Non-techie here. It's true. I have no idea how !instance.domain/community works.
I understand that I'm on an island. Lemmy.World is a pretty big island, kinda like Austrailia, but it is still an island.
I can't just go to otherinstance.otherdomain/community and click subscribe. Or comment. Or anything. That instance should know I'm [email protected] just by the fact that I'm still logged into Lemmy.World, even if I'm on Lemmy.ml
So if I go to any other instance, I shouldn't have to do a thing.
As long as I'm not banned from Lemmy.ml, and as long as Lemmy.ml hasn't defederated from Lemmy.World, I should be able to log in on Lemmy.World, travel to Lemmy.ml, and immediately be able to comment, upvote, downvote, subscribe, whatever. And when I do these things, even though I'M on Lemmy.ml, my actions will have come from Lemmy.World
Lemmy/The Fediverse is a great idea. It has a lot of foundationally sound ideas that should be able to continue to thrive for decades. It just needs a userbase.
I remember in 2000 saying the same things about linux......and it never got that userbase until Android took all the techie sound ideas, and put them behind the curtain. When 16 year old blond valley girl Britney uses her Android phone, she doesn't know what a terminal is. She doesn't have to know. She doesn't have to think about it. She just opens her app drawer and plays spotify. And thats it.
I know the concept of a techie platform hiding the techie advancements sounds completely foreign to the idea of someone who spent 3 years learning how to techie, but thats what needs to happen.
Otherwise Britney will get about two sentences into you explaining the fediverse, before her brain turns off.
If Britney can't use it, this will have a userbase to reddit, in the same way that Linux has a userbase compared to Mac/Windows.
Lenny can grow. I feel like the ideas here are built to last. They just need to be more accessable to idiots. I have other issues I feel could be fixed, but I think this one is by far the biggest barrier to entry for most.