This kind of gatekeeping and elitism is bad for Lemmy and for FOSS.
It makes this community a less welcoming place and leaves new folks with a bad first impression. Much better to be welcoming and let people learn/see the benefits of FOSS at their own pace.
100% agree. Going “haha, aren’t I COOL for NOT using this one popular app or software!?” contributes absolutely nothing and actively makes the community uninviting. I’m all for FOSS, but if a closed-source app is better than the FOSS options, I ain’t gonna knock on anybody for using it.
Also why even use an app outside of accessibility reasons? Been using Kbin on a mobile browser and it’s been a pretty good experience.
I don't get the point of this.
Since when did Sync masquerade itself as FOSS?
Just use whatever you want. Isn't that why we're all here?
Is the Sync noise getting to you? Just ignore it. It's natural since the app just opened up and there were a significant amount of Reddit refugees that badly wanted their app back.
I think it's more the Lemmy userbase having different expectations than that of the Reddit userbase, with Lemmy being such a shift from Reddit.
Sync is just so much more polished and feature-rich than all of these already... It's exactly like how it was when it was for reddit, and it's just one dev! I don't mind at all paying for a fantastic app.
You guys are taking the justified corpo hate and extending it to talented individual devs just making a living.
Yeah, until he gets an attractive buyout offer from an SEO company who wants to get into data mining.
I mean, just change apps at that point? There's no lock-in, worst case you lose what you paid to remove ads. No point getting worked up over hypothetical scenarios
Hating on someone based on unfounded hypotheticals is fucked up. LJ has always been very open with the community for the whole time Sync was on reddit.
Username checks out ig?
Tbh, I think this whole thing is being blown out of proportion. Part of FOSS and the internet in general is the ability to have choice over what you use and spend your time with. Just because Sync is out, doesn't mean you can't continue to use your FOSS apps. It just means that we now have an option for people who want to pay for a very polished experience.
I agree. Considering the backlash at reddit for nixing third party apps, you'd think people would praise all the options for Lemmy.
Paid software absolutely has a place in the world. Evil companies producing evil software designed to build a monopoly and lock out FOSS apps do not. I don't think Sync falls into the latter and I'm happy they've made the choice to be able to eat.
To be fair, this should be the other way around. All these foss apps are the teletubbies because they're clunky and have major bugs. Sync is the power ranger.
Yeah I've used all the apps in this post and Sync is just light years ahead of all of them right now. Well worth the 19$ to remove the ads
Kinda shitty to hate on Sync like this for not being foss when the dev never claimed it to be.
go memmy <3
Memmy is literally the reason I opted into the fediverse, such a beautiful UX/UI in this app! It feels like a true successor to Apollo.
I tried Sync, and it didn't scroll smoothly on my phone. So, I went back to Summit, which has been great.
But here's an idea: let's not get gatekeepy with apps. Use what you like. Freedom of choice is one major component of FOSS.
I like all the FOSS and community development of different Lemmy clients that's going on, it's really awesome and great to see.
But if Apollo was released for Lemmy, I'd subscribe to Ultra (or buy lifetime) in a heartbeat and only look at alternatives out of interest, not because I'd want to use them as my main Lemmy client. Apollo was just that good.
Views like this one feel pretty toxic and elitist to me. Let people use Sync if they like it. Let people use their Android phone unrooted if they are fine with it. Heck, let people use Windows if they like it.
Tried all the apps and none of them is polished and smoother as sync. If tracking is the issue then one time purchase disables everything. The sdk isn't even loaded after the purchase. One time purchase is available. For people who want to support they can use the subscription service. For those people who want foss free apps, then another set of apps are available.
At the end of the day, software developers need to eat. If they get to eat because their compensation model is driven by donations either before or after you use the app, who cares?
(Fair enough FOSS is free as in freedom, not just as in free beer, but I think that is moot to a lot of people, as long as the market space isn't crushed by anti-competitive buisness practices)
The bigger issue at hand here is negotiating fair API uses for instances and their admins, who also need to eat, and make the apps possible too.
More options is better for the community
The developer works full time for the app, even when it was a Reddit client. If you guys can't view an ad every once in a while to support something you use daily, then delete your Lemmy account. Nobody eats for free.
Imagine defending advertisements.
Sorry, but I'm not a fucking product. I don't care who's pushing them.
I agree. That's why I pay for apps and services that are well designed and supported. The "free" mentality always leads to advertisements being pushed into everyone's face.
Without financial support, most Lemmy instances wouldn't exist. I'd rather support apps that have free versions with premium subscriptions, or donation models, but it's all the same thing to me. I want to go back to world where we just pay for stuff.
