Comment on On the future of Lemmy vs reddit
CorrodedCranium@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 months ago
- Lemmy is now a real alternative. When reddit imploded Lemmy wasn’t fully set up to take advantage of the exodus, so a lot of users came over to the fediverse and gave up right away. There were no phone apps, the user interface was rudimentary, and communities weren’t yet alive. Next time reddit screws up in a high profile way, and they will screw up, the fediverse will be ready.
I definitely think having mobile apps is an essential step. I was looking at alternative platforms such as Raddle.me but using a mobile browser was an extra hurdle (similar to using the official Reddit app) that kept me from regularly checking in.
- Lemmy has way more potential than reddit. Reddit’s leadership has always been incompetent and slow at fixing problems. The fediverse has been very responsive to user feedback in comparison.
I could see this causing issues later. We’ve already seen issues a rise with some instances using the .ml and not being updated immediately.
Defederation is another beast all together. Most of an instance might be fine but a few problematic communities could create problems leading to arguments and, as much as I hate the term, drama.
danielton@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I agree. Some of the alternatives to Reddit are vehemently against mobile apps (ahem, tildes), so I doubt those will ever take off. Not everybody sits in front of a computer all day. But I think some of those don’t actually want a big userbase, which seems counterproductive for a forum, but whatever.
Lack of an API is what’s keeping me from using kbin, honestly. I know they’re working on it, but Lemmy already had an API long before the Reddit protests started.
TheSpookiestUser@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Didn’t the RIF dev just release an app for Tildes?
danielton@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Yes, there are apps for Tildes, but there isn’t an actual API for developers to use, and the owners of Tildes don’t seem to want them around. I’ve read in multiple places that they believe mobile apps go against everything they stand for.
Boabab@kbin.social 11 months ago
It might not be intentional, but you're spreading misinformation that could be prevented with a quick search.
The (sole) developerbof Tildes specificlly stated that Tildes will have an API and that they don't want to discourage apps. Their philosophy is just that the official way of visiting Tildes should be the same lightweight website as the desktop. A solution that works on every device. To me, this makes a lot of sense. It fits the philosophy of Tildes, results in less code to maintain and ensures the experience is the same on every device.
Source from the Tildes Documentation:
ShittyKopper@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 months ago
it’s more that they believe the mobile site should work well enough that an app shouldn’t be needed. also the one person behind tildes is doing it as a side project next to a full-time job (after experimenting with donations in the early days of the site). the fact that there isn’t an api is mainly due to time constraints (and to make sure when there is one it is done properly)
TheSpookiestUser@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Fair enough, I didn’t know that.
NikkiAtNight@artemis.camp 11 months ago
I'm using the Artemis app for kbin right now. They have it all ready to ship they just need to tie some stuff together before the main instance kbin.social is upgraded to support the api. The public beta for artemis just came out and has the api features enabled through the "test" instance artemis.camp, which still federates with everyone else. With the pace being made they should be done in the next week or two
danielton@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I was one of the first batch of beta testers, but being required to join another instance to use the current version of Artemis is not something I’m willing to do at this time.