Why many people don't and won't use open source federated sites
People will continue to use big centralized sites like Discord until the alternatives drop the literal paragraphs of technobabble to explain what they are.
Most users do not know tech well. If they see pages of words they don't understand it's clear the software 'isn't for people like me'
so they go back to centralized sites.
If people don't understand what any of those acronyms and words mean it won't matter that the site is easier or better to use.
There's nothing wrong with technical explanations.
But they can be deeply alienating as a first impression and explanation to someone with no tech or coding skills who's after 'a site I can talk to my friends on'.
Folks know the sites they use are bad. But the alternative isn't accessible to the vast majority of people.
Non tech users need to be included and respected as potential users if open source is to appeal to all the communities it could benefit.
Why many people don't and won't use open source federated sites
@Brainship personal favourite is when a bit of software lists all the stuff it's built with but includes no indication whatsoever as to what it actually does
is it a web server? a text editor? firmware for an IoT toaster? nobody knows!
re: Why many people don't and won't use open source federated sites
@troubleMoney Oh gosh yeah.
That's how I feel about Matrix. It's not quite that bad admittedly. It does say it's for talking to others online.
But that's hidden among so many acronyms and tech terms I had to read it three times to realize it's for talking to friends with text, voice and chat.
The bit about what something is for should imo be the first thing users see.
It doesn't help that it uses justified text which is hard for dyslexic people to read. XP