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Limewire, the filesharing software was installed on one-third of computers worldwide in 2007 [1]. The problem is that software-engineers have lost their way. Li

Limewire, the filesharing software was installed on one-third of computers worldwide in 2007 [1]. The problem is that software-engineers have lost their way. Limewire was a one-click install. Mastodon requires twenty arcane steps. Once you let average-joe one-click install and host, Mastodon will very rapidly rise. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LimeWire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LimeWire

jazzyjackson 3y ago
Limewire gave people for free what they were acclimated to paying for. People already get social media for free. There's no reason for them to switch.
- abdullahkhalids 3y ago
  The popularity of discord servers and subreddits, or for that matter closed facebook/telegram groups, speaks otherwise. People want control over their communities.
  - jazzyjackson 3y ago
    Sorry I thought we were talking about why federation will or wont succeed success of reddit and facebook feel like counterexamples if they can offer for free the privacy controls that most people are satisfied by (you certainly have very little control over your subreddit or your discord - all your shit is plaintext and can get deleted tomorrow if the service provider determines their best interest diverges from yours) I probably agree with you, in that if self hosted solutions were one click installs and modest cost they would be more popular, but I can't tell.
- gwd 3y ago
  > There's no reason for them to switch. The reason to switch is that once you get over the initial barriers to entry (having to choose which server to join being a lot bigger barrier than most Fediverse activists seem to realize), the experience is SO MUCH BETTER. You get posts from people you've followed, in the order they were posted, and when you've read them all, you're done. No adverts, no infinite scroll, no wading through 75% "you may be interested in this soft-core porn" posts to see stuff from people you actually followed.

jazzyjackson 3y ago

Limewire gave people for free what they were acclimated to paying for. People already get social media for free. There's no reason for them to switch.

abdullahkhalids 3y ago
The popularity of discord servers and subreddits, or for that matter closed facebook/telegram groups, speaks otherwise. People want control over their communities.
- jazzyjackson 3y ago
  Sorry I thought we were talking about why federation will or wont succeed success of reddit and facebook feel like counterexamples if they can offer for free the privacy controls that most people are satisfied by (you certainly have very little control over your subreddit or your discord - all your shit is plaintext and can get deleted tomorrow if the service provider determines their best interest diverges from yours) I probably agree with you, in that if self hosted solutions were one click installs and modest cost they would be more popular, but I can't tell.
gwd 3y ago
> There's no reason for them to switch. The reason to switch is that once you get over the initial barriers to entry (having to choose which server to join being a lot bigger barrier than most Fediverse activists seem to realize), the experience is SO MUCH BETTER. You get posts from people you've followed, in the order they were posted, and when you've read them all, you're done. No adverts, no infinite scroll, no wading through 75% "you may be interested in this soft-core porn" posts to see stuff from people you actually followed.