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How Discord Went Mainstream

theatlantic.com

81–90 of 155 posts

Re: How Discord Went Mainstream

#81

maybe im just getting old but i cant really understand the runaway success of discord, it seems awfully similar to IRC to me

People were tired of getting DDoS'ed so they switched away from Skype/Teamspeak. The nice UX makes it easy for everyone to use, and the community aspect is appealing. IRC isn't very easy to use for the common person.

>IRC isn't very easy to use for the common person.

A common person can learn. Also the audience (mostly gamers) know how to do stuff with their computers.

Re: How Discord Went Mainstream

#82
post #74
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, but that's sad, and not the way things should be. We should hold ourselves to a higher standard instead of blindly shuffling into the tar pits. Does that mean life is harder? Yes. But no one great ever took the easy way out.

There are alternatives, like Zulip https://zulipchat.com/

That's not in any way a replacement for discord.

Re: How Discord Went Mainstream

#83
post #47
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is it everyone outside of programmers (and even then) always picks chat services with the worst client software available? IRC had issues but at least the clients were decent.

Programmers and non-programmers have very different ideas of what is "decent". Examples of things non-programmers want in a group chat app: - persistent chat history - mobile client - a sane registration / nickname reservation method Perhaps requests like those don't match your own priorities, but I don't think they're wrong .

> - persistent chat history

That's kind of misleading. "Server-side chat history" is more accurate.

IRC logs are more persistent. It's possible to go back and check them at any time. If I've read the messages, I know they've been logged, and I know they'll still be there.

Discord history, on the other hand, can be deleted from the servers at any time. Often when you go back to double check something that was written previously, it's not there any more.

Re: How Discord Went Mainstream

#84
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here are a few things that make Discord nicer than IRC for ordinary (non-voice) chat: 1. You can start a new server right in the client by clicking a button. 2. Logs are saved server-side and synced across all your clients (phone, PC, etc). 3. You can upload images and videos to be hosted by Discord's servers. Media and links appear inline in the chat log. 4. No strange rituals involving NickServ or ChanServ. 5. Mobi…

>No strange rituals involving NickServ or ChanServ. True but God help you if you ever lose your discord 2fa seed; you'll have to throw away that identity and start over. [1] From their FAQ: Note: If you do not have access to your backup codes, we are unable to remove 2FA and you will have to create a new account. Discord cannot remove 2FA or issue you new backup codes. *1 https://support.discordapp.com/hc/en-us/artic…

That actually sounds like a good thing though.

Re: How Discord Went Mainstream

#85
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never used the browser tab but the desktop client you can server mute where you also have to select "suppress @everyone and @here" if you want a true mute besides @yourname The desktop client had issues with FPS drop in games. You can disable Hardware Acceleration in the Appearance section and your FPS returns to normal. I guess you'd have to find the browser setting, maybe you can do it per tab? I'm in about 20…

The issue with mute is that if you're assigned a roll and the role is @'d you're still notified. There's no way to suppress it. Combine that with servers where you need a role to access channels and you end up with unmutable notifications from a role you can't opt-out of. My Discord is sitting at about half a gig and I'm in 12 or so servers.

Hah wow, mine actually went down to 105 when I just checked.

I did some brief testing and it looks like the usage is depending on your servers activity. If people are posting lots of gifs the memory goes up. I got up to 300 going to some of the communities I just follow, rather than actively participate in daily. When I went back to my "main server" where my close friends are (we dont gif much) it slowly droppped back down to ~110. I guess eventually once it releases the in memory fluff it will drop back down.

Does doing this help your memory usage? https://support.discordapp.com/hc/en-us/articles/206342858--...

I'll be honest and say I've never used roles so I'm sure you are right. That is unfortunate

Re: How Discord Went Mainstream

#86
Slack has been very clear they are not a consumer service. They have no interest in being public social media, their market is businesses paying $$/user. Fair enough. But then Discord has deftly stepped into that void of Slack-for-consumers and it's working pretty well for them.

I've been a Discord fan since very early days. It's a great product and a good company.

Re: How Discord Went Mainstream

#87
post #80
post #64

From the TOS: By uploading, distributing, transmitting or otherwise using Your Content with the Service, you grant to us a perpetual, nonexclusive, transferable, royalty-free, sublicensable, and worldwide license to use, host, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform, and display Your Content in connection with operating and providing the Service. The Company doe…

How would they be able to distribute your content (messages, images, etc) to other people if they didn't have the license to do so? Every chat service and social media has this clause because they couldn't send your messages without it. https://www.reddit.com/r/discordapp/comments/3r3rrt/question... Please do your research before bringing out the pitchforks.

How would anyone be able to look at your house if they didn't own it?

No, the expansive licensing Discord demands here is not required to operate the service.

Re: How Discord Went Mainstream

#88
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would they be able to distribute your content (messages, images, etc) to other people if they didn't have the license to do so? Every chat service and social media has this clause because they couldn't send your messages without it. https://www.reddit.com/r/discordapp/comments/3r3rrt/question... Please do your research before bringing out the pitchforks.

How would anyone be able to look at your house if they didn't own it? No, the expansive licensing Discord demands here is not required to operate the service.

It absolutely is. You know who else has a license like this? hacker news. (https://www.ycombinator.com/legal/)

    By uploading any User Content you hereby grant and will grant Y Combinator and its affiliated companies a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty free, fully paid up, transferable, sublicensable, perpetual, irrevocable license to copy, display, upload, perform, distribute, store, modify and otherwise use your User Content for any Y Combinator-related purpose in any form, medium or technology now known or later developed. 
also microsoft, google, reddit, twitter, etc, etc, etc, etc

Re: How Discord Went Mainstream

#89
post #74
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, but that's sad, and not the way things should be. We should hold ourselves to a higher standard instead of blindly shuffling into the tar pits. Does that mean life is harder? Yes. But no one great ever took the easy way out.

There are alternatives, like Zulip https://zulipchat.com/

What? Here is Zulip’s license which is almost identical:

When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Kandra Labs (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, perform, display and distribute such content.

The ridiculous pitchforking in this thread is out of control.

Re: How Discord Went Mainstream

#90
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would they be able to distribute your content (messages, images, etc) to other people if they didn't have the license to do so? Every chat service and social media has this clause because they couldn't send your messages without it. https://www.reddit.com/r/discordapp/comments/3r3rrt/question... Please do your research before bringing out the pitchforks.

How would anyone be able to look at your house if they didn't own it? No, the expansive licensing Discord demands here is not required to operate the service.

Those permissions are specifically granted "in connection with operating and providing the Service". I'm not a lawyer, but are you suggesting that they could do other things like steal your images to use in advertising and claim that it's "in connection with operating and providing the Service"?

In order to host your (automatically copyrighted) content on their server and display it to other people in your chats they need your permission, so you have to give it to them if you want to use Discord. Without it they would be infringing on your copyright by hosting your content on the service.

I'm not sure how else you expect it to work.

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