The FreeBSD server at discord.com

[Cath O'Deray]

<https://wiki.freebsd.org/Discord#Introduction> offers an invitation (to join) that requires acceptance every time:



The context menu for the FreeBSD server does not offer a link to the server:



Before I add this to the wiki, a question for people who are already members:

• does the link below take you, reliably, to the lobby?

<https://discord.com/channels/727023752348434432/727023752348434436>

Thanks

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The link is provided to me by Discord, but does not work for me:



I have no doubt that someone at Discord is theoretically excited to see me again, however it's entirely useless if I can't see what's on Discord. (I'm already logged in; the invitation to login is redundant, and does not work for me.)

Afterthought: maybe the redundant and broken invitation to login appears only if there's already a logged-in window to the web app …

 

[Cath O'Deray]

… reliably, to the lobby? …

Paraphrasing discussion elsewhere:

• after the most recent iOS 15 update, Safari ignores the Open With Discord setting and goes to the login

 

[Cath O'Deray]

… I see some folks moving to discord and think to myself, what a shame, forums are flat out superior. …

The FreeBSD Forums are in some ways inferior.

For example, some discussion of threading at <https://discord.com/channels/727023752348434432/757543661058654269/1200145096289570856> (for those of us who use Discord).

Threading is:

• integral to Matrix, Reddit, Discord, and the like
• not a feature of XenForo, which is used for The FreeBSD Forums.

---

For XenForo there's an add-on, which I have never knowingly used:

[OzzModz] Post Comments

Post Comments This product allows you to have your members reply directly to a post and have it display nested and inline. By Default, XenForo will require use of bbcode to reply or quote a message. This add-on extends XenForo to allow for a...

xenforo.com

With added emphasis:

❝… Many niche sites and forums will prefer this experience when topics require more detailed discussion and threads can get derailed. …❞

Rule-breaking and derailment have become norms. As if rules such as this (highlighted) do not exist:

 

[msplsh]

Discord threading is vile and not "threading", IMO. Reddit has real threads. I don't know anything about Matrix.

 

[Cath O'Deray]

Thanks,

Discord threading is vile

Do you mean the absence of nesting?

 

[tingo]

IMHO, Discord is much, much worse than XenForo and other "normal" forums when it comes to let a user pick up the threads in the way that he or she wants.

 

[msplsh]

If it doesn't branch like a tree, it's not a thread, it's something else.

 

[Cath O'Deray]

Visibility of deleted content​

For me, thought-provoking features include free-for-all viewing of deleted content (first screenshot below).

This feature is not yet mentioned in the FreeBSD wiki, there's a plan to redo the page "once the migration is complete".

Levels/nesting/branching/child commentary​

… branch like a tree …

Thanks, that's what I thought. I sometimes call it nesting, old Reddit calls it child commentary.

Second shot: all child comments hidden (collapsed).

Third shot: all child comments shown (expanded). The yellow bar is probably Reddit Comment Collapser (a "more elegant solution for collapsing reddit comment trees").

Fourth shot, a different subreddit: when showing all child comments (a single click) does not show all children, there's the option to continue this thread. When nesting becomes this deep, it's sometimes found that the only people writing, reading, or voting are the few people who enjoy bickering.

---

Discord has, like, a single level of nesting: the point at which a person creates a thread within a room channel.

I can understand why the UI is designed to not enable expansion/collapse beyond this level, and at least in FreeBSD Discord I don't see a need for things to be collapsed in the way that Reddit can collapse.

HTH

 

[msplsh]

Threading/nesting/child commentary allows users to dictate the flow of conversation whereas shallow threading forces threads into being memory holed (because they are subservient in the UI) and the conversation only allowed to go as far as the collective participants can keep it in their head.

The downside of course is that it looks like a mess and is "intimidating" to people. Reddit tries to solve this by visually pruning all threads with an algorithm but preserving the structure.

The other downside is that users get to dictate the flow. I listed this as a feature, but in the hands of malicious users, it is not. It's easier to identify malicious users and ban them with shallow threading, as they have to work harder and their methods are simpler and easier to identify. Threading makes the rules for banning people more complicated and easier to game.

 

[Cath O'Deray]

Help shape the future of Discord by sharing your feedback and opinions …​

Not specific to FreeBSD use of Discord, I was invited to a survey:

I guess that all other users were, or will be, invited. Maybe not all at once.

I'll share my answers, but not until after the survey period ends.

Other topics, for readers who might be unaware:

• Social Media (2019–2024)
• Reddit vs Discord (February–March 2024)

 

[Cath O'Deray]

I guess that all other users were, or will be, invited. Maybe not all at once.

I guessed wrong (checked with a helper in the FreeBSD area).

I'll share my answers, …

The first page comprised a single question about the likelihood of me recommending use of Discord. I can't recall my exact rating (an array of radio buttons), but the likelihood was very low. I gave the following reasons:

Use of Discord for private chat that most users would prefer to be public.

Reasonable fear of enshittification.

(In retrospect, maybe the fear is not reasonable.)

Page 2 comprised seven questions. Again, radio buttons. My responses are shown in the attached screenshot.