What is the single worst thing about the API changes? : reddit

this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2023

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What is the single worst thing about the API changes? (self.reddit)

submitted 2 years ago by mookulator to c/[email protected]

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First of all, I post this as someone who is only modestly informed about the whole situation. I’m a casual user who moved here from Reddit mostly because of the blackout and I don’t have a super strong opinion about any of it.

I’m curious to learn though! Part of my curiosity is in the title - what’s the single worst thing the API changes have done (or will do)? Is it that they priced out Apollo? Is there another big third party app that’s getting killed?

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The worst thing about the API changes is the long string of broken promises that got us here.

Reddit said for years that they would provide the tools users needed to moderate their subs (which the mods do for free on their own time). Reddit has failed to do so. Third party devs using the API did that.

Reddit also had years to make their site actually work for people with disabilities. Reddit has failed to do do. Third party devs using the API did that too.

Reddit said that they would not touch the API. Then they changed their mind and announced they'd be charging for it, but they'd work with current devs. Then they announced a price that was totally out of line with what other businesses charge and what was realistic for many apps to pay. With only one month to make those changes before the new pricing went live, despite knowing that many third party apps use a yearly subscription model.

Reddit's CEO said he'd do an AMA to address concerns with the new policy. During that AMA he answered only 14 questions while ignoring the highest-voted questions. He was also caught astroturfing and lying during that AMA.

Reddit said they would not interfere with the ability of redditors to protest the change. Then they threatened to remove entire mod teams if they didn't get back to business as usual and replace them with mods who would run the subs the way Reddit wanted them to.

So, yeah. The API change by itself is doing a lot of devs dirty with an unrealistic price and unrealistic timeframe. But the worst part of it is the heap of broken trust that it sits on top of.

[–] PRUSSIA_x86 4 points 2 years ago

This sums up my feelings pretty well. It's not just that they're pricing out third party apps, it's the slow degradation from the ideal forum hosting website to a money-hungry data mine. I suppose this is something that's been coming for a decade now, ever since Aaron Swartz died.