“Sometimes there’s a man… I won’t say a “hero,” because what’s a hero? But sometimes there’s a man who… well, he’s the man for his time and place!” – Sam Elliot (the Stranger) from the glorious The Big Lebowski

You know that classic quote about standing on the shoulders of giants (and pioneers)? Honestly, in so many ways, that’s how I truly feel about the good ol’ Fediverse.

So, to sum up-- who are YOUR heroes here, and what does keep you hanging on here, baby…?

  • Zak@lemmy.world
    16·
    1 day ago

    I don’t find that commercial social services are free of bumps and difficulties; they’re just different bumps and difficulties. They variously want me to:

    • Log in to view this content
    • Complete a captcha to view this content
    • LOOK AT THIS AD
    • Look at this other thing instead of reading through the rest of the comments on the post I opened
    • Look at this other content instead of the people I chose to follow
    • Consent to 237 different forms of tracking
    • Pay for a premium account
    • Don’t post anything too spicy for the advertisers
    • Install an app

    And people think picking a server to sign up or using an unpolished UI is a hassle? It’s a small price to pay to avoid that load of crap.

    I use Lemmy and Mastodon because independent services that interoperate are how I want the internet to work. I still use some of the big commercial services because people or communities I value are there. It’s not all-or-nothing.