commit: 2bd4f915c38850f6c98b8d4cf966b25d218a5890
parent 5ececb07faf763e68c82591a7b26d300a2b8d8f8
Author: Drew DeVault <sir@cmpwn.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2021 12:17:42 +0100
Link to source regarding a11y at discord
Diffstat:
1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
diff --git a/content/blog/Dont-use-Discord-for-FOSS.md b/content/blog/Dont-use-Discord-for-FOSS.md
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ software — i.e. your most passionate contributors or potential
contributors — as second-class citizens.
By choosing Discord, you also lock out users with accessibility needs, for whom
-the proprietary Discord client is often a nightmare to use. Users who cannot
+the proprietary Discord client is often a nightmare to use.[^1] Users who cannot
afford new enough hardware to make the resource-intensive client pleasant to use
are also left by the wayside. Choosing Discord is a choice that excludes poor
and disabled users from your community. Users of novel or unusual operating
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ Privacy-concious users will think twice before using Discord to participate in
your project, or will be denied outright if they rely on Tor or VPNs. All of
these groups are excluded from your community.
+[^1]: Discord [had to be sued](https://www.lflegal.com/2021/10/discord-agreement/) to take this seriously.
+
These problems are driven by a conflict of interest between you and Discord.
Ownership over your chat logs, the right to set up useful bots, or to moderate
your project's space according to your discretion; all of these are rights
@@ -47,7 +49,7 @@ another.
You are making an investment when you choose to use one service over another.
When you choose Discord, you are legitimizing their platform and divesting from
FOSS platforms. Even if you think they have a bigger reach and a bigger
-audience,[^1] choosing them is a short-term, individualist play which signals a
+audience,[^2] choosing them is a short-term, individualist play which signals a
lack of faith in and support for the long-term goals of the FOSS ecosystem as a
whole. The FOSS ecosystem needs your investment. FOSS platforms generally don't
have access to venture capital or large marketing budgets, and are less willing
@@ -56,7 +58,7 @@ need your support to succeed, and you need theirs. Why should someone choose to
use your FOSS project when you refused to choose theirs? Solidarity and mutual
support is the key to success.
-[^1]: Discord appears to inflate its participation numbers compared to other services. It shows all users who have ever joined the server, rather than all users who are actively using the server. Be careful not to optimize for non-participants when choosing your tools.
+[^2]: Discord appears to inflate its participation numbers compared to other services. It shows all users who have ever joined the server, rather than all users who are actively using the server. Be careful not to optimize for non-participants when choosing your tools.
There are great FOSS alternatives to Discord or Slack. SourceHut has been
investing in IRC by building more accessible services like [chat.sr.ht]. Other
@@ -76,7 +78,7 @@ your project and the ecosystem in which it resides? Are you making smart
investments, or just using tools which are popular or that you're already used
to?
-If you use GitHub, consider [SourceHut](https://sourcehut.org)[^2] or
+If you use GitHub, consider [SourceHut](https://sourcehut.org)[^3] or
[Codeberg]. If you use Twitter, consider [Mastodon] instead. If you use YouTube,
try [PeerTube]. If you use Facebook... don't.
@@ -87,4 +89,4 @@ Your choices matter. Choose wisely.
[Mastodon]: https://joinmastodon.org
[PeerTube]: https://joinpeertube.org
-[^2]: Disclaimer: I am the founder of SourceHut.
+[^3]: Disclaimer: I am the founder of SourceHut.
