Seems like an interesting effort. A developer is building an alternative Java-based backend to Lemmy's Rust-based one, with the goal of building in a handful of different features. The dev is looking at using this compatibility to migrate their instance over to the new platform, while allowing the community to use their apps of choice.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

I think the people who say this and think Rust is the second coming of Jesus, just don't code. You choose the right language that's needed for the job. Server stuff like this is Java's bread and butter. As amazing as Rust is, it has proven to not be a great choice for Lemmy's development.

[–] hansl 12 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I’m curious why you say Rust “ has proven “ to not be a great choice. There is a lack of Rust programmers, but its been the fastest growing community on GitHub for multiple years now, and has proven to be viable at all level of the stack.

Full disclaimer: I code and work in Rust daily on the backend and frontend.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Full disclaimer: I code and work in Rust daily on the backend and frontend.

Would you and your colleagues be interested in contributing to Lemmy's codebase? I'm genuinely asking, I'm still surprised by the low number of contributors for a project that has 40k active monthly users

[–] hansl 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I barely have time to contribute to fix bugs in the dependencies I use. If I had more time for OSS contributions I might, but I’m not in my 20s anymore and when I’m not at work I’m taking care of my family.

My colleagues and friends are free to do as they please.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

I guess that's the same for most of the userbase. Which is probably why switching to a more spread language could increase the number of contributors.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Not to mention a lot of massive companies also use it at every part of the stack, Rust is good at it all and it is beautifully and perfectly suited for tasks like these.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It certainly sounds more likely that you "just don't code".