Conversation

Notices

1. Drew DeVault (sir@cmpwn.com)'s status on Saturday, 18-Apr-2020 21:47:20 EDT Drew DeVault

   Many times, I've seen arguments made like this: "I'd try Mastodon, but I already have Twitter followers", or "I'd like to use OSM, but Google Maps has better data for my city", or, in my case, "I'd like to use sr.ht, but GitHub has better discoverability".

   Platforms for which popularity improves the utility of the service are skewed in favor of the incumbents. New platforms face a chicken-and-egg problem. You have to decide - will you help it, or exacerbate it? Those are the only two choices you have.

   Don't let that cool new platform die in obscurity while you wait for it to become popular.

   1. mangeurdenuage (mangeurdenuage@loadaverage.org)'s status on Saturday, 18-Apr-2020 23:12:16 EDT mangeurdenuage

      in reply to
      Most computer users don't reason like that, they just look the finality for themselves.
      Is the new proposed software as easy to use/as a similar interface ?
      Does the new proposed software has the same function as the precedent software ?
      If you don't have these two most computer users won't even migrate because they lack about any knowledge or even conceptual knowledge to do adapt to a software.
      This isn't new by itself it exist with any kind of tool.
      
      Here's an example with my father.
      He has been using is smartphone more often since the quarantine, and the new version of android that updated removed support for usb ethernet (we don't have wireless connection here), now he's at the limit of his available data. I don't have time to explore his android computer to re-enable or compile a rom so I told him to use his computer laptop since most of his activities is browsing facebook and looking at his emails.
      And he doesn't because to him it is less practical, which is insane when you know how to use a keyboard.
      
      Same thing with GPS, OSM is even more precise than google map in france, and he doesn't want to change to it. Why ? because the interface differs and because OSM doesn't have the 360° street view picture system.
      
      Same for a customer who worked with outlook for 15 years and couldn't adapt to thunderbird after three weeks.
      There are even more insane stories like this.
      These people like my dad are trapped in a malicious usage of software because their are indirectly taught (self-taught) by corporations to use their computers as such.