jul 2023

I refuse to fight but I think zap is the right term for sending small amounts of bitcoin using lightning.

110 sats \ 0 replies \ @premitive1 OP 28 Jul 2023

I meant more that i wanted to parlay a bit on the subjects of symbols and communication within the bitcoin and nostr communities.

30 sats \ 6 replies \ @siggy47 28 Jul 2023

Methinks we all have bigger fish to fry.

130 sats \ 4 replies \ @premitive1 OP 28 Jul 2023

like which mega-centralized relay to join?

100 sats \ 0 replies \ @siggy47 28 Jul 2023

For starters

13 sats \ 2 replies \ @l0k18 28 Jul 2023

Or maybe, wait a moment, how do I run one of my own?

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @_arshbot 28 Jul 2023

Would people be interested in the running their own? If so we could make that possible

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @l0k18 28 Jul 2023

I think the invention of monetisation protocols is the thing that will have the most impact. Subscriptions, blocklists, search engines...

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @sudonaka 28 Jul 2023

Every individual contributes what they choose to. There is no central authority assigning tasks to the collective

23 sats \ 7 replies \ @ProofOfWorkFitness 28 Jul 2023

I have to disagree.

It's the Lightning Network. Zap sounds cool.

Maybe if you look at it like this: With podcasting 2.0 listeners can attach a message to a zap using the ⚡ network and that is called a Boost.

0 sats \ 6 replies \ @premitive1 OP 28 Jul 2023

when you attach a message to a boost it's a boostagram.

21 sats \ 3 replies \ @ProofOfWorkFitness 28 Jul 2023

Then that's too complicated.

Call it all Zap and be done with it.

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @premitive1 OP 28 Jul 2023

i feel like it's easy enough to say, "sent me bitcoin"

13 sats \ 1 reply \ @ek 28 Jul 2023

Onchain or lightning?

23 sats \ 0 replies \ @ProofOfWorkFitness 28 Jul 2023

Exactly.

No matter what one is using, if someone says Zap, you know it was an instant lightning payment supporting the creator.

⚡

100 sats \ 1 reply \ @ek 28 Jul 2023

Where did this -gram suffix come from? Sounds too much like Instagram imo

20 sats \ 0 replies \ @premitive1 OP 28 Jul 2023

it comes from telegram, the technology.

60 sats \ 2 replies \ @kenn_b 28 Jul 2023

i will boost your zap if you zap my boost.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @premitive1 OP 28 Jul 2023

deal ^_^

13 sats \ 0 replies \ @l0k18 28 Jul 2023

Corruption!

34 sats \ 3 replies \ @iguano 28 Jul 2023

To my understanding, when you tip on SN you don’t use Lightning but a centralized server

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @premitive1 OP 28 Jul 2023

ah, the plot thickens! So we SHOULD not call it zapping when we send someone numbers from one centralized SN account to another centralized SN account. point taken.

13 sats \ 1 reply \ @iguano 28 Jul 2023

Exactly, you cannot “zap” if there is not lightning.

13 sats \ 0 replies \ @ek 28 Jul 2023

That's probably the best argument against calling it zaps on SN.

But still, it's sats moving between users which you can withdraw using lightning ...

It's a zap with extra steps

113 sats \ 0 replies \ @l0k18 28 Jul 2023

Jack Mallers built Zap out of LND and BTCD some years ago now.

I don't think it's narrow enough to say "decentralised only" because most of the zaps on Nostr go through WoS and Breez and Phoenix etc. Well, ok, some of those don't play nice with Snort or are entirely not linkable with others.

I think the distinction is that Stacker sats are Schroedingers Sats. We can't really be sure they exist until we send them out.

A bit like the sats supposedly held in custody by CEXs

16 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford 28 Jul 2023

If I'm not mistaken the majority of Zaps on Nostr are from WoS users to WoS users. This is different from SN but really not that much different. I'd love to see SN allow direct zaps to self custody wallets but really it isnt something that bothers me. The important things to me are

Site uses sats
Site uses lightning
No restrictions on withdrawal

13 sats \ 0 replies \ @0xIlmari 28 Jul 2023

If you want to be strict in your definition, then sure.

But words associated with successful techologies/companies tend to expand their meaning over time. Let me give you a few names - Xerox, Google, Photoshop - that became ubiquitous verbs describing activities not necessarily associated with the original product anymore (any photocopying, any web searching, any photo editing).

I, personally, am grateful that it is "zap" that's expanding its meaning to any LN payment (and even centralized services like SN) and not "lntip" from the toxic cesspool that is Reddit.

But you do you, as long as it's not getting in the way of communication (like pretending you don't understand the word when used in a non-nostr context).

13 sats \ 0 replies \ @franzap 28 Jul 2023

I would need to change my nym to franboost... no way 🤣

13 sats \ 0 replies \ @errhead 28 Jul 2023

A zap is a direct payment from one user to a lightning wallet. A boost is direct payment from one one user to a split block. A boost will have as many zaps as entries in the split. Zaps are to people, boosts are to a collective enterprise with an open contract for distributing zaps.

Zap's mostly use lnurl, Boosts mostly use keysend. Boosts have significantly more metadata about the content being boosted.

13 sats \ 0 replies \ @legxxi 29 Jul 2023

Well said, I’ll zap you some⚡️

1 sat \ 2 replies \ @Undisciplined 28 Jul 2023

Zap seems like a very natural thing to call it, given the lightning bolt icon. Why does it matter if that was the original term?

136 sats \ 1 reply \ @03e7045924 28 Jul 2023

Agreed... I really like Zaps for use with all lightning payments.

I think Boosts actually fits the narrower case of boosting something in a social context, the way zaps are today on NOSTR.

102 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined 28 Jul 2023

I feel like "zap" is the right term for any lightning payment. In some contexts, it makes sense to say you're zapping to boost content.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @falsefaucet 28 Jul 2023

splitting hairs,

zap zap bitch

0 sats \ 3 replies \ @03e7045924 28 Jul 2023

I Charge you for something and you Zap me for it. 🤔

I'm liking the electricity analogy.

Boost feels specific to social media and actually fits the "nostr zaps" scenario better imo.

You're boosting a piece of content using money as a voting mechanism.

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @premitive1 OP 28 Jul 2023

Consider it in the context of a boost telling the podcaster which part of their podcasts the listeners likes the most. It isn't necessarily meant to be listener facing.

13 sats \ 1 reply \ @03e7045924 28 Jul 2023

Yup I think it makes sense in that context too.

So maybe a Boost is a type of Zap. 👀

If only NOSTR would adopt boost for posts and zaps for direct lightning transactions or general profile tipping.

But I'm just complicating things because I like doing that.

100 sats \ 0 replies \ @premitive1 OP 28 Jul 2023

in SN the payments have the effect of increasing visibility, so boosting has a similar utility n that context as well.