By that logic, why bother paying for a shiny domain name? Why not just post the IP address on HackerNews and have people go to it directly? The value that Dias

By that logic, why bother paying for a shiny domain name? Why not just post the IP address on HackerNews and have people go to it directly? The value that Diaspora would have is in getting people to use it, not in the actual software; and that includes people who aren't necessarily tech-savvy. If your browser throws out a giant red page talking about an untrusted page, how many of those people do you really think you're going to get?