If you’ve used any Ethereum dApp before (who are you kidding, you have you dirty little shitcoiner you), you should be familiar with the browser wallet extension metamask. It’s probably set the standard for what a browser wallet should look like, how it works and is loved by many. It’s even started to be used as a cross-chain with Binance Smart Chain, such is the popularity of the tool.
Why create your own wallet when you can simply use the ones that people are already familiar with using in their crypto adventures. It’s already an established user experience and it makes sense that other chains would want to replicate it. I know TRON has Tronlink which is pretty similar and now Lightning has Joule.
Joule like meta mask is a simple browser extension that can be installed on your Chrome, Brave and Firefox.
- Send payments in-browser
- Manage channels & transactions
- Auth with a decentralized identity
One thing they’ve crushed is the UX, it looks so good to use, sleek and once you’re all set up it’s pretty simple to get around. Granted there aren’t many lapps (lightning apps) available for you to interact with yet like the way metamask’s ecosystem does, it’s a pretty cool look into a possible future for Bitcoin and lightning.
Downside of Joule
It’s pretty fucking complicated to set up, to say the least, not to mention the instructions are almost non-existent. It’s as if they have zero self-awareness of who their customer base is and released a half-arse project.
I would understand if you said it’s in beta, but if this is open to the public tool, it’s pretty much going to be used by NOBODY!
The reason it’s such a bugaboo is that your MUST have your own lightning node set up to run Joule, or you have to have a lightning wallet set up with lightning or Zap on desktop.
which I can understand safety should be the default. Running your own node and validating things is important.
But if I WANT to try it out and don’t care too much over safety, how about an option.
Unlike standard BTC or ETH wallets LN wallets private keys must be hot, meaning they’re kept in memory so that you can sign data with them even if you’re not around. This is how routing works in Lightning. Because of that, you need your own node.
I get the whole safety issue, but they could have at least offered one custodial service so people can try it with a few sats.
User Un-Friendly
I am always slightly annoyed at crypto projects when they rely too much on your conviction and expect you to figure things out without even pointing you in any direction. I don’t think I am asking for much when I say a detailed tutorial and FAQ page would do wonders.
Anyway, this app will probably be a white elephant in your browser until lapps gain any sort of traction and they make it easier to set up.
For more you can check it out here – https://lightningjoule.com/