Then pay for the software?
...or just pay 19 dollars to support the dev and get rid of the ads
I'm so happy to see Infinity for Lemmy in a meme. This made my day. Thank you.
This one is more controversial than intended. Since it's my "fault," I want to clear things up:
I fully support the "use whatever you want" faction. This meme wasn't intended to be a trigger against Sync. I just want to reflect the difference between Sync and all other apps. (I missed Connect, but my abilities to create a second Teletubby aren't the best.)
The controversy between FOSS and closed source reminds me of discussions on Reddit. It looks like we are separated into two (or more) groups: the privacy-focused FOSS nerds and the "shut up about the license, code, or ads and take my money because your product is the best working of all" group. Both groups have understandable reasons, and both can have their place in the fediverse. But don't forget, it's the FOSS group who started all this and early adopted (if you don't believe me, check the age of my profile). And this group is a little bit confused why everyone can't wait for a closed source app.
There's nobody who starts an unexpected feature or starts selling your data. Lemmy is FOSS and decentralized. A closed-source app can add whatever they want. If the ad-free pro version costs 20 bucks, then all non-pro users sell with their data, and I bet it's 20 bucks worth. Because free closed source is always free, because you are the product.
PS. I don't want to paint worse scenarios, but remember, WhatsApp was just a closed-source wrapper of XMPP, and Chrome is based on Chromium. FOSS will always attract people who try to monetize it. Some would say: "I don't care." But what if the monetizers start to claim control over the development, because there are "needed features" to get more money out of it?
I installed Sync to try it out, and noticed the subscription model for no ads, and for basic features like push notifications and exporting a list of your subscribed communities. $2/month or $100 for a "lifetime" subscription. Immediately uninstalled it, yes it has a beautiful interface but I've never been fond of subscription-based apps, especially for FOSS services. A low one-time fee would be acceptable to me, like the $4 fee for Toot! for Mastodon.
The silly thing to me about the subscription is, they say it's to "cover the monthly running costs". What running costs do they incur if Lemmy is free and open? I'm genuinely curious, if anyone knows please tell me.
I didn't know INFINITY for Lemmy existed!!! I don't mind SYNC, although I prefer the FOSS alternatives
I'm not tempted by it myself despite using it for reddit for years, but there's a weird amount of open source zealotry on Lemmy.
I've seen people complaining that the Nintendo Switch is closed source. Like, no shit.
Cool so I paid $20 for ads free, it's a bit expensive for a phone app, and lots of free options. I'm ok with it though let's move on from Reddit bois
This meme got a chuckle out of me. I think people shouldn't take this too seriously. It is a meme after all.
Sent from voyager
I will support any indie developer if the product is worth it and the price is right. I’m currently paying Ivory for Mastodon (iOS) and the experience is top notch. The fact that paid apps for the fediverse are popping up is actually a great sign of interest and critical mass of active users.
On a side note, what are you guys using on iOS? There’s a LOT of options currently, but the four that I’ve been enjoying the most are Memmy, Bean, Lemmios and Avelon. I’m sure in a couple of months we’ll see amazing progress and clearer differentiation from each other.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but does Sync seriously charge to remove ads that they added to browsing Lemmy in the first place? I get charging for Reddit due to the API, but I have a hard time believing the app is that much better than the existing FOSS apps such that the privacy tradeoff with ad trackers and/or the monetary cost worth it for, well, anyone really. Seems kinda scummy and antithetical to the philosophy that drives much of the Fediverse to me, yet I see so many people defending it in a way that reminds me of the rhetoric used to defend Reddit. Seriously, am I just a crazy person?
sync has consistently worked for me (so far) whereas jerboa and voyager have had issues connecting to lemmy servers
Infinity? Where?
https://codeberg.org/Bazsalanszky/Infinity-For-Lemmy APK is in the releases tab, works surprisingly well given how new it is.
I saw all the announcements for Sync, and remembered that Sync for Reddit was my main app a long time ago. Couldn't recall why I switched to Infinity.
Downloaded Sync for Lemmy today, scrolled past about 4 posts before a box showed up that said "sponsored content." Now I remember why I switched.
So… what’s the issue with Sync?
Commoditization by adding ads in a natively ad-free and libre service, and also questionable pricing:
This pricing increased 10 times in comparison to pre-API shit Sync for Reddit, so the community is now divided on whether the developer spreads the costs over fewer potential users on Lemmy vs. Reddit or is just being greedy and trying to monetize the new service as quick as possible before it potentially dies off.
