Re:Please don't use Slack for FOSS projects
by acdha on Monday February 01, 2016 @03:01PM
(#11014932)
I've been using free software for a couple decades. I get why it's valuable but having watched what is and is not adopted really underscores if we want people to use OSS we need to offer a competitive experience. Years of cajoling people did not get them to use Linux because the desktop experience sucked. Years of advocacy did not get them to adopt Mozilla in great numbers but people did respond when Phoenix/Firefox focused on UX and was actively improving during Internet Explorer's great stagnation.
Anyone who wants to avoid the possibility of lock-in using Slack should be laser-focused on making IRC competitive rather than trying to convince people that poor UX is just the price of freedom.
Microsoft has made billions locking people up in the name of convenience.
You can have these things if you care or you can use its simplest form. Don't want to use a bouncer? Use a web client.
People keep repeating OSS. But now OSS is more about having being recognized than really believing in it. Using closed source software is one point.
I'm no radical, I use a Mac and I shed a tear every time I have to use Lightroom because I haven't find the drive to move to Darktable or Sublime instead of Atom.