Because they are ok with other instances operating without censorship. Or with different ideological bias. Some people want their safe space. I do consider it generally harmful, but that's how humans are - we want to discuss with like-minded people even if it limits the range of discussion.
On the balance, Lemmy existing is a benefit to humanity. You don't have to talk to developers themselves.
This really just seems like "I want to complain about .ml" with extra steps.
I don't care for them, so I don't go there.
Open source projects will be used for things of which you approve and of which you do not, that is life.
Bear in mind that ActivityPub is so much more than just Lemmy. Mbin and Piefed both exist as alternatives.
Just to be real:
Every instance is an example of arbitrary censorship. It's just that .ml is specifically about a kind of censorship you don't like.
All that said, there is no "should". Donations are voluntary, they are not the only way to contribute to the development of the fediverse, and there is already both alternatives and competition, and you could support those instead. I hear Pixelfed is making the rounds.
I hear Pixelfed is making the rounds.
I think you meant Piefed. Pixelfed exists too, but that is more Instagram-style. Piefed feels pretty similar to Lemmy, just written in Python.
I personally like how Mbin integrates with Mastodon. Or at least the idea. I can't figure out how to search up a specific Mastodon user.
I can't figure out how to search up a specific Mastodon user
But I mean a user that isn't yet loaded (if it works like Lemmy communities or specific comments). For example @zssk_mimoriadne@mastodon.social isn't visible from fedia.io nor kbin.earth.
Unless mastodon.social is defederated from both. I can't try Melroy without logging in.
For example, new communities can be loaded with !community@instance in the search menu, and comments by searching original instance URL (on Lemmy).
Couldn't say as far as fedia or kbin.earth's federation policies, but that user pulls up successfully here.
Piefex! Pixelfie! Fedfed! I always get them mixed up!!!! I'm Fedfed up with it! XD
Thanks for the notice.
Also interesting note on mbin, I tend to forget it can do that and it has also a lot of other niceties, but I have experimented very little with mbin. ~~My account sits 3 weeks unused~~
Thank you. People seem perfectly happy with lemmy.world blacklisting lemmy.ml altogether and such because it's censorship that they agree with, people generally only get cranky in the pants about censorship when they agree with the thing being censored.
I understand that, but the Lemmy developers are deeply rooted in .ml. I just wonder whether it makes sense to support that. I am aware that this is FOSS, but there is no transparency as to whether my support actually ends up in the software development or perhaps in .ml, which I do not want to support.
Then the next best thing to do is to support instances directly. I'd guess most of them have a tip jar or donation box.
Be aware that if supporting unsavory people is your issue, you might want to skip some payment processors and pay the instance hoster directly. Some payment processors, like PayPal or Stripe, are into some unsavory stuff such as targetting sex workers, or appropriating your savings if you post speech they disagree with, or blocking access to service in countries of the third world.
Piefed is growing
I mean, there's always other places in the fediverse to put ur money
ik this isn't what ur asking, but i wanted to put it out there for you to consider
At the end of the day you need to decide what kind of person you are. Are you pragmatic or idealistic? Are you able to separate art from artist and creation from creator? Should you support a good open source service created for the betterment of everyone if you dont like the politics of its developers?
I'm a pragmatist by nature. I believe that a useful tool remains a useful tool even when its crafted by tankie assholes. If I found out the maker of a computer command like sudo was a leninist or whatever I wouldnt go out of my way to install an alternative just because I dont agree with the batshit politics of the creator. Just like I wouldn't stop enjoying a song after finding out the ones who made it were greedy egotistical dickheads in personal life.
Young and politically charged idealist love that online social justice warrior signalling and political identity posturing. Everythings gotta be us vs them culture war, with us needing to always be on the morally/politically high ground else your a filthy inhuman nazi them who must be refunded/canceled. You get older and realize most people no matter the lean have some level of dogshit half baked politics or some other degree of mental emotional whackiness from past trauma or poor life circumstances causing them to be imperfect animals with dumb fucking biases. That's humanity and the heart of darkness for ya. You can choose to associate the imperfections of the creator with the creation, or you can try to decouple them and see them as separate entities linked by causality.
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I will consider the matter further.
It is exactly as you say: Lemmy is, of course, excellent and absolutely worthy of support. I am just not entirely sure whether my contribution will actually end up in development. However, I will have to live with this uncertainty. I just find it problematic that .ml stands for pretty much the opposite of why I want to support Lemmy — namely, free discourse free from political influence by the platform itself. That's simply not the case with .ml, because their moderators only allow their own narrow-minded views — and I fear that this approach is supported by the developers.
