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.
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.
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.
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.
Meanwhile I work for a HUGE fortune 500 company that uses libreoffice on work laptops.
So weird that there’s so many down votes for this comment.
deleted by creator
You’re assuming a negative connotation without any proof of such.
Not everything said is always a virtue signal. Sometimes someone just truly believe in what they’re saying and they know it from their own life experiences and perspective.
As far as the subject goes, I’m just repeating myself at this point, but …
I’ve seen it done before.
Usually how it’s done is that you install LibreOffice in parallel to Microsoft Office, and then you transition people over, over time.
Not that hard to do.
deleted by creator
If the product you’re using is not working, and you ask others for advice about that product, them telling you that there’s another product that’s a much better fit for you is a valid piece of advice, it is helpful.
It’s just not advice that you want to hear, because it then validates that you made a wrong decision purchasing the old product, and humans are not good at admitting fault.
Again, you are assuming with facts not in evidence, and that is wrong, and not something you would want somebody to do to you.
It is not virtue signaling to believe in open source products and all the benefits that come with them, and wanting to share that belief with others, especially when you see them having issues with their closed source products. It’s just someone informing/advising based on their own perspective.
I wasn’t virtue signaling at all you moron, I was commenting on a fortune 500 company being such cheap penny pinchers they would rather use an inferior product. I would much prefer they use office.
deleted by creator
That’s because context matters, maybe read the comment I replied to. I called you a moron because you attacked my comment without any merit or proof of my position and accused me of shilling for freeware.
Because its most likely a lie since most companies on the fortune 500 list are older then libreoffice itself. No company that size could change its entire office suite without essentially stopping all office work for a few months.
I’ve seen it done before.
Usually how it’s done is that you install LibreOffice in parallel to Microsoft Office, and then you transition people over, over time.
Not that hard to do.
My company is currently #79 on the list and I can screen my work laptop right now if you like. They did it because a Libreoffice license is $50 per computer while office is $300+.
Why would you need to license something that is free and open source in the first place?
Libreoffice is only free for home use, they charge license fees for business use.
Have they done that mandatory for all users without exception?
No employees in accounting, finance, sales still using Excel?
I have no clue as I don’t work in those departments. But it sure seems silly to use Office in one department and Libre in others. I just know IT said it was done as a cost cutting measure and they figured since both software suites are technically compatible as long as you save all your files in office format it should be fine. (It’s not)
Sure you do.
#79 on the list, would you like to see my installed software on my company laptop? They are cheap bastards, not sure why since they make a ton of money by gouging customers on the regular.
LibreOffice is great for random at home spreadsheets, but no fortune 500 company is using it. Fortune 500 companies require perfect compatibility with all of the other people they work with and for, you know, the reason they achieved the fortune 500 status.
Not to mention when you’re a large company, you’re using Microsoft Volume Licensing, which dramatically reduces the cost.
I just can’t believe the fortune 500 company you work for is using libre office.
Well believe it, I’ve been complaining about how crap it is for business use for years but they don’t care since they are saving a ton of money on licensing fees.
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.
Glad to hear, thank you for this!
Removed by mod
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.
Okay, well have fun when you push everyone else away. Lemmy will look like the Ubuntu forums lol.
Oooooh snap!
How dare those supporters of open source software support open source software (Lemmy)!
Removed by mod
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.
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.
Reddit mods are paid in control. They get to feel big and important.
I mean shit, toxic ass mod team of /r/Android was late to Lemmy, and is trying their hardest to maintain control over here. They made an agreement with the original lemmy.world android community to shut down and redirect the traffic to their lemdro.id instance.
@MargotRobbie@lemmy.world resurrected it.
So that’s a pretty bad comparison in my opinion.
One minute I was here promoting a movie, the next minute I was top mod of a community of smartphone enthusiasts.
I’m still not quite sure how that happened.
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).
Cool, do you want it to be a FOSS only place even in comments?
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.
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.
You pretty much just described today’s Internet
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.
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.
To be honest, that sounds a whole lot like reddit, too.
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.
deleted by creator
Not sure you got your answer yet so here: Free and Open Source Software
Free open source software
Free/open source software.
Free & open-source software
Want to know why memmy virtually stopped overnight?
This
Damn, really? I don’t use iOS, so I haven’t kept tabs on the app. That’s a shame.
