Why YSK: If we want to keep the Fediverse in the hands of its users and prevent “enshittification” (search it), it’s good to know how corporations kill grassroots projects like this.
I saw this in another thread on /c/Showerthoughts. I think it’s important for this to be circulated widely so that the broader Fediverse community is aligned. We don’t want admins second-guessing their decisions when users start infighting. We should be united in our thinking and ready to protect our platform.
Ugh, I came into this thread with the argument that we should be inclusive to other platforms, but you’re right and you’ve changed my view.
These companies do have a habit of open source capture and then killing them. I’m sure they would have made sending an email cost a stamp if they would have been mature enough at the time.
I don’t want capture to happen to this great little platform here, but I also don’t want the developers and admins to get jaded either. We’re going to need to find some way to incentivize the folks that are willing to sacrifice their time and resources to keep this going.
I was more of a lurker than a contributor on Reddit, but I’ll fight for the Fediverse because I believe in it and I don’t want to see it corrupted. I hope others like me will too.
Mostly agree, but the “incentive” focus is a misnomer. Humans don’t just sit around and stare at walls when they’re not “incentivized”. Incentives in sociopolitics is just a rebranding of coercion, getting people to do things they don’t want to do. People are incentivized/coerced to work at McDonald’s because otherwise they’ll live on the streets, the housing scalpers will make sure of it.
FOSS exists and isn’t at risk of dying. Yeah, it’s ideal if the people working on FOSS things don’t have to also work a soul crushing day job, and yeah maybe when their soul is crushed they’ll lose interest in the things they enjoy doing, but we shouldn’t frame that as them getting jaded towards FOSS projects. It’s actually just depression, and it impacts other hobbies too.
All that being said, I’m all for donations to people who do FOSS work so they can escape and do the things they love, it means better FOSS products and happier developers.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Just to clarify, FOSS (Free and Open-Source Software) promotes collaboration, transparency, and community-driven development. For those who may not be familiar with the abbreviation, it’s all about empowering users to use, modify, and distribute software freely. Supporting FOSS developers sustains ongoing development. Let’s appreciate the value of FOSS in fostering an open and accessible software ecosystem.