this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2023
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Sync for Lemmy

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[โ€“] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

While I am strongly in favor of this, I suspect going fully open source might be 'too much, too soon' for ljdawson, as I'm not sure how used they are to open source practices.

As a gentler stepping stone that doesn't feel like giving all control away, I would suggest sharing the source code under the PolyForm Noncommercial license: https://polyformproject.org/licenses/noncommercial/1.0.0/

In other words, a 'shared-source' license that makes the code available for review, contributions and even copying, but disallows unauthorized commercial use. This provides a middle road between the fully proprietary protections Sync is used to, and the new open landscape of Lemmy & friends that it is venturing into.

For Redditors coming here who are unfamiliar with open source, here's a comprehensive introduction for those who care to find out: https://blog.erlend.sh/open-source-explained

In short, it is an essential antidote to enshittification.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Is there a simple explanation of what Sync does that's so great, that e.g. RedReader doesn't do, and that isn't fairly straightforward for someone else to add to RedReader if it's missing?

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

The simplest way is to download it for yourself and compare. For me, the layout, font sizing, navigation, and features gave me exactly the Reddit experience I wanted. I bounced back and forth between it and like 8 other apps and always went back to Sync because nothing felt more comfortable.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

It's just the whole LaF. You can still see for yourself with the free version.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've tried RedReader when the Sync shutdown was announced, the UI is clunky and feels very dated. Sync is the best overall app I have ever used, and it's consistently gotten better over time, and at times when I thought improvements were simply no longer possible. It's that good.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Interesting, thanks. I believe I have old fashioned tastes in interfaces so maybe that's why I like Redreader. A quick youtube search shows several videos about Sync for Reddit, so maybe I will watch a few of them to see what I've been missing. I have some slight interest in Android programming, so maybe enhancing RedReader can give me something to play with.

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I feel like the best of both worlds would be to open up the Lemmy interaction code, so it can stay in sync (ha!) with the fast moving development of the fediverse (and maybe allow for community-developed kbin support or whatever else down the line), while keeping the UI and whatnot proprietary (as that's the real secret sauce of an app like Sync, and I imagine there would be code shared between Sync for Reddit and Sync for Lemmy)

Of course it's LJ's decision, but this is just my 2 cents.

[โ€“] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Modular. Open the lemmy interaction module as you said, allow people to easily create shims for the likes of kbin or anything similar like that.

Ill support whatever LJ decides to do, he's proved he's more than capable with what he produced in sync.

Open source is cool as fuck though

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

That's unlikely, seeing that Sync for Reddit is not.

[โ€“] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I mentioned elsewhere but Lemmy should implement the Reddit API so we can use RedReader on it. I don't understand what is so great about Sync. I thought the idea of Lemmy was to be CEO-proof, to use someone's term from another thread. That fails if people rely on a closed source program to access it.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I mentioned elsewhere but Lemmy should implement the Reddit API so we can use RedReader on it.

You may want to look into https://github.com/derivator/tafkars.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

The trailing period on your link breaks it, just a heads up.

[โ€“] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[โ€“] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I'm unfamiliar with Sync so I don't know why anyone thinks it is something that Lemmy needs. Maybe it is and I'm missing something. I used RedReader when I was still on reddit and it is a FOSS program. I have the impression it is comparable to Sync, but maybe I'm missing something.

The Lemmy software is all free. The people posting here aren't getting paid. It's all community work. So I don't see how Sync is somehow special and in need of being the unique piece of the infrastructure that has to make a profit.

It could be that Lemmy simply isn't that hot a business opportunity for Sync's developer. If so, that is perfectly ok--I'm sure he has plenty of other attrative options.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

If you don't like that Sync is closed source you are free to use any other Lemmy app that is FOSS ๐Ÿคท

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I've used a lot of Reddit apps. Slide, Red Reader, Infinity, Stealth, Joey, Boost, Reddit is Fun, Sync, etc.

And I preferred the paid apps over the FOSS ones with the better filtering options it had and UI and display customization I preferred. It's preference at the end of the day. FOSS options were available yet people chose to pay, so there was something people preferred about them enough to pay.

FOSS apps will be there anyways and be not affected.

[โ€“] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I do how @ljdawson will make it open source.

For Reddit he have been on and off with updates and maintenance, with long periods of inactivity.

[โ€“] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

Highly doubt that, it's a paid app, and if the code is open, everybody could just compile a clone and be done with it.

Yes, that means that we are limited to that one developer, but as much as I love FOSS, with this app, I'm perfectly on board.

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