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I mean, there's always other places in the fediverse to put ur money
ik this isn't what ur asking, but i wanted to put it out there for you to consider
Because they are ok with other instances operating without censorship. Or with different ideological bias. Some people want their safe space. I do consider it generally harmful, but that's how humans are - we want to discuss with like-minded people even if it limits the range of discussion.
On the balance, Lemmy existing is a benefit to humanity. You don't have to talk to developers themselves.
This really just seems like "I want to complain about .ml" with extra steps.
I don't care for them, so I don't go there.
Open source projects will be used for things of which you approve and of which you do not, that is life.
You do realize that the developers of Lemmy (the software) have a very close relationship with lemmy.ml, right?
My question simply relates to whether I can support the software development without supporting lemmy.ml.
My question simply relates to whether I can support the software development without supporting lemmy.ml.
No. You can't support Lemmy without supporting lemmy.ml because the developers use lemmy.ml for testing. They have not created a means for users to separate out their donations from one or the other.
That's why others are suggesting you should just support a different but similar fediverse project like PieFed or Mbin instead.
That's not what your question says though. Your question asks for reasons why you should support the development of Lemmy because you don't like the moderation decisions that the developers make on their instance. That's a different question than "how can I support the software without supporting the people making it." The answer to that is you can't.
As others have said, you can fund your instance if you so choose. You can also try to fund a fork/replacement.
I would answer but I feel like this post is more about you trying to convince others to retire their economical support that any other thing. Or at least it feels like that.
Decision is yours, same as our decisions are ours.
Decision is yours, same as our decisions are ours.
Honestly, I think that is not really helpful.
Why should I convince you for free?
Bear in mind that ActivityPub is so much more than just Lemmy. Mbin and Piefed both exist as alternatives.
If they had developed a centralised bit of software such as Twitter or Reddit you'd have a point. In that case you can't support one without the other.
On a decentralised bit of software you can support the developers and spend your time on an instance they have no control over. So supporting the developers for development is not the same as supporting any particular instance - thats why a lot of instances accept donations too.
Except there is no separation in where the money goes
Not the point. The issue OP has is with the instance .ml - if they are donating to the developers then they're contributing towards development costs which affect both .ml and every other instance. If that's too much of a hurdle for them, maybe they could switch to donating to their instance admin.
There should be a way to donate to development of Lemmy and it not go to ml but there is not that option because just goes to desalines and he clearly spends his time power tripping as mod of ml.
Donating to your instance admin is great but that is not furthering the development of Lemmy, it is ensuring your instance endures.
I have donated to all (my app, my instance as well as others, and lemmy dev) but i am not happy with the fact that last one means i have donated to ml and the issue IS there is currently no way around that. That IS the issue, and is why piefed is growing.
Admins/Mods like db0 do advance lemmy. Maybe not in the fundamental lemmy core but in form of tools.
"that option because just goes to desalines"
Who is the developer of the software. How they choose to develop Lemmy is up to them - you do have a choice though. Support them or don't. What no one who donates has a choice over is how the developers choose to use the development funds they receive.
No more money from me then. Simple as
I paid a couple hundred in the past and done going forward
Just to be real:
Every instance is an example of arbitrary censorship. It's just that .ml is specifically about a kind of censorship you don't like.
All that said, there is no "should". Donations are voluntary, they are not the only way to contribute to the development of the fediverse, and there is already both alternatives and competition, and you could support those instead. I hear Pixelfed is making the rounds.
I hear Pixelfed is making the rounds.
I think you meant Piefed. Pixelfed exists too, but that is more Instagram-style. Piefed feels pretty similar to Lemmy, just written in Python.
I personally like how Mbin integrates with Mastodon. Or at least the idea. I can't figure out how to search up a specific Mastodon user.
Piefex! Pixelfie! Fedfed! I always get them mixed up!!!! I'm Fedfed up with it! XD
Thanks for the notice.
Also interesting note on mbin, I tend to forget it can do that and it has also a lot of other niceties, but I have experimented very little with mbin. ~~My account sits 3 weeks unused~~
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Thank you. People seem perfectly happy with lemmy.world blacklisting lemmy.ml altogether and such because it's censorship that they agree with, people generally only get cranky in the pants about censorship when they agree with the thing being censored.
I understand that, but the Lemmy developers are deeply rooted in .ml. I just wonder whether it makes sense to support that. I am aware that this is FOSS, but there is no transparency as to whether my support actually ends up in the software development or perhaps in .ml, which I do not want to support.
