Yet another thing that I thought I could volunteer to help out with, but it's Discord only.
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Yet another thing that I thought I could volunteer to help out with, but it's Discord only. Maybe it's time I suck it up and just be willing to use corporate VC trash chat. I will never understand how groups like the #DSA, the #IWW, and various anarchist types, etc. who generally take principled and well thought out stances on things they buy just ignore that analysis for technology.
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@sam DSA uses zoom, discord, and slack but most of the anarchist groups use signal chats & vidcalls. I agree something like zulip might be better for DSA's purposes.
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@sam technology is hard
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@ahelwer I was thinking specifically of a bunch of mutual aid stuff I've tried to help with in the past; it always seemed to just use discord or zoom or what not as well, but yah, I suppose that last one is a broad general category that isn't the same. I vaguely remember knowing about Zulip years ago and using it to study its threading model, but I don't remember it very well or how it was funded, I'll have to take a look, thanks.
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@sam It's a real frustration. When I was in DSA, we'd keep getting techies who'd be excited about using open source tools. Non-techies would agree in principle but balk literally within seconds of seeing an open source tool.
Out of necessity, our chapter switched from Slack to Mattermost, and people were furious about it.
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@foolishowl I mean, I get it, all the open source stuff pretty much sucks if you're used the convenience of a giant corporate solution with hundreds of designers and engineers working on it, but honestly these are people who are *used* to giving stuff up in boycotts and strikes and the like and using the slightly shittier whatever because it was made locally or whatever. Why is technology different? I go around in circles trying to figure it out, and none of the decision makers ever seem to know
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@sam Yeah, exactly. With other folks, I'd blame consumerist training, but it's astonishing with people who actively reject that in other circumstances.
I've wondered if I've just been around computers so long that I'm oblivious to whatever it is they're objecting to.
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@foolishowl @sam Why did you need to move off of Slack? If you don't mind saying.
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@bjmllr @sam We were using Slack for a lot of internal communication, especially after the start of the pandemic. This was using a free tier, with a maximum number of accounts, and we'd hit the limit. Upgrading to the paid tier would have cost an enormous amount of money -- I don't remember how much, but way more than we could afford.
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@foolishowl @sam Thanks. We're still suffering along on the free tier with message limits, I didn't know Slack ever had a free tier with account limits.
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@bjmllr @foolishowl (but also it's just VC garbage and you should switch off it whether or not there are technical problems) </rant>
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@foolishowl @sam It is still suprising how many of socialists tend to shy away and even do the mainstream thing of making fun of folks who use open source software still. What really frustrates me is that many of the same open source tools that are being asked to be used are the basis for many of the closed source products; this whole thing about stealing labor only goes up to a point without pushing for bigger changes.
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@pinskia @foolishowl that's also a really good point that I hadn't considered; I'm going to have to sit with that one for a bit, but it sounds like a much better way of pushing back against choosing eg. Zoom over Big Blue Button or Jitsi or whatever. Thanks.
