Merged Musk buys Twitter!/ Elon Musk puts Twitter deal on hold....

[Segnosaur]

Or maybe Google can make its version easier to use than Twitter... maybe make a default application that comes on Android phones, tie its user base into Gmail (no separate account needed),

Which is why I wouldn't touch it with an 11½ foot pole. When Google suspends an account, it suspends access to everything that account has on Google. Send out an offensive Gweet? Goodbye, email.

That might be a risk. But, for better or worse, it might be a risk that many people would be willing to take. YOU might not be interested in taking the risk, but others might.

And as someone else suggested, for many users, it might not necessarily be a problem.

Google was way too much power already on the web. We shouldn't be cheering on giving them even more!

I agree that giving a powerful company even more power isn't ideal. But, we don't live in an ideal world. Twitter is becoming a cesspool, and there may not be an easy alternative to address that. It can be hard to dislodge an established leader from a current niche, and many companies don't have the resources to do so. (And there does seem to be a demand for the type of service it offers, so it is unlikely to just go away.)

Given 2 bad possibilities: a semi-successful twitter under Musk where neo-nazis post anti-vax information with no control, or an even bigger google with a twitter version where they at least have some control over content (and which draws enough users away from Musk's Twitter to send it into a death spiral), I'd have to go with option 2.

 

[mgidm86]

It wasn't really twitterish though, more facebook. I think they could put something together pretty easily.

They probably have a few in the back of an old dusty closet somewhere

 

[mgidm86]

Why would anyone join a Google Twitter clone?

It would start off with zero users.

Twitter had the advantage of prominence and being heavily used by journalists. That is eroding but there is no single unified replacement as far as I can see.

There's your answer

 

[plague311]

Yeah you might want to read up on the account closure of Terraria's Andrew Spinks, before you assume that as long as you don't post hate speech or the n-word etc all your stuff will be safe.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...utube-account-ban/?comments=1&comments-page=1

He hit an algorithm somewhere, somehow, that made them decide he violated their TOS. With no explanation. And for that he lost everything, development work on his hugely popular game, emails, digital media etc.

Its why I've decided I aint never even going to own much in the way of digital media, and when I do its on Apple... and thats ALL I use Apple for.

Edit: and it was probably an automated DMCA takedown notice from their YT channel, that Google automatically just disabled everything over. And this was someone making a game for their own Stadia platform... which is now canceled... jesus Google likes canceling ****.

I haven't, nor would I ever, imply that Google is perfect and stuff like this doesn't happen. Millions upon millions of people use Google's services, that there are sporadic **** ups is less than zero percent surprising.

If you think Apple hasn't had an event that's comparable then you're lying to yourself. Companies that large always have things like that happen.

That being said, if Apple made a Twitter alternative I'd probably give that a look too. I am checking out mastodon now, I'm definitely open to alternatives.

And, not to be a dick, but the guy didn't have any local copies of his creations? Just one? In a cloud based environment? Sounds extremely irresponsible to me.

 

[lobosrul5]

I haven't, nor would I ever, imply that Google is perfect and stuff like this doesn't happen. Millions upon millions of people use Google's services, that there are sporadic **** ups is less than zero percent surprising.

If you think Apple hasn't had an event that's comparable then you're lying to yourself. Companies that large always have things like that happen.

That being said, if Apple made a Twitter alternative I'd probably give that a look too. I am checking out mastodon now, I'm definitely open to alternatives.

And, not to be a dick, but the guy didn't have any local copies of his creations? Just one? In a cloud based environment? Sounds extremely irresponsible to me.

Ohh I didn't mean to imply that Apple is above reproach or anything. I have a pair of Appletvs and the only digital media I own is on their platform, about 15 movies. I have no other Apple devices nor do I use my Apple id account for anything else.

He luckily did have backups and Terraria is going strong. Still had to be pretty infuriating to have all your accounts locked and not even be told why for weeks.

 

[Orphia Nay]

Musk has just censored a tweet by Kanye West. Not sure what it said.

Eta: a symbol for his presidential campaign containing a swastika.

 

[arthwollipot]

So much for "free speech absolutism".

 

[Warp12]

Musk has just censored a tweet by Kanye West. Not sure what it said.

Eta: a symbol for his presidential campaign containing a swastika.

Well, I'm sure some will scream that Musk is a hypocrite to complain about censorship and not allow things like Nazi hate speech or symbolism, or whatever. Some can't see the different between something like that, and Jordan Peterson "deadnaming" someone. I mean, it should be obvious...but I bet it isn't, to some.

Of course there is no way Twitter would be able to reasonably function without some terms of service, and a degree of censorship. Where that will finally end up remains to be seen.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Well, I'm sure some will scream that Musk is a hypocrite to complain about censorship and not allow things like Nazi hate speech or symbolism, or whatever. Some can't see the different between something like that, and Jordan Peterson "deadnaming" someone. I mean, it should be obvious...but I bet it isn't, to some.

Of course there is no way Twitter would be able to reasonably function without some terms of service, and a degree of censorship. Where that will finally end up remains to be seen.

hypocrisy is a feature, not a bug.

 

[Orphia Nay]

Now West has been suspended.