Reddit is going to win because of the damn FOSS freaks. Pushing away people one by one.
“FOSS freaks” created lemmy
Ok. Now leave it.
2 month old account ✅
Imagine having multiple accounts…
I just saw your bio, maybe you should reconsider using this platform, lemmy has been built by “FOSS Linux freaks” by day one and the creators (and admins of the 3rd largest instance) are godless Linux and FOSS loving commies
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.
The thing I don’t understand is how they expect everyone to switch to Linux. I’ve explained to them in multiple comments, which are always heavily downvoted, how I cannot switch to Linux because the industry I work in requires software and hardware that only run on Windows.
They never have any reply to it. They just downvote and move on.
I was also always was under the impression that companies don’t port their software to Linux because of the user-base being smaller, but Lemmy has showed me that it’s more so entitlement. Why would these companies spend time and money porting to Linux when the Linux community is so negative? They only want FOSS. They want the best of the best, but they don’t want to pay anyone for it. They believe that developers should work for free, because they refuse to use any ad-backed software, but also refuse to open their wallet.
It’s also such a shame, because I run Linux on a secondary machine, distro hop often, and keep tabs on Linux news frequently. I’ve always hoped for Linux to take off, but the current Lemmy community has genuinely put such a sour taste in my mouth when it comes to Linux and FOSS. It’s like when a person you liked comes out as a racist pedophile, and now you can’t enjoy any of the movies they are in anymore lmao. As stupid as it sounds, my interest in Linux has decreased in the past few months. I almost don’t even want to be associated with it anymore.
This sounds excellent TBH.
I guess if you enjoy a small group of people jerking themselves off and arguing over which distro is best, sure.
That guy got banned from the community for gatekeeping. If he keeps it up it’s a site-wide permaban.
What guy
The dogmuffins you replied to
Is that how you find Lemmy? If that’s what you’re in to there’s probably more of that on reddit TBH.
Find lemmy?
Any positive comments about any non-FOSS app is downvoted. Any mention of Windows is downvoted. Any thread trying to discuss news not related to Linux is downvoted.
Like the one where Microsoft announces Paint is gettting layers and transparency, and the entire thread is filled with Linux nerds downvoting anyone saying they’re excited.
Or the one someone mentioned above where someone was asking help with MS Office, and every comment was ignoring the request, telling the guy to download Libre Office, which isn’t helpful…
EDIT: here’s an example. Clicked the first link. Didn’t even have to look far. https://lemmy.ca/post/6051300
EDIT 2: are we going to ignore the hate the Sync and Boost dev get, because they aren’t FOSS and they charge a one-time-fee to remove ads? Despite the fact their apps are extremely polished, and so extremely far ahead any of the FOSS apps? Even though the FOSS heads can just… use the FOSS apps? Why hate alternatives that attract more people to Lemmy?
To me, resisting the encroachment of corporate interests is far, far more important than having more users, particularly if those new users are the ones that don’t care about corporate encroachment.
Ok. That’s awesome. I am really happy for you that you’re able to use Linux, and that you have different values.
Doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable to bully others into following you. If they want to use Windows, I mean shit, if they want to use an outdated, dangerous version of Windows XP, let them?
Downvoting others for being excited about a Windows feature, or refusing to answer a question and instead interjecting with your unsolicited opinion isn’t helpful. You’re not contributing to the conversation, and you’re making Lemmy a miserable place.
Well one of us sure is determined to have a range about Linux!
Cool but please shut up when someone asks a question about Windows instead of evangelising Linux.
When was I evangelising Linux?
If that were your goal, wouldn’t it be better to get more people into Lemmy? Make the free alternatives a better experience so they stay and bring their friends over. If the average user encounters gatekeeping, they’ll be more likely to just go back to Reddit or Facebook or whatever and get the help they need there, and you’ll have given those corporations a bit more power.
It really does not.
I mean, to be fair, if you don’t like it, you can fork the code and make your own network.
That’s not the point though. They’re talking about usage population.
A virtual ‘Public Square’, where everyone is discussing ideas that you can listen in on and contribute to, doesn’t work very well if there’s no one in the public square.
There are dozens of us here though!
Seriously though… more users isn’t necessarily more better.
We may not need more users in terms of raw numbers, but it sure would be nice to have more diversity.
Easier to just downvote the annoying ass FOSS nerds.