Let’s say Lemmy acquires the critical mass of users, continues to gain in popularity. Eventually someone will offer a large sum of money, the platform grows, new owners look towards an IPO, the goals shift, yadayada… How is different this time?

  • Lvxferre
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    2 years ago

    Every single Lemmy instance could theoretically be doomed to repeat Reddit’s path. Including the flagship instance, lemmy.ml. Theoretically.

    However, once said instance is going downhill, people would be far less affected. Because only a fraction of the users and communities will be in that instance; most of them will be elsewhere. And since the instances work under the same protocol, it would be way easier to move the info elsewhere too.

    And the admins of those instances know it. That discourages them to be abusive towards their own users, because unlike the Reddit admins they can’t rely on people coming back.

    That’s the beauty of the Fediverse. We aren’t putting all our eggs inside the same basket, but even then we can make a tasty omelette together with all of them.

    • Nindelofocho@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      I think there needs to be a way to migrate accounts easily to another instance in this case. If im on Lemmy.world and they mess up so I want to use Beehaw or something then (it looks like?) I have to make a new account essentially (I could be wrong on that im still figuring this out)

      • themoonisacheese@sh.itjust.works
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        2 years ago

        Currently this is correct. Account migration is a thing that is technically possible, they just have to implement it. However, I don’t think you would lose much anyway? Your username would be available on the other instances and yeah your posts are not under the exact account but you’re not exactly building a YouTube channel here.

    • qprimed
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      2 years ago

      a functional “move account” function would go a long way to maintain a reasonable power dynamic between instances and users . I know its on the project roadmap, but its something that could (and should) be explored by all the new eyes looking at the Lemmy codebase.

      • Lvxferre
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        2 years ago

        Do you happen to have a link for the project roadmap? The concept of moving the account sounds amazing, and I hope that dessalines and nutomic manage to do it. (Easier said than done, I bet that both are overburdened.)

        I hope that there’s also something in the roadmap about moving/cloning a community, to migrate it elsewhere.

    • twistedtxb@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      That’s the way I see it as well. Like a Hydra, you can cut one of its head, but another instance will take its place.