Or why Lemmy is too much like hard work

The sole admin of the first instance I joined (which isn’t small) has gone missing. So it’s been defederated by some other instances. Then re-federated by some of them.

So about six weeks ago I made an account with instance two, which seems to be well run BUT updates to the latest version so it doesn’t work with any of the third party apps I use.

Which wouldn’t be an issue except the Lemmy web UI works horribly on mobile. There’s a PWA but that hasn’t been updated and won’t now authenticate.

So I joined a third instance but that seems to have completely disappeared without warning.

I’d join Lemmy.world but it has regular resource issues and downtime. Plus moderation issues.

App 1 hasn’t seen any development for over three months and now barely functions.

App 2 which is apparently the second most popular app now only receives emergency fixes when it won’t work at all

Apps 3 and 4 throw authentication errors on any instance running above 0.18.4 because the developers are re-thinking.

As a user it’s almost enough to send me to Reddit.

  • Blaze@discuss.tchncs.de
    60·
    1 year ago

    It seems you were unlucky with your instances, sorry to hear that.

    You are currently on feddit.uk, which is indeed managed by a single person.

    I always recommend to go for instances with at least two admins, for this kind of issues.

    https://lemm.ee/, https://sh.itjust.works/ https://discuss.tchncs.de/ are solid choices.

    Which are those apps? Boost, Sync, Thunder, Liftoff, Connect, Avalon and Voyager all work pretty well.

    The authentication error is probably due to the release of 18.5 yesterday, should be fixed quickly.

    All of those are growing pains. If you don’t want to deal with those, you don’t have too, just take a break from Lemmy. People should be free to let go of platforms at any time, and come back after a while if they feel like it.

    Edit: Also, you can use https://github.com/CMahaff/lasim to move accounts

    • Otter@lemmy.caEnglish
      93·
      1 year ago

      Yep, agree with all of the above. On the last point, a big point of the Fediverse is to prevent one platform from locking you in. Totally feel free to take a break, go back to Reddit, or try out something else.

      I’m personally using Boost/Connect on mobile, regular UI on web, and lemmy.ca for my instance. I haven’t encountered any disruptions, but I get how it would be frustrating. Lemmy needs more time to mature, and it’s totally fine to come back later, or even join a different Fediverse platform to get the same content (again, later once federation issues are resolved).

      For what it’s worth, I still check a select few Subreddits on Reddit (moderation, local communities & niche interests). I don’t post/comment/upvote there, and haven’t felt the need to, but I still read it to pass the time.

      • Blaze@discuss.tchncs.de
        2·
        1 year ago

        I still read it to pass the time.

        I guess most of us do. When I really want to get into a rabbit hole, Reddit content is hard to beat. Hopefully with time Lemmy will become the same, but in the meantime, Reddit is still the one for that specific use case.

    • FelipeFelop@feddit.ukOPEnglish
      213·
      1 year ago

      None of those apps cope with the changes. Which were introduced about three weeks ago in beta so plenty of time to update.

      Liftoff hasn’t had an update in three months and doesn’t work properly with anything above 0.18.3 and get worse as the version number increases.

      • ribboo@lemm.eeEnglish
        4·
        1 year ago

        Avalon works fine for me, and was updated just a couple of days ago. Voyager works good as well, though not as frequently updated lately.

      • maaj@lemmy.ca
        52·
        1 year ago

        Liftoff is working perfectly fine for me. I’d also suggest joining lemmy.ca and using the Jeroba app. Cheers.

        • FelipeFelop@feddit.ukOPEnglish
          21·
          1 year ago

          Check the liftoff developers chat. They know it isn’t working properly but have had PRs failing.

            • FelipeFelop@feddit.ukOPEnglish
              11·
              1 year ago

              That also needs updating. According to a post on Lemmy.ml all apps will need updating for 0.19 Some changes are also in 0.18.5 so most apps will need an update to work properly. (you might not be able to Login but if you’re already logged in you’ll see your feed but not the list of communities. The app will have needed to test against 0.18.4b8 or higher)

              • russjr08@outpost.zeuslink.netEnglish
                3·
                1 year ago

                Not sure where the information about 0.18.5 having breaking changes came from. The 0.18.5 release is just the federated deletion fix that was cherry-picked in.

                0.19 will definitely have breaking changes though, yes. In the admin matrix group there were quite a few people talking about accidentally leaving their instances on the latest docker tag which includes all of those breaking changes and no way to downgrade due to the DB structure changes. Maybe you’re hearing about it from them?

                I updated my instance to 0.18.5 yesterday and have no problems with any of the apps. Re-logged into Thunder and can see my communities just fine.

                • FelipeFelop@feddit.ukOPEnglish
                  11·
                  1 year ago

                  I’ve been told that 0.18.5 includes the changes from 0.18.4b8 that caused the last round of issues with some apps needing to be updated (eg Voyager) For example, Liftoff didn’t update so will have issues with 0.18.5

                  According to development chat they can test against it on a test instance but PRs are failing.

  • darkdemize@sh.itjust.works
    607·
    1 year ago

    Reading your replies, it seems like you’ve already made up your mind about Lemmy, and don’t actually want a discussion.

    It’s not our job to try and convince you to stay. Go back to Reddit and enjoy it, but don’t complain here when the user experience continues to get worse.

