sirdavidxvi

Just a quick add: even for my self hosted services, I configure Postfix with Mailgun for SMTP relay for alerts and whatnot just to ensure delivery to my external mail provider.

Edit: a few words for clarity

Just passing along what I’ve read many times: that self hosting email can be difficult. Particularly sending, because the large providers tend to treat email from less known sources with more skepticism (such as by marking as spam), even with properly configured SPF and DKIM.

And if your server is down, you may miss any incoming mail for the duration. I don’t know if other providers would try resending after a period of time if the receiver is unreachable, but I doubt it (just an educated guess).

I love self hosting services but email is something I’ve decided not to touch with a ten foot pole.

+1 for Fastmail.

I’ve been using it for about 3 years. I’m on the Standard plan (middle tier). It’s $4.20/mo. per user when prepaying for 3 years and ranges up to $5.40/mo. for monthly billing.

Not sure if there’s a (practical) limit on domains or aliases, but I have 7 domains and a few aliases plus a wildcard. Includes 30GB of storage per user.

You’re right that historically there has been one dominant player at a time, and that it is typically in a period of stagnation or complacency when something new comes along to initiate the shift to the next player.

Social networks are great examples of natural monopolies, largely due to the aforementioned network effect. Without a large, diverse user base they tend to become echo chambers.

But you helpfully point out that there are other new players in the market, to the point that a successful reddit may not be necessary to spur competition for the next great thing.

I agree that’s a plausible scenario, and maybe even most likely given the pattern of history. And I understand and appreciate that you’re not hoping or advocating for that outcome, but highlighting its likelihood.

I also agree with your sentiment that the fediverse seems like a game-changer, particularly in the area of free speech.

I don’t necessarily want reddit to die, or even see its user base devolve into dregs. I view competition as a positive. Lemmy and the broader fediverse is competition for reddit and vice versa. Both existing and thriving may make each better over time.

Perhaps one reason we got to this point is that reddit has control over the market on this format, or at least has the dominant network effect. Many seem view this as a zero-sum game, where for one player to advance another must fall away, but I find that perspective short-sighted.

I respect (and share, to a certain extent) the opinions and frustrations of recent defectors, but urge everyone to take a long-term view.

Thank you for pointing this out. I missed the difference and was very confused/concerned.