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Unity's oldest community announces dissolution

farewell.bostonunitygroup.com

21–30 of 465 posts

Re: Unity's oldest community announces dissolution

#21
post #6

I think enshitification will be the word of the year this year

I have mixed feelings about the word "enshitification".

Like a politician shutting down thought and debate by simply labeling something "socialism", half the people using the word don't really know what it means, or at least, they don't know the original meaning. The word comes to be fake form of intellectual sophistication. A politician says the word and people think "oh, he knows the fancy word, he must be right", and thought ends, further discussion is difficult because nobody would dare speak in defense of something after it has been labeled. Just hearing the word raises certain peoples blood pressure 10 points and causes them to raise their voice.

And yet, I'm happy to see the good guys play psyops for a change. Like the world "socialism", "enshitification" will originally mean a specific social phenomenon, but most people will come to use it as a catch-all word for all bad corporate behavior and it will shut down thought and just hearing the world will rile people up to fight against the evil corporations. And I'm okay with that; words have power and, again, I'm glad to see words being invented to help the common people organize.

Re: Unity's oldest community announces dissolution

#23
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why it is good to build on the top of open source solutions

Does that really help? Even when open-source, it's only a matter of time before an Oracle or Google or Microsoft or Meta takes it over (if they didn't develop it to begin with). I wonder if it's less about the source code here but about the people involved, and how to prevent a consolidation of capital and power in the hands of greedy financiers. Maybe developing the projects as nonprofits (like Blender or Mozilla),…

> Even when open-source, it's only a matter of time before an Oracle or Google or Microsoft or Meta takes it over

Except you can fork the last open source version and continue as before. See ... mariadb?

Re: Unity's oldest community announces dissolution

#24
post #13

Unity really showing the world how to tank a business by letting a few MBA’s at the top make a decision for profit.

To play devil's advocate... Unity isn't close to profitable, and never has been. At some point money has to be made or the lights get turned off.

Well, that kinda makes sense then. If they weren't profitable, then this could be seen as a last-ditch survival strategy.

Re: Unity's oldest community announces dissolution

#25
post #6

I think enshitification will be the word of the year this year

I have mixed feelings about the word "enshitification". Like a politician shutting down thought and debate by simply labeling something "socialism", half the people using the word don't really know what it means, or at least, they don't know the original meaning. The word comes to be fake form of intellectual sophistication. A politician says the word and people think "oh, he knows the fancy word, he must be right",…

All it is is a fun sounding word for "rent-seeking"

Re: Unity's oldest community announces dissolution

#26

like getting blood from a stone... Most of those open-source companies turn "evil" stories (like IBM/redhat ) seems to follow the same pattern. IMO, there is a limit of the amount of value one can extract from those venture. Trying to increase revenue beyond a certain limit will always result very bad outcome. But i also think it's a lesson for the gaming industry. Why is something as core are a game engine, not some…

Redhat is evil now?

indirectly yes

https://newsroom.ibm.com/2019-07-09-IBM-Closes-Landmark-Acqu...

more importantly; https://www.servethehome.com/red-hat-goes-full-ibm-and-says-...

Re: Unity's oldest community announces dissolution

#27
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why it is good to build on the top of open source solutions

Does that really help? Even when open-source, it's only a matter of time before an Oracle or Google or Microsoft or Meta takes it over (if they didn't develop it to begin with). I wonder if it's less about the source code here but about the people involved, and how to prevent a consolidation of capital and power in the hands of greedy financiers. Maybe developing the projects as nonprofits (like Blender or Mozilla),…

[deleted]

Re: Unity's oldest community announces dissolution

#28
post #5

"More importantly, we've seen how easily and flippantly an executive-led business decision can risk bankrupting the studios we've worked so hard to build, threaten our livelihoods as professionals, and challenge the longevity of our industry. The Unity of today isn't the same company that it was when the group was founded, and the trust we used to have in the company has been completely eroded." Profoundly sad, and c…

"Good will" is an asset just like any other to be spent when the time is right. Sometimes a company will make the wrong bet and accidentally go out of business. Far more often there is a ton of backlash, their reputation goes in the tank, then they spend the next couple years building good will back up until the majority of people forget all about the past transgressions. Meanwhile the unpopular decision makes stacks of cash. Repeat the cycle ad-infinitum.

To clarify, I don't endorse this behavior, but unfortunately, it's the modern way of business.

Re: Unity's oldest community announces dissolution

#30

like getting blood from a stone... Most of those open-source companies turn "evil" stories (like IBM/redhat ) seems to follow the same pattern. IMO, there is a limit of the amount of value one can extract from those venture. Trying to increase revenue beyond a certain limit will always result very bad outcome. But i also think it's a lesson for the gaming industry. Why is something as core are a game engine, not some…

Redhat is evil now?

https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2023/im-done-red-hat-enter...
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