Nevertheless, the software itself remains worthy of support, you're absolutely right about that.
You shouldn't. Support your instance or something idk.
Please create an account on PieFed if you don't already have one. Let's keep the momentum of more and more users migrating to PieFed. Also help contribute content to other instances so we can reduce .ml influences.
By the way, piefed.blahaj.zone is a thing.
If they had developed a centralised bit of software such as Twitter or Reddit you'd have a point. In that case you can't support one without the other.
On a decentralised bit of software you can support the developers and spend your time on an instance they have no control over. So supporting the developers for development is not the same as supporting any particular instance - thats why a lot of instances accept donations too.
Except there is no separation in where the money goes
They're building a system that allows you to avoid censorship that you don't like. I'd focus on that part.
Support Mbin?
I would answer but I feel like this post is more about you trying to convince others to retire their economical support that any other thing. Or at least it feels like that.
Decision is yours, same as our decisions are ours.
Donate to an individual instance then. Or fork your own, call it Demmings, and see where that takes you.
I already do that. So stop supporting Lemmy developers and only support the instance?
This is what I do. I don’t give tankies money but I’m happy to support all the instances I have accounts on.
Why should I convince you for free?
I mean, you could support piefed development or one of the *bins, instead.
It's not arbitrary, you're just upset.
You should not continue supporting it if you don't feel that the developers aren't deserving of your money.
Support piefed instead. It's fine for the Lemmy devs to have their opinions, but if they are going to be assholes about it then they can deal with the fallout. I've been around open source communities long enough to know that this quickly becomes a sunk cost fallacy, and the fediverse will be better off ripping off this bandaid as soon as possible.
There is no way to convince a person who is raised in a capitalist system why "arbitrary censorship" is way better than "democracy" where all significant media is capitalist owned. The only difference is that one is honest, the other isnt. If you come to my house, I will absolutely arbitrarily censor you if I dont like what you're saying. Thats called personal freedom.
The "freeze peach" approach is a purely capitalist idea where you supposedly can say anything, even shitting on someone elses table but you have no actual way to change the broken system you're in. Thats how they like you, divided, shitting on those you deem lesser and incapable of organizing.
So no, the people who make lemmy are the people who let you say exactly what you are saying now. From my pov, they deserve huge donations. Does that have to do anything with their instance? Not in my opinion.
But because I like to discuss these things: an instance is your private matter. you can do whatever you like and hear whatever you like. If that means you only say nazi stuff for example, that is your choice. And defunding those who give you actual freedom (before lemmy there was reddit and nothing) while not defunding the police or the state that does the exact opposite (looking at you, USA) is just wild imo.
There is no way to convince a person who is raised in a capitalist system why "arbitrary censorship" is way better than "democracy" where all significant media is capitalist owned.
I was brought up under arbitrary censorship. Democracy where all significant media is capitalist-owned is much better.
I was brought up in a clasical liberal society. That it was also capitalist is incidental.
Tomato, tomato. These are just capitalist words for a competitive system with just enough leeway to keep you playing. Since it has been failing recently and people are organizing too much, they need their fascist hammer from the capitalist toolbox. Its very obvious once someone abandons the decoration.
Apparently, lemmy.ml instance ks only paid from OpenCollective: https://lemmy.ml/comment/18413453
Still the same people though.
You do whatever you like
Is this a shitlib site?
.world certainly is but .ml is not.
Thanks for the reminder, I think I'll take a look around.
That sounds like a you problem
Is it my fault if a comment I posted is removed by .ml-Mods simply because it states that there can be no justification for terrorism?
Honestly, I can't support that. Do you see it differently?
Again, why is that my problem? You can post about that literally anywhere else. What you do with your money is not the concern of me, nor anyone else looking at this post.
That's just stupid. I would definitely resort to terror tactics if fighting a stronger enemy, like THE COALESCED FORCES OF WESTERN IMPERIALISM. It's not like you can talk amoral monsters into being good, or like you have the time and resources to develop nuclear bombs and aircraft carriers.
I just don't want my opinion to be censored for political reasons. That's what I had hoped for from Lemmy – not some propaganda bullshit. Do you really see this platform as a counterpart to Truth Social? If so, then I'm in the wrong place, because I'm interested in exchanging opinions and arguments, not in having my opinion confirmed.
I just don’t want my opinion to be censored for political reasons. That’s what I had hoped for from Lemmy – not some propaganda bullshit. Do you really see this platform as a counterpart to Truth Social?
Literally look at Truth Social. Or better, don't. For a social platform to be healthy, it needs to be censored for poitical reasons. It's just the political reasons have to be about, and for, good.
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