this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2023
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Boost For Lemmy

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This is not ok (lemmy.ml)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 

Saw this today and now I'm reconsidering if Boost is right for me. I'm really hoping this is shitty boiler plate that was accidentally copied and over looked because that is some bullshit to say "unless we decide we want to use your personal data for whatever we want".

I know "legitimate interest" is a phrase from the cookies law but there is no legitimate interest justification for this. My data is my data and I decide who has a legitimate interest in it so advertisers can fuck off, as can Boost if this the direction it's going.


Edit to say this blew up. I didn't realise I was kicking as big a hornet's nest and haven't read all the comments yet.

To be clear, what I don't like about this and other provisions in the terms is the language and implications around data use. I've no problem with ads being shown - I want developers to get paid for the work they do and that makes it possible for users to have "free" access to software if they can't afford to purchase.

I also want to add the response from Boost's dev below to make sure it's visible. You'll see that it is boilerplate but required by Google and was present in Boost for reddit. I just hadn't seen it because I purchased it immediately based on a recommendation. It doesn't make me happy about it but does remove some doubts I was having about the direction Boost is heading.

I will be purchasing the app to support the dev because I do like Boost but I understand not everyone can afford everything so you'll see some other suggestions in the comments below that don't have any ads if you're not happy with the free version and ads with their associated loss of data privacy.


Dev here.

The dialog and its content is not created by me, it is a standard solution from Google to comply with GDPR and other laws. More info here: https://support.google.com/admob/answer/10114014?hl=en

The consent dialog is also required by Google AdMob to show ads, and it is shown when the ad network is initialized.

When the app launches, first it checks for the remove ads purchase, and if it is not present, it will initialize the ads sdk. The ad network is not initialized if the remove ads purchase is detected.

Boost for Reddit was using the very same ad networks and consent dialog.

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[–] [email protected] 82 points 11 months ago (32 children)

With the hate here, even after you explained, I am starting to think these FOSS heads are going to kill Lemmy.

Instead of just using any other app, they are attacking you. What a great way to push any future devs away. Lemmy will continue to be a weird little FOSS niche if the FOSS users don't stop soiling their diapers over nothing.

[–] [email protected] 72 points 11 months ago (2 children)

It's honestly a huge turn off to Lemmy writ large. Look at what happened when Dawson released Sync.

A few weeks ago someone posted to c/techsupport with an issue with their Office install. Every. Single. Comment. was "uSe LiBrEoFfIcE” or something to that effect, some going as far as to insult the OP for asking a tech support question in the tech support forum, because MiCrOsOfT bAaAaAd.

I was the only one to offer a real solution. If I were that OP, I wouldn't come back to Lemmy.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 11 months ago (33 children)

Damn, that's really frustrating, and literally doesn't help one bit. Even if OP wanted to switch.

I use LibreOffice because I keep spreadsheets of my vehicle kilometres and whatnot, but my girlfriend, who works in a professional setting, would never be able to use anything other than Microsoft Office. The compatibility, features, etc. make nothing else a viable alternative, unless you're keeping stupid at home spreadsheets like I am.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

We're gonna start banning these gatekeepers. First from communities they don't behave in and if they keep it up they get a nice permaban.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Glad to hear, thank you for this!

[–] [email protected] 51 points 11 months ago (5 children)

I am starting to think these FOSS heads are going to kill Lemmy.

The "FOSS heads" are the only reason why Lemmy exists at all.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago

I have been using nothing but Linux for the last decade (literally, Arch for years and now Nix) and I'm increasingly growing to hate how so many OSS communities are bordering on zealotry.

I've completely unsubbed from most Android communities now too because they're all such toxic, hostile places to be if you have the sheer audacity to use anything proprietary or closed source.

I've been around this block. I've been both using and contributing to open source projects, some small, some large. I'm proud of what open source developers have achieved and am humbled by most of them. But the users...the users are starting to get really annoying.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

How dare those supporters of open source software support open source software (Lemmy)!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

To steel-man this argument, it's really "Free software supporters are too hostile and demanding, and they'll scare off developers."

I have seen no evidence of this happening. Instead, there's a huge number of Lemmy clients, both open and closed source. I have at least half a dozen installed on my phone, and that's not even all of them! Compare that to the number of Mastodon clients.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Great. Let me know how many are still around in a year when people realize they're working for free, and can't keep doing it.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Mods on Reddit work for free, and have worked for free, for over a decade. They're still working for free. Same with admins on Lemmy. Not everything is profit-driven.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

You're implying two things: 1) They don't realize that they're working for free now (lol), and 2) They won't be able to keep doing it (for some unknown reason).

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Cool, do you want it to be a FOSS only place even in comments?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Okay, well have fun when you push everyone else away. Lemmy will look like the Ubuntu forums lol.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

And without the users it doesn’t matter which app you use. So let people have their fun, let people make their own choices and maybe in your eyes - mistakes.

The developer of this app is well within his rights to be paid for his time developing this app. Don’t like ads, either pay or move on.

Indirectly he is still helping you and the communities you subscribed to by getting users on-board and bringing more people in touch with Lemmy and FOSS. Gatekeeping isn’t helping anyone.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Lemmy is full of people that just want to scream about what they believe everywhere. The entire website has this coat of political speak that isn't helping attract people that just want to talk about games or look at memes.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 months ago (1 children)

You pretty much just described today's Internet

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

100% now that it's easy to comment and make blogs etc so easy everyone now thinks their opinion matters because they can put it on the net.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yea, it is definitely a turn off. A lot of people on lemmy are not just passionate about what they believe, they are basically evangelical about it to the point that they seem like they need to not only convince everyone how right they are, but be assholes to anyone who disagrees. Whether it's political, or about software, or whatever.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

To be honest, that sounds a whole lot like reddit, too.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

True, reddit though does at least seem to have a lot more active niche communities you can go to with active moderation (sometimes too much though) so it's easy to at least get plenty of content without having to deal with that. Lemmy, not so much.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

These people don't even know what regular humans want/need. They're content to use half-baked software with 70% of the features, and feel like everyone should do the same.

For all the ridiculous FOSS zealots, why are you even here? This software isn't kosher to your religion.

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