My first SDF account was created in 2004 (possibly before). In economic terms, the SDF services I enjoy with my sustaining membership have no equal. You’d be hard pressed to assemble the same portfolio of services from corporate providers-- ad-free, nag-free, no user productization-- for the same price.

But that’s superficial. While I certainly enjoy the services that SDF provides, the community is what sets it apart. I’ve been here, and am still here, because of the community-- even if I’ve been quiet until recently. We’re all a bunch of geeks of x, y, or z. Whenever I venture into com, I feel a sense of belonging. When I skim the local SDF fediverse feeds, I feel the same way.

SDF’s banner offering is its community. Cheers, SDF!

Hi! I picked this instance because it was recommended, but I don’t know it’s main purpose? Tbh, I’m still kinda getting the hang of lemmy. Is there anything I should know? I’m trying to use it as a Reddit alternative

For me, SDF is a refuge. It’s a part of the Old Internet where I can go and just enjoy a shell account for its own sake. Usenet, email, and a simple web page. Now with mastodon and lemmy, I feel like I’m contributing to a better Internet of the future while preserving and honoring the technology that started it all.

SDF was the first legitimately obtained shell I had that wasn’t tied to my ISP.

I appreciate the retro computing functionality a lot (comm, bboard, etc), it’s just fun to dive back into TUI land for a bit.

I have my own boxes for small scale stuff, but for stuff like Lemmy or Mastodon I prefer something with a community base.

I point newbs that want to learn more advanced computer stuff at SDF as a resource as well.

Mostly I just like what SDF does and what they “stand for”.

SDF was my first Unix experience. I logged in using telnet from my Win98 computer back in the early 2000s.