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I get that when you're working on stuff and not getting paid for it, it can make sense to seek the platforms with the lowest friction and barriers to entry, but between IRC, #Matrix (and by extension, Gitter), and #XMPP, there are plenty of options that don't include vendor lock-in.

@mattcen I really think that Discord is one of the easiest platforms to use and choose it for my open source stuff.

I'm not worried about vendor lock-in because chat is ephemeral. I don't store documentation & code there it's just a way for people to get in touch. If it's a problem I can move elsewhere.

I also use IRC because I like IRC, but I understand that people find IRC difficult.

@downey I agree with this article in principle, but, like my initial post above (because it's necessarily short and punchy), lacks necessary nuance around the premium of volunteer time. Some folks just want to write code for themselves and then find themselves with other users with whom they need to communicate. I get that it's tempting to pick an easy-to-use, well-known platform with (relatively) good UX, and I don't want to say "always go the whole nine yards and put in the effort to use a truly free platform", because sometimes the barrier to entry is too high, but I strongly encourage people to *try* or at least *consider* the pitfalls of the platforms they choose.
@pbone

@mattcen

> easy-to-use, well-known platform with (relatively) good UX

So, #Matrix then?

@pbone

@downey https://aus.social/@mattcen/110648423364799630