    Bye.

      • darkdemize@sh.itjust.works
        3·
        1 year ago

        It wasn’t meant to help anyone. Asking for a discussion and discounting everyone’s suggestions doesn’t help anyone either.

        Like I said, it’s not my job, nor any other Lemmy user’s job, to convince anyone to stay on this platform. If it’s not for you, it’s not for you.

  • AcornCarnage@lemmy.world
    28·
    1 year ago

    Just a few thoughts…

    • Lemmy isn’t ready for primetime. It isn’t meant to be at this point. It’s very much a work in progress and for a lot of us, seeing the progress is part of the fun in being here.

    • Yeah, lemmy.world had some issues, but things have been pretty stable for me for a few weeks now.

    • I’m on Eternity, and no issues so far. But I’ll keep an eye out when lemmy.world updates to 0.18.5. Again, this is part of the progress. Sometimes shit breaks. If that’s a deal breaker for you, it’s totally understandable.

    • I guess ultimately, it’s just about what you’re comfortable with. If you aren’t interested in dealing with the issues that come along with early adoption, just move on. It’s okay. For me, I’ve been breaking and fixing computers for almost 40 years. It can be a bummer when something doesn’t work, but there are so many people freely giving their time and efforts to fix things that I can’t really be mad about it. I know how it goes and that things will get fixed.

  • andrewta@lemmy.world
    21·
    1 year ago

    Lemmy.world basically runs fine. There isn’t much down time at this point.

    Voyager works very well. Haven’t had any real issues.

  • Hanabie@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    212·
    1 year ago

    On sh.itjust.works, shit just works.

    As for apps, I’m using Liftoff, which works well, but hasn’t seen an update for a while, and I don’t know how active the dev is. I’d rather not use Jerboa, which has been created by tankies, or any of the ad-infested ones, like Boost, because I think it’s despicable to try and profit off of user-generated content on a platform that’s meant to be free (could have stayed on Reddit if I wanted that).

    • wasted_in_time@lemmy.world
      51·
      1 year ago

      Literally paid for Boost right before I read this comment. That’s just funny.

      I used Boost on Reddit and enjoyed it, so I had no issue paying for the app. So far so good.

  • ohmyiv@lemmy.world
    181·
    1 year ago

    Maybe you should quit lemmy? It just sounds like you’re tired of it. It’s cool, not everyone likes lemmy. Take a break. Go check out some other sites. Come back later after lemmy and the apps develop more and try again. No need for dramatic posts. No one’s gonna mind.

    • FelipeFelop@feddit.ukOPEnglish
      17·
      1 year ago

      I like Lemmy, what I don’t like is the haphazard time consuming way it works.

      • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
        81·
        1 year ago

        I think you might have an addiction issue if you can’t live with having troubles for a couple of hours/days every now and then.

        Or you’re fixating on issues that will end up not affecting you unless you’re an admin/mod/power user, in which case I don’t think you would be here complaining, you would be over there trying to fix shit (and I just checked and you’re neither of those, 137 comments in 4 months, not a mod of anything, not using your own instance).

        Posted from SJW using Jerboa, I haven’t had any issues in months 🤷

  • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
    183·
    1 year ago

    youre expecting a mature product based on your experiences with mature products.

    reddit was never as feature rich at this stage of development… the fediverse development process is on hyperspeed compared to other similar products spending the last decades getting their shit together.

    this isnt the place for consumer-only end users who demand a perfect product. it is the cutting edge, for those who dont mind a little blood.

    my suggestion, go back to reddit. dont let the door hit ya on the way out.

  • JdW@lemmy.world
    9·
    1 year ago

    If you feel happy with the current state of reddit you should be there. I could not stomach it anymore so I’m at the next best alternative, that has all the potential. You need to take the sour with the sweet in all new ventures. But if that’s not for you just go just go where you feel fine, nobody is making you stay or is invested in having people stick around that do not feel they want to be here.

  • Phegan@lemmy.world
    9·
    1 year ago

    Lemmy.world seems to have resolved the downtime issues and I. Using sync with no issues.

  • Blizzard@lemmy.zipEnglish
    7·
    1 year ago

    Can’t relate to your issues. If you join lemmy.zip and use Sync or Boost you shouldn’t have any issues (I haven’t).

    • Polar@lemmy.ca
      6·
      1 year ago

      I’d advise against joining any .zip or .mov instances, as many businesses ban those TLDs for security reasons.

      I even have them banned at home so my girlfriend who works from home sometimes doesn’t get tricked.

    • FelipeFelop@feddit.ukOPEnglish
      25·
      1 year ago

      Sync is not compatible (until it’s updated) as more instances roll out newer versions you’ll get authentication errors.

  • ConstipatedWatson@lemmy.world
    5·
    1 year ago

    I’ve been on Lemmy.World for a couple of months and I’ve been enjoying it. I’ve switched between 5 apps. Now I’m mostly on Eternity and I’m enjoying it. The whole experience for me feels like the first few times I was trying Linux out and wasn’t sure what distribution would be for me at the time. It’s true Lemmy.World has downtimes, but I am having a good experience so far. I find I’m less and less on Reddit.

    It’s great you gave it several go’s. If it’s not for you now, try again in a while. Apps and instances will get better, they already have

    Good luck!