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I mean, you could support piefed development or one of the *bins, instead.
Donate to an individual instance then. Or fork your own, call it Demmings, and see where that takes you.
I already do that. So stop supporting Lemmy developers and only support the instance?
Yes.
This is what I do. I don’t give tankies money but I’m happy to support all the instances I have accounts on.
Prepare for the transition to Piefed.
Please create an account on PieFed if you don't already have one. Let's keep the momentum of more and more users migrating to PieFed. Also help contribute content to other instances so we can reduce .ml influences.
By the way, piefed.blahaj.zone is a thing.
That sounds like a you problem
Is it my fault if a comment I posted is removed by .ml-Mods simply because it states that there can be no justification for terrorism?
Honestly, I can't support that. Do you see it differently?
I want to preface this by saying I am not a fan of how .ml is run either. Tankies run rampant. Their ethical framework to me is wild.
But:
You don’t have to go there. They are their own instance with their own rules, just like tons of other instances with their own rules. You can’t show up and wipe your muddy shoes on their couch just because you don’t like their rules. You know what their rules are, you know you don’t agree philosophically, so don’t fucking go there. You don’t have to. You chose to go there looking for a fight, then you were shown the door, because that kind of behavior is not welcome.
You are not entitled to their consideration, you are not entitled to their time, and you are not entitled to posting on their instance. You seem to be under the (incorrect) impression that they are accountable to you. They are not.
TL;DR: They made their feelings clear to you with a ban, and you are now here throwing a hissy fit.
And before you start going off about how you think I’m a tankie or whatever, I gave this exact same lecture to someone a week ago because they were mad that an instance was hostile to the concept of ownership. An instance that was specifically centered around piracy. They felt entitled to express their option there without consequences but they were not so they acted like a petulant child.
Don’t be that user.
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That's just stupid. I would definitely resort to terror tactics if fighting a stronger enemy, like THE COALESCED FORCES OF WESTERN IMPERIALISM. It's not like you can talk amoral monsters into being good, or like you have the time and resources to develop nuclear bombs and aircraft carriers.
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It's not arbitrary, you're just upset.
You should not continue supporting it if you don't feel that the developers aren't deserving of your money.
Just finished that librapay subscription and reallocated the amount to another FOSS project.
Support piefed instead. It's fine for the Lemmy devs to have their opinions, but if they are going to be assholes about it then they can deal with the fallout. I've been around open source communities long enough to know that this quickly becomes a sunk cost fallacy, and the fediverse will be better off ripping off this bandaid as soon as possible.
Piefed is growing
There is no way to convince a person who is raised in a capitalist system why "arbitrary censorship" is way better than "democracy" where all significant media is capitalist owned. The only difference is that one is honest, the other isnt. If you come to my house, I will absolutely arbitrarily censor you if I dont like what you're saying. Thats called personal freedom.
The "freeze peach" approach is a purely capitalist idea where you supposedly can say anything, even shitting on someone elses table but you have no actual way to change the broken system you're in. Thats how they like you, divided, shitting on those you deem lesser and incapable of organizing.
So no, the people who make lemmy are the people who let you say exactly what you are saying now. From my pov, they deserve huge donations. Does that have to do anything with their instance? Not in my opinion.
But because I like to discuss these things: an instance is your private matter. you can do whatever you like and hear whatever you like. If that means you only say nazi stuff for example, that is your choice. And defunding those who give you actual freedom (before lemmy there was reddit and nothing) while not defunding the police or the state that does the exact opposite (looking at you, USA) is just wild imo.
There is no way to convince a person who is raised in a capitalist system why "arbitrary censorship" is way better than "democracy" where all significant media is capitalist owned.
I was brought up under arbitrary censorship. Democracy where all significant media is capitalist-owned is much better.
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You are supporting the development and technology. That is the great thing about the Fediverse, you go where you want to be, but can reach out to other isolated communities and take the parts that you want and need.
The developers of Lemmy created this specific platform and are improving it. Since Mastodon started, everyone wanted a Reddit replacement, we now have it.
From the Fediverse I have now made life long friends and we have private Matrix chats. Without servers with sepcific communities, I would never have met them.
You do whatever you like
They're building a system that allows you to avoid censorship that you don't like. I'd focus on that part.
Is this a shitlib site?
.world certainly is but .ml is not.
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this post was submitted on 10 Jun 2025
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