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[META] Are paid for, closed source projects, being advertised on this community, appropriate? (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by to c/selfhosted@lemmy.world
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A number of brand new accounts have popped up shilling their paid for applications.

Is this within the rules? Is the community happy with this? Could mods clarify this in the rules?

Either allowing advertising, or banning it entirely.

my point is - there is a difference between an open source homegrown project that might be useful, vs closed source paid for projects from brand new accounts

some replies are misunderstanding, somehow.

I am against

brand new accounts who:

  1. first post is a brand new project
  2. project is closed source
  3. project will cost money
  4. is asking for free testing
  5. the post is literally an advertisement
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[+] -10 points 2 months ago (21 children)

They aren't charging you. The OP/DEV in question is willing to give their product away. A product that integrates with your opensource *arr stack. All he wanted to know is, 'Would you be interested in beta testing it?"

I mean, there was recently a new user here who intro'd himself as a Windows selfhoster. He was pretty much welcomed with open arms, with a few snarky remarks, but welcomed. How much more closed source could you get than Microsoft Windows? What's is the actual difference here?

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  • [–] 14 points 2 months ago (20 children)

    Lmao, the OP you're talking about literally said that "It's a paid closed source app". Why are you not mentioning that little tidbid?

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  • [+] -11 points 2 months ago (19 children)

    “It’s a paid closed source app”. Why are you not mentioning that little tidbid?

    I assumed everyone has a decent reading skills?

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  • [–] [S] 17 points 2 months ago* (8 children)

    that is incredibly misleading.

    its not someone asking advice about a closed source app. its someone shilling their own paid for product.

    why are you ok with advertising for paid for products being shoved down your throat?

    they arent “willing to give it away”. theyre willing to give it to testers for free labour to test their paid for app.

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  • [+] -8 points 2 months ago (7 children)

    why are you ok with advertising for paid for products being shoved down your throat?

    No one, not one living soul that has graced the halls of Lemmy selfhosted since I've been here has shoved anything down anyone's throat. Are you not master of your own domain? Do you not possess self control? Additionally, I chart my own course. I don't let hive mind tell me what I can and can't selfhost or use in relation to my server.

    they arent “willing to give it away”. theyre willing to give it to testers for free labour to test their paid for app.

    So, to recap, they're going to give their app, which is closed source but integrates with what most selfhosters host, to beta testers, who are interested, and in return, the beta testers get to keep the app for free. I see no free labor.

    It was said when rule 3 was being discussed, that there are so few selfhosters out here, why gatekeep?

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  • [–] [S] 9 points 2 months ago (6 children)

    I dont want to scroll lemmy to find advertisements.

    why are you fighting so hard for it? do you want adverts here? do you want every post to be yet another closed source paid for project? Thats sad.

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  • [+] -7 points 2 months ago (5 children)

    Well, for one, I can actually scroll right by things I'm uninterested in. My mouse wheel goes by three row clicks. It doesn't take all that much effort, even for this old geezer, to just whiz right on by. Even if it's something I'm uninterested in, like the *arr stack in general, I can still be positive about it. It's pretty fascinating to me how it all clicks together. But I have definite, hard coded opinions against piracy in general, no matter what your rationale is. I know some use the *arr stack for their own physical collections, but let's be real....the vast amount of selfhosters that deploy the *arr stack are pirating.

    why are you fighting so hard for it?

    Because I honestly feel that the OP with the integrated, closed source app he asked if anyone wanted to beta test, acted in good faith.

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  • [–] 8 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    Every comment you make makes me more and more convinced that you've created a throwaway account to advertise your own paid products here.

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  • [–] -3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    Now that is quite hilarious. What paid products am I advertising? I'm not a dev, and frankly I would never be a dev. For one, I'm not that well educated in the area of programming. Two, I wouldn't be confident enough to release it to the public. Three, I wouldn't put up with all the bellyaching that goes on, demanding that a dev do this or that with something he wrote. Hard pass.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Did I say you did so on this account?

    Your long reply and bullshit about "bellyaching" isn't helping me think otherwise.

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  • [–] -4 points 2 months ago

    Did I say you did so on this account?

    OK you got me. I joined a year ago, made a fistful of accounts, just for this very day. Even though, if you rifle through all of my posts and comments, you'll pretty much see, I have no programming skills and I have nothing to sell. But again, you are welcome to your own opinion.

    Your long reply

    I'm— sorry—I—used—too—many—sentences.

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  • [–] 9 points 2 months ago (9 children)

    Yes, but all of your comments seem to miss the fact that this post is talking about paid software. Which is what the OP you're talking about and defending did. You also said "they aren't charging you", which might be true for now, but they will make money off of beta tester's free labor.

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  • [+] -7 points 2 months ago (8 children)

    but they will make money off of beta tester’s free labor.

    That's exactly how beta testing works. I've mentioned, I do a lot of beta testing for BetaBound. I'm currently beta testing a rumba floor sweeper knock off. WHen I'm done, the company says 'thank you' by letting me keep the rather pricey product. Are they going to make money? Of course they will. That's why they started business....to make money.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 months ago (7 children)

    I'm aware, and don't think that ads to provide free labor for a paid product belong here. That's been my entire argument the entire time.

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  • [–] -3 points 2 months ago (6 children)

    I’m aware, and don’t think that ads to provide free labor for a paid product belong here.

    I honestly think, that the OP/Dev in question acted in good faith. I do not view his thread as an advertisement to buy his product. IMHO, he solicited beta testers for his product that integrates with the *arr stack, which the vast amount of selfhosters deploy early on in their selfhosting journey. Where else would be a better place than a selfhosting community?

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  • [–] 5 points 2 months ago* (5 children)

    The question isn't "did OP act in good faith".

    I do consider it an ad to recruit people to do beta testing for a paid product. I don't want to see ads in my feed. If I wanted that, I'd go to reddit. Maybe they should post there instead, where ads are overwhelming and users don't give a shit about being advertised to constantly.

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  • [–] -3 points 2 months ago (4 children)

    I do consider it an ad to recruit people to do beta testing for a paid product.

    Fair. You do, I don't.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    I'm very aware that you don't consider it an ad, but it's an ad in my eyes. It's literally a call to action to recruit people to improve their paid application in order to extract money from users in the future.

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  • [–] -3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    I’m very aware that you don’t consider it an ad, but it’s an ad in my eyes

    I've very aware that you do see it as an ad. So, here we are. I'm about to fire up a bowl, do you partake? It's some gnarly gas for sure. I like to share what I've grown with my own two hands. No strings attached. You don't have to put 5 on it.

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