@davidgerard
You're right, and it probably needs an asterisk, but is the analogy in the context of explaining how fedi works really harmful? I rarely see it as a basis for self-hosting as something easy to do, but only to explain concepts like ActivityPub to folks without a technical background.

Everybody deals with email, and generally understands what the @ means in an address, so I've seen a number of people "get" it thanks to that, and I can't think of another one that's as universal

@jaawerth mostly that it's a lie on multiple important levels. also that if the fedi was like email, that's actually the feared *failure* mode.

i have repeatedly had email put to me as slam dunk proof that decentralised federation is feasible. but that's a clown assertion.

@jaawerth ah, i didn't realise joinmastodon was the source of the disease

mind you, with mastodon.social liaising with threads.net, maybe they were just telling us

yeah, in common usage it's "but we know cows can be spherical, look at email"

decentralisation is literally always temporary and contingent - because if the word "decentralised" even comes into a discussion, it's because it's a contrast with a centralised common example, and that means you're in a space that naturally centralises.

nobody even says "decentralised" unless there's already centralisation.