@sabret00the Yup. #ActivityPub is not enough for video distribution. PeerTube is interesting indeed but the storage/bandwidth issue represents a challenge in terms of business model. You need to have a HUGE infrastructure to deal with volumes of video distribution. And that's costly. Not sure it's a business model that can work only through donation/subscription.
@TNLNYC We might be at a tumblr one soon. They want to "update the core experience" to make things "easier for new users" and are talking algorithm rather than linking posts or rolling out the ActivityPub integration they've been silent on.
With regards to the shortcomings of federation and buy-in friction for new users, that op-ed republished by arstechnica isn't wrong.
I don't know what to do about it. I don't have the bandwidth or knowledge to fix the problem. But I would support those who can lower the friction for new users and assist with the growth of non-billionaire-owned platforms.
Yeah, the fediverse won't take off until some dedicated folks make some tools or apps to make it actually usable. Until then, it's a bunch of programmers typing "it's not that bad" into their TI-83s hooked up wirelessly to their 1990's Linux PC via Raspberry Pi.