You could also consider Zulip they have been around for a while as the succesor of IRC but never arose in popularity. I like their concept of #tags for filtering messages inside a channel through #topics :)

Not OP, but I'll chime in my reason: History. Messages older than.. 30-day are only accessible for a fee. Even when you star/ pin those messages. It's so hateful.

Yeah... since you are asking, try not to do anything. They're people. They like jokes too.

Of course, all advise given in this thread is valuable, but I mean being overcautious may be the "special treatment" that is there routinely reminding them "oh you're different". They don't need that. Just respect.

Yet, they're entitled to their own decisions, triumphs and failures. So, they can shutdown the instance. Now, it would be a different thing if people really want them to be around again, raise some money, grab a backup, buy the domain name, let's gooo!! ..or not. Fine by me. If only 2 users from the instance decided to start a new one this is a huge win :)

The Age of Forks

Maybe won't be all entirely too bad or doom... I would like to see a silver lining, some FLOSS developers are smarter than trolls.

I am still using R-lang dataframes.., Or tibbles :)

Look for free services, there are not many but some. That's what I did at a point when I needed it as a Uni student.

As for jobs, if you are a web dev try creating a portfolio. Doesn't need to be full blown from day 0, or ever. Look for good first issues on github. And reinvent an app in the way you'd like to just for the sake of it..

If not as personal investment, do it for the activity.

Oh, and do some sport. Like 3-6 hour of physical activity per week will keep you grounded.

Simple gestures keep you from falling in downward spiral...

Creating this post is a huge step. Congrats!

PS. Yes, applying for jobs sucks SO much. Check if there's any event or conferences nearby.. networking matters a lot, maybe even more than having an impressive CV/ Portfolio. Good luck! You deserve better :)

Here's a book for a different audience. Explains in layman terms why to be wary about this tech, https://thebullshitmachines.com/

I use FreeTube on desktop (it's on f-droid too!) because you can create subscriptions under local profiles (e.g. some of mine are: music, diy, news, etc.) and it allows to export or import subscriptions so you could sync devices every once in a while. Oh and a whole export holds all your profiles.

May not be perfect but I like switching front pages with these profiles...

Sounds like that toxic relationship continued through divorce with her making everyone "take sides" and stealing all support. Can't give you any advice, you could reach out to some of your closest friends... Or, just start fresh with new people.. like, moving to a new city or neighborhood.

Good luck! Stay safe and strong :)

This all comes down to my fault

No, it isn't... Partial responsability, yes. But. Seems to me you're handling it as best as you can, which may not be enough to some, but still that's on them. Also, you feel remorse, that's got to count. Anyway, above all, the gossip is way beyond you..

They still store the passwords like that? I remember that quote of Zuckerberg doing so, in the early days, and boasting about it to a friend... This was so outrageous at the time. Now it's beyond absurdity.. Not to mention the fine is so small!