It's true that any internet anti-censorship efforts, even if completely successful, wouldn't have nearly as much real world impact as some armchair enthusiasts

It's true that any internet anti-censorship efforts, even if completely successful, wouldn't have nearly as much real world impact as some armchair enthusiasts like to believe. It’s also true that reality is much more complicated than some “us against them” narrative. And perhaps to your main point: it’s also not like the Haystack project would have succeeded if only its members had a bit more technical know-how, or if they had just had been willing to open their source, etc. The challenge in thwarting the Islamic Republic’s censorship measures is almost impossibly enormous. However, this challenge could conceivably be met. Perhaps another Phil Zimmermann might come along one day and revolutionize steganography to bring us a step closer. Unfortunately this becomes less likely with a consummate self-promoter like Austin Heap publicly claiming to have already solved the entire problem.