both companies notably ruined the internet in the 2010s by consolidating discourse then taking various steps to destroy the user experience and the feel of the communities for profit.

so, broadly, the web went from cozy, small hobby forums in the 90s and 00s, then with the 10s as a transitional period, the 20s being practically complete corporate control of online discourse.

it’s a bummer. but nothing lasts forever. where will we go next?

  • Blaze@discuss.online
    1·
    3 hours ago

    Basically: yes the dropdown menu appears, just as for usernames, but if you choose the item from the dropdown that you see, the Lemmy UI will do the wrong thing. My first link was made using the dropdown, while my second ignored the dropdown and just used the exclamation mark. Notice how my first link takes you to an entirely different instance? But the second link goes to the version of that community while keeping you on your same instance.

    Jumping in, but I’m very curious about this. I’ve never seen the dropdown menu not create “!community@instance.org” links.

    I am now taking my discussion.online alt to see, and with !newtolemmy@lemmy.ca, created from the dropdown, the link works as expected.

    How do you manage to get harcoded links from the dropdown?

    • OpenStars@discuss.onlineEnglish
      1·
      1 hour ago

      My first link used the dropdown menu. Fwiw, discuss.online says it is using “BE: 0.19.3”. So if I type e.g. exclamation-mark then start typing “newtolemmy…” it will fill in to [!newtolemmy@lemmy.ca](https://lemmy.ca/c/newtolemmy), and then iirc someone told me to remove the exclamation mark and… omg, it looks like *I* am the one messing these up!? Removing the exclamation mark results in newtolemmy@lemmy.ca, which takes me away from my instance, but leaving it in allows it to work properly.

      Regardless, that is still NOT intuitive, like AT ALL, b/c the URL makes it visually look like clicking it should go to “https://lemmy.ca/c/newtolemmy”, so what difference should the click-here text make - whether I call it “I am the very model of a major general” or !newtolemmy@lemmy.ca, the URL is what governs where a link goes, literally everywhere I’ve ever seen in the entire internet? (and the [whatever text here](URL goes here) format definitely presents itself as a “link”, not “code that will change the URL endpoint later”)

      Even so, it seems I have been spreading a bit of misinformation, and I apologize for that.

      Most especially for this reason and for so many others, I appreciate you so much, for taking the time to think about and correct me on this score - that is so very helpful, THANK YOU!!!