Let me try this another way…

I have 35 gigs of storage. I have 5 users. Each user gets 7 gigs. If a user doesn’t use any of the 7 gigs, that means I’m paying for that person to not use the space given to them. That space could be used by someone who is looking to put good content on the Fedi. I can’t give a new person that space unless I remove the original user.

Now, if you’re asking a different question, like why I don’t allow accounts that don’t post video and just use it to subscribe and comment, there are two reasons for that…

Most instances don’t for the same reason I don’t. It creates more work for the admin. They could be using it as a bad actor and create problems for other instances. That’s why in my terms I tell people to use their Mastodon accounts to comment and subscribe.

People can use other ActivityPub services to comment and subscribe. There’s no need for a PeerTube account to do that.

To restate, the reasons are “storage restrictions” and “it’s a hassle and not necessary.” If you want to call that “I don’t want to” then fine, that’s what it is. 🤷‍

Because I only give a certain amount of storage per user. If the user isn’t using that storage, then I could give it to someone else who would. But I can’t because that storage is allotted for that user unless I remove them.

Also, it stated clearly in my terms that all accounts are for people making videos.

In my Terms it states “Accounts are for users who intend to upload video content to enrich the federated internet. For Commenting and subscriptions please use another activityPub platform such as mastodon and remote subscribe/comment instead but you are welcome to bookmark this instance for general use.”

In other words, if you have an account with me, it’s for making videos.

I can’t find this option at all. I don’t even see a >Configuration > “Basic” section. Is it a new thing in 8.0?

Lots of people create videos without the desire for immediate income. In fact, that’s what fueled YouTube in the early days. People just wanted to be appreciated for their efforts and their art. Monetization became a thing on the platform about two years after it was created, and even then, most people couldn’t get monetized. What you see now is years of trial and error on YouTube’s part to make as much money as they possibly can, and they’re doing a great job of that.

But that’s not PeerTubes goal and it never will be. People can make money from PeerTube through a direct relationship with their audience. Just like how instances all over the Fediverse stay active because of donations from people who want to continue to use the service, so too can PeerTube channel owners.

So no, I don’t think money is the problem. I think “the problem” is mostly people expecting PeerTube to be a YouTube clone. It’s not and it never will be. It’s like complaining that your bicycle can’t do everything that you car can do even though they are both modes of transportation and have wheels.

I think part of the problem is that you are doing what a lot of people naturally, but mistakenly, do. Compare it to YouTube.

PeerTube isn’t trying to be YouTube. The only thing they have in common, is showing videos. That’s it.

YouTube is a commercialized and corporate owned video aggregator that takes their users, changes them into commodities, and then monetizes the content from it’s creators who are forced to follow the dictates of an algorithm if they wish to get a fraction of the value that they’ve put in.

PeerTube is a decentralized and federated video aggregator that is owned by the people. The users remain users and there is no monetization or algorithm which forces a user to follow. Any monetary compensation is strictly between the user and their audience.

The problem you’re talking about isn’t a problem with PeerTube, it’s a problem with norms set by corporate entities. People hate to learn new ways of doing things. PeerTube isn’t that hard to use once you understand the basics and how it integrates into the Fediverse. There’s a reason that most PeerTube instances don’t accept registrations from people who aren’t creating videos. Aside from cutting down on spam and bad actors, there’s really no need for it. Want to find a video? Do a Mastodon (or other Fedi service) search for the appropriate title or hashtag. Then you can follow the creator and get notifications. You can even comment and like and boost.

In other words, no one needs a PeerTube account unless they are making videos.

But that isn’t the norm. YouTube is the norm and people mistakenly expect a YouTube like service. So when they see that things are different, their brain short circuits.

But unlike a lot of people, I don’t see this as a problem. I think it’s a feature.

The fact that it forces people to learn a new non corporate lead way of doing things opens up a world of benefits that non Fedi people can’t even imagine. Choice? Control? They have no real understanding of what those things really are. And because they aren’t willing to learn something new, they get upset and don’t bother trying. Which is fine with me. Because it means every instance is filled with people who were willing to break out of the mold and learn something new. THAT’S a feature.

So yes, while PeerTube isn’t perfect and still has bugs to work out, it’s fairly good at what it’s supposed to do. Which is to serve videos to the Fedi and not just PeerTube. Anything else you want it to do or be, is based on your own biases that you most likely picked up from corporate owned services.

Thank you for the kind words. I hope so too!