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Re: "I was commenting on a discussion started by @HansBrix about..."
what i don't understand is how open source projects move support chats from irc to discord.
okay, discord may have features they like and that irc lacks.
but irc is an open protocol, can be self hosted, everyone can implement a server or a client (i have implemented my client), there are plenty of open source irc clients.
i guess they move to discord because they don't distinguish between open source and free software and because they don't actually care about software liberties.
today for people it is normal that the software controls them. they get frustrated or sad, but overcome tham by paying to the software vendors and 'unlocking' features like background playback in youtube.
Nov 11 · 5 weeks ago
also today it is hard for people to use irc. they need to make choices. search for a client. or use a web client when avairable. fill the edit boxes. they are used to run proprietary messenger app, give necessary accesses to addressbook etc and see it work.
to use gemini people should
1) know of its existence
why would they if they are perfectly happy with their proprietary apps? one should feel unhappy to search for an alternative.
2) value the alternative idea enough to try searching and downloading a gemini browser.
if it's a console browser then most likely a windows or macos user will be terrified by 'not accessible' user experience, close it, mark it as 'for programmers' in mind.
if they are actually programmers, then mark it as ... somethiwg stupid because that's what peoplebdo when they don't undersmand why bother.
3) after they know, or search for the alternative and found it, then if they were able to use it, they need to appreciate it. feel that they share the values.
but why would they have the values? in the world, or mind when it is normal to use proprietary youtube app and have preinstalled crap, why would they value something as they would think 'less usable', rather than more?
people that try to use floss complain all the time about the design, ui/ux, and lack of features.
then we, often try to entourage them keept using the software ...
and wait for feature to be implemented.
but te reality is, we have uncomparable power with commercial vendors and we won't have the design or ui/ux or features as they are able to provide.
so if some people are ready to sacrifice some of 'usability', whatever that means, to use something like 'conversations' jabber app, or gnome, most of them won't be drawn to the opposite: extreme minimalism gemini suggests.
i am drawn to. i am fed up by js and i have no hope that web might improve. web is shaped by commerce and serves the commercial interests of some people. i want only to contribute mo xmpp, to gemini, to spaces that are free of those players.
i also like minimalism and modernism.
thus i don't like rust: i canwot compile it on my pinebook. but i like oberon, and i like fpc (freepascal compiler) and from c world i like tcc. if i was a c programmer i would try to make sure my code compiles without gcc extensions by the most simple c compiler.
i like 'form follows function' design and i dislike superfluity. given commerce and feature driven world i am even more attracted to the inclemency of gemini or oberon. attracted to assembly programming for simple cpu's like 6502.
some think of le corbusier an of modernist. i don't think so. since big wide roads without sidewalks and high rises make people dependable on cars and corporations, while i perceive modernism as liberating art.
👻 darkghost [OP] · Nov 12 at 00:50:
I've also seen a retreat from IRC to discord, with discord even replacing things like discussion boards and email lists on some projects! (wtf!)
I will not use Discord as a matter of principle.
Not a fan of Discord - confusing and never useful, but curious about your principles.
I'll keep it simple.
The way they run things is horrible. There is no consistency in what is and isn't allowed, and the owners of Discord have shielded some truly disturbing behavior.
You own nothing. You have nothing. All of it can vanish the second someone decided it should for reasons you will never know. And because you own and control nothing getting your data off it isn't a thing.
It's the worst, most volatile place to build content or community, making it a terrible investment of your time and attention.
👻 darkghost [OP] · Nov 15 at 11:26:
Discord is going through the usual boom/bust cycle of all the Silicon Valley startups. Its valuation is purported to be $15 billion. Sure... At some point in the not-too-distant future, they're going to need to make money to justify that valuation. That's when good platforms decline. They've already sent up a trial balloon around NFTs and cryptocurrency in 2021. I'm willing to bet we will see an attempt to hop on the AI bandwagon soon. Probably a pivot to be more like Zoom and and market to businesses. Free will be crippled. We've seen this song and dance before and it doesn't happen with open platforms like email or IRC which continue to exist and aren't dependent on the Q3 results.
Hopefully Telegram will be right behind them.
I was commenting on a discussion started by @HansBrix about the web browser. In another thread, they pointed out how the browser is just about everything these days and that's why people can live with ChromeOS. It is quite a bit absurd, and represents the regression in technology I feared in the 90s. The personal computer revolution was a revolution because it meant anyone could use a computer and didn't have to pay for mainframe time or shared access. Today's cloud is just the mainframe era...