this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2023
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Asklemmy
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No. It's a different technology - in the same way that Mastadon is a different technology.
However, Kbin federates with Lemmy - so users can engage in each other's posts.
Kbin does both.
There are communities (they use the word 'magazines') which works very similarly to Reddit. And also, there is a Microblogging feature, which works very similar to Twitter.
It doesn't cost you anything to sign up for, so give it a try.
Personally, I never cared about Twitter-like microblogging - so I'm okay with keeping just a Lemmy account.
This is helpful, thanks.
The main cost is time, to understand the platform and to find community. I created a Kbin account, but I don't see myself having the time to be divided between Kbin and Lemmy so I'm hoping not to have to maintain both.
This gives me hope. So is it basically just a different UI? This is where my understanding of the fediverse breaks down.
Think of it like you're on an iPhone and your friends use an Android.
You don't need the same phone to communicate. Heck, you don't need the same carrier or phone plan. You send a text - and they receive a text. It doesn't matter if you're using iChat and they're on Google Message. It all works.
Kbin and Lemmy is like your phone. The one in your hand. It's your hub.
Kbin isn't just a different UI. It's a different piece technology. However, there are protocols that allow an information exchange with Lemmy. So you can view it all from one hub. Whether that hub is Lemmy or Kbin is totally your preference.
Maybe another example...
Imagine you have a PlayStation and your friend has an XBox. Imagine you can cross-platform play games online together. It all works seamlessly and it doesn't matter if you're playing on a PlayStation Controller or XBox Controller. There might be a few cosmetic differences, but at the end of the day - they're the same game and you're in the same arena.
Now imagine if your PlayStation can cross-play with a Nintendo Switch, and the XBox can cross-play with a PC.
However, PC and Switch do not cross-play.
That's kind of how the Federation works. Different 'hubs' can pick and chose which other 'hubs' they talk to. For various reasons. Maybe PC Gamers are too aggressive for Switch Gamers, because Switch Gamers are mostly families.
In the same way, there are instances of Lemmy or other federation websites that you won't access in your hub because they don't want to share.
This is one of the best explanations I've seen. Thank you.
Slightly off-topic, but your example actually helps lessen my concern with what I understood about "defederating."
I almost "noped" on using Lemmy because I saw defederating as removing the choice from me as an individual. Instance admins can, at any time, remove my option to engage with users in another instance. Welcome to the echo chamber.
But your example helps me see defederation in a slightly different light. I still get why it's called "the nuclear option," but it's maybe more like "We don't talk to Nazis, even if they don't bring up white supremacy while discussing beekeeping."
So while I still don't think the decision to defederate by Beehaw makes sense, I do have less concern about defederating as a concept. (Although I still want the ability to transfer my posts and comments to a different instance, should my instance admin make a decision I disagree with.)
Thanks again!
So, 'to defederate' means a server made an choice not to communicate with another.
For example, if an instance turns into a cesspool for hate groups - then admins of Kbin or Lemmy.World or even Mastadon can chose to block that instance and all their users. They are 'defederated from...' the standard instances.
If every major Federation platfrom does this to one instance, they are essentially 'cut off'.
My best understanding is that Beehaw made a temporary choice to defederate from lemmy.world because world allows open registration. Beehaw administrators want to create a uniquely 'positive' online experience and that's difficult to do when you have a limited mod team and tens of thousands of users from a very open instance pop in. Beehaw's plan (if not already) is to refederate when they get more mods.
The whole point is to have choice. Like the gaming example in my previous comment, there may be people you can't access in the Federation because they're not open to you. Like Nintendo Switch and XBox gamers not cross-playing.
But you're always welcome to create a second or third account in other instances to get a bigger range of connections. The iOS app betas that exist for Lemmy allow or easy account-switching for this very reason.
Well, it does mean your Lemmy presence is split into yet-another account. I must say, it's quite annoying to keep creating accounts while you're "shopping around" different instances.