 

[Cosmo]

Well, I'm sure some will scream that Musk is a hypocrite to complain about censorship and not allow things like Nazi hate speech or symbolism, or whatever. Some can't see the different between something like that, and Jordan Peterson "deadnaming" someone. I mean, it should be obvious...but I bet it isn't, to some.

Edited by Agatha: 

Edited to remove breach of rule 12

 

[angrysoba]

Well, I'm sure some will scream that Musk is a hypocrite to complain about censorship and not allow things like Nazi hate speech or symbolism, or whatever. Some can't see the different between something like that, and Jordan Peterson "deadnaming" someone. I mean, it should be obvious...but I bet it isn't, to some.

Of course there is no way Twitter would be able to reasonably function without some terms of service, and a degree of censorship. Where that will finally end up remains to be seen.

Hmmm....almost as though people have been trying very hard and patiently to explain this very point.

But Kanye didn't violate the first amendment, so it seems that is not going to be the touchstone for Twitter 2.0.

ETA: I mean he didn't say things that are not protected by the first amendment. Looks like Kanye was tweeting a DM conversation with Musk who complained that the swastika in a star of David was "not love" or something. Clearly Kanye was trying to get booted, and Musk claims it was for inciting violence. It actually isn't, but, hey...

I don't blame Musk for enforcing a non-stupid criteria for Twitter, but of course, he still has no real standards for who goes and who stays.

Only idiot fanboys will think Musk has principles regarding Twitter.

 

[Gulliver Foyle]

Is the vapour composed of atomised brain matter?

Not in the case of Musk. When your grey matter is best measured in pico-grams then vapour isn't a problem.

 

[Darat]

Given this: QAnon, white nationalists and hate speech: Experts reveal how the floodgates opened on Elon Musk’s Twitter I can’t see how Twitter is going to get its customers back.

 

[plague311]

Given this: QAnon, white nationalists and hate speech: Experts reveal how the floodgates opened on Elon Musk’s Twitter I can’t see how Twitter is going to get its customers back.

Well, it won't get any respected customers back, anyway. I'd bet dimes to donuts that SpaceX, and Tesla will be advertising on it until the cows come home. Some of the less reputable companies probably won't be bothered too much by it either. Look at how long ADIDAS held their nose and stuck to Kanye before they cut ties.

 

[jeremyp]

Twitter still has its moments. Somebody has posted a load of posts from an ex-T=Tesla software engineer.

https://twitter.com/atomicthumbs/status/1032939617404645376

My favourite is this bit, which won't mean much to most people, but will strike terror into the hearts of Tesla owning software engineers.

i wrote a quick python/fabric script that ssh'd to as many cars as
possible at a time to rm the file

"the file" was a badly formatted file containing the details of supercharging stations that caused the infotainment system to continuously crash and restart. "rm" is the Unix/Linux command to delete (remove) a file.

Tesla engineers have the ability to remotely log in to any Tesla anywhere going at any speed and mess about with the electronics as if it were a home PC and it's lucky that they do because, otherwise, your car might be a useless pile of junk now thanks to the shoddy software engineering practices.

And, to bring it back on topic, these are the same Tesla engineers who oversaw the firing of the Twitter engineers.

 

[plague311]

And, to bring it back on topic, these are the same Tesla engineers who oversaw the firing of the Twitter engineers.

I had no idea that Tesla engineers were involved at all. Is that how Elon is covering up some of the gaping holes in Twitter? By just borrowing employees from Tesla?

 

[I Am The Scum]

Elon promised to reveal "what really happened with the Hunter Biden story suppression" at a specified time today.

Elon instead posted 20 minutes late, revealing... that he still had some factchecking to do! You'd think that would have happened before the big promise, which just proves that you're not a super genius.

Big reveal part 2 should be in a few minutes. I'll try to keep the thread updated.

 

[plague311]

Elon promised to reveal "what really happened with the Hunter Biden story suppression" at a specified time today.

Elon instead posted 20 minutes late, revealing... that he still had some factchecking to do! You'd think that would have happened before the big promise, which just proves that you're not a super genius.

Big reveal part 2 should be in a few minutes. I'll try to keep the thread updated.

Actually when it comes to Elon I don't actually think that would have happened before the big promise lol. The man seems to have an issue with speaking before he thinks, or not thinking at all as he speaks.

 

[jimbob]

Twitter still has its moments. Somebody has posted a load of posts from an ex-T=Tesla software engineer.

https://twitter.com/atomicthumbs/status/1032939617404645376

My favourite is this bit, which won't mean much to most people, but will strike terror into the hearts of Tesla owning software engineers.



"the file" was a badly formatted file containing the details of supercharging stations that caused the infotainment system to continuously crash and restart. "rm" is the Unix/Linux command to delete (remove) a file.

Tesla engineers have the ability to remotely log in to any Tesla anywhere going at any speed and mess about with the electronics as if it were a home PC and it's lucky that they do because, otherwise, your car might be a useless pile of junk now thanks to the shoddy software engineering practices.

And, to bring it back on topic, these are the same Tesla engineers who oversaw the firing of the Twitter engineers.

That doesn't sound like software engineering, that sounds like code monkeying.

I'm neither but do appreciate some of the aspects of software engineering at a very superficial level