Michael Downey 🧢May 1, 2023

So @Gargron be like:

"Decentralization is a big part of Mastodon’s DNA and is at the forefront of our mission. You may be asking, how a default server option furthers decentralization."

... literally no one is asking that, because it is literally the opposite of decentralization.

This is the price we pay for having an #OpenSource project with a BDFL.

  #FindABetterMobileApp #LiveYourValues #DontSellOut #Mastodon

https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2023/05/a-new-onboarding-experience-on-mastodon/

A new onboarding experience on Mastodon

Today we’re making signing up on Mastodon easier than ever before. We understand that deciding which Mastodon service provider to kick off your experience with can be confusing. We know this is a completely new concept for many people, since traditionally the platform and the service provider are one and the same. This choice is what makes Mastodon different from existing social networks, but it also presents a unique onboarding challenge. To make this step easier, we now have a default sign-up option that works with a server we operate. If you wish to leave or join a different server, you can do so at any time.

Mastodon Blog
Show threadJonah Aragon 

@downey what I don't understand about @Gargron's decision most is: He already curates a list of Mastodon servers, including general-purpose ones. He could have just randomized which general instance is displayed if he cared that much about eliminating server choice, while at least promoting a modicum of decentralization.

e.g. give the people a button to shuffle through domains until they find one that sounds neat lol

May 1, 2023 at 4:20pmWeb
Show threadMichael Downey 🧢May 1, 2023

@jonah

💯 A "roll the dice" 🎲 or "choose another" 🔄 kind of option like you've shown here (along with a "view more options") would reinforce home the message of decentralization everyone else in the ecosystem cares so much about.

The alternative being "Pick my own server" instead of "Choose a different server" seems to have deliberately been wordsmithed to make it sound more complex and more work than it is. Users don't need "their own" server.

These changes are not the way.

🤦‍♂️