WTH is this shit?!
edit: for those wondering, the setting can be found under Settings -> Privacy -> GDPR for the EU version only I think
this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2023
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Sync for Lemmy
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Sync was always an ad supported app with ways to remove them.
I'm not sure why anyone would expect that to change.
I get it, the idea of ads on an app accessing an ad-free, and generally anti capitalist network like lemmy is dissonant. But the truth is that I'd rather have ads in apps than have developers not getting paid for their work.
You gotta realize, it is a time intensive thing. If someone is working on a lemmy app in their spare time, that means development is going to be slow as hell. If they're getting enough income to do it full time (or even part time but dedicated), then we have access to a stable, well supported app.
Google has fucked over developers in how they can monetize. They can't do iterative sales the way software used to work, where you'd buy a program and any major new versions were a new purchase. They're limited in how many versions they can have in the play store, so they can't have tiers at various price points.
Google wants their cut, and that's all they really care about. They get the biggest flow from subscriptions and ads. So they try and channel developers into those streams. It's a long standing problem.
Thia is one of those things where you can't hate the player, you gotta hate the game.
As long as people can remove the trackers and not have their data sold by paying upfront, instead of having to pay AND part with your privacy then I don't think there is any problem with this. Especially because of the FOSS community's general attitude of 'Is it really open-source if the dev doesn't have to do borderline illegal labor in China to survive?' sucks
Fuck you Spez
Sorry, involuntary response
Like a reflex?
Fully agree there!
People still sell software the traditional way, especially B2B. I don't like your argument because it assumes someone needs to be paid, community efforts benefit the community and there are plenty of people who just want to make use of their technology on their own terms. They can put ads in this that's their choice, but even adfree if tracking is bundled in it can't be said to be ethical. The community excitement does baffle me a bit, respectfully.
I mean, you don't have to like the way things are. But pretending that aren't that way is pointless.
I dunno, were you a reddit user? If not, I don't think you'd understand that this particular app was top of the pile, and Dawson was begged to port it for lemmy. Those of us doing that begging, or encouraging him to do so all knew that the app was ad supported with payment options. We all voiced willingness to not only use the app, but to pony up the costs.
Third party apps are were the default way to access reddit for over a decade. Losing them, and then having to migrate to a new place is daunting. Having a familiar app with a superb interface takea away part of the emotional side of losing reddit. That may seem silly, but that's why everyone is so hyped.
Now, the tracking part sucks, but that's Google, not Dawson. Admob is utter shit in that regard. It's why I block anything and everything related to it. But the way to address that is to focus on that, not blaming Dawson for being stuck in capitalism. We all gotta pay the bills, and his training as a developer is how he does that. There's already a subscription to remove ads, ways to modify the apk to remove trackers, ad/tracker blockers, and Dawson is a very responsive guy. One of the easiest devs to communicate with overall.
How would you prefer he monetize?
Ultimately I'd prefer he didn't, as it's reinforcing the race to the bottom you refer to above. Yes google caused it, yes we choose to participate. I am also a developer and pushed out apps without ad support in business contexts, admittedly niche, but basically a single person should not be able to monetize at this level and for just their own gain. We lose a lot compared to any short term benefit. Yes I'm talking ideals, I want people to focus more on ideals generally and less on growth and monetization.
I completely understand, respect, and share your ideals however our current global circumstances are not favorable at all for those ideals. We can and will slowly change that, I'm sure of it, but at the same time people deserve to get paid for their work.