I think there will need to be a re-invention/ re-write before the ‘real’ lemmy happens.
The issues around discovery, identity and communities being attached to a server, and how this impacts the math of the networking aspect of the whole concept are really what is preventing Lemmy from not only beating social media like Reddit, but representing a major improvement. The project has grown enough to make that kind of re-investment of time more palatable, but as lemmy currently stands, the protocol is in the way.
We don’t need to beat reddit. We don’t need to beat anyone. There are no investors or shareholders. There are no stock listings. There are no ads or addictive algos. We are fine as we are now. There is no need for exponential growth. Lemmy should simply be.
Yeah actually, being better matters. Projects like this die with stagnation and attitudes like yours. Sure they’ll limp around for years with some core die hards or niche communities, but thats (see: fark, SA, usenet, CL ads, etc…), but that’s not the point. Lemmys design is working against its self. Its not clear that it can be fixed under ‘lemmy’ as it currently exists.
The experience can be much better and there is a clear path towards it. The basic math of how networks operate that creates this issue and its baked into the underlying structure of how lemmy was planned. If these improvements arent implemented, the platform will stagnate: all platforms that don’t improve do this. They may persist but they fail to grow, and attrition is constant.
While I agree that we don’t need to “beat” anything or strive for growth, I do think those things will happen naturally if the system is an improvement. And while lemmy’s potential is great, there are challenges that come with federation, like those mentioned above. And those problems should be solved in time. Not to generate growth but to improve the system. Growth may follow
I think there will need to be a re-invention/ re-write before the ‘real’ lemmy happens.
The issues around discovery, identity and communities being attached to a server, and how this impacts the math of the networking aspect of the whole concept are really what is preventing Lemmy from not only beating social media like Reddit, but representing a major improvement. The project has grown enough to make that kind of re-investment of time more palatable, but as lemmy currently stands, the protocol is in the way.
We don’t need to beat reddit. We don’t need to beat anyone. There are no investors or shareholders. There are no stock listings. There are no ads or addictive algos. We are fine as we are now. There is no need for exponential growth. Lemmy should simply be.
Yeah actually, being better matters. Projects like this die with stagnation and attitudes like yours. Sure they’ll limp around for years with some core die hards or niche communities, but thats (see: fark, SA, usenet, CL ads, etc…), but that’s not the point. Lemmys design is working against its self. Its not clear that it can be fixed under ‘lemmy’ as it currently exists.
The experience can be much better and there is a clear path towards it. The basic math of how networks operate that creates this issue and its baked into the underlying structure of how lemmy was planned. If these improvements arent implemented, the platform will stagnate: all platforms that don’t improve do this. They may persist but they fail to grow, and attrition is constant.
What’s wrong with Usenet? Sure there’s not a ton of users, but that’s a good thing.
While I agree that we don’t need to “beat” anything or strive for growth, I do think those things will happen naturally if the system is an improvement. And while lemmy’s potential is great, there are challenges that come with federation, like those mentioned above. And those problems should be solved in time. Not to generate growth but to improve the system. Growth may follow