The server returned this error: FetchError: invalid json response body at [Redacted]. This may be useful for admins and developers to diagnose and fix the error

I'm assuming you were trying to link to here?

[–] CallumWells@lemmy.ml 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Like Trainguyrom wrote, you're probably the first user on your instance trying to access it. Try the link again. It's the proper way to link to communities using Lemmy. Your link doesn't give people on other instances the easy option to subscribe to the community.

EDIT: Interestingly enough it looks like someone went through the first page of my profile and downvoted each comment of mine. Hmmm, how very strange ;P

[–] CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Try the link again. It’s the proper way to link to communities using Lemmy.

I'll try the link, and if it works, it works. If it doesn't, I move on. It's not my job to try to make it work, it's supposed to "just work".

Your link doesn’t give people on other instances the easy option to subscribe to the community.

I'm aware, I was just trying to give a pointer to the forum (assuming the link doesn't work for others as well), so people can manually subscribe if they wanted to, as a community service.

[–] CallumWells@lemmy.ml -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That is how Lemmy works. Not my fault if you didn't know that.

[–] CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

That is how Lemmy works. Not my fault if you didn’t know that.

But, I did know that. I literally click on a link, if it works, it works, if it doesn't, if I get an error message, then oh well, and I move on to the next thing.

I'm not attacking Lemmy, I'm saying this for any website and any web link.

[–] CallumWells@lemmy.ml 0 points 10 months ago (2 children)

So you're saying you did know that Lemmy has the thing where if you're the first one to ask to get community data from another instance the link will give you an error and you must click it again (or reload) to get the instanced version of that community for your instance, and then say that it doesn't work?

That doesn't sound to me like you knew how Lemmy works. I can agree that it should be more hands-off for the user and the server should silently just do the thing to get the instanced community before sending data back to the client, but that's a different argument.

[–] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

it should be more hands-off for the user and the server should silently just do the thing to get the instanced community before sending data back to the client

Understanding how much data it might be potentially requesting, I'd even accept a "please wait while we load this community" screen that then redirects to the community once its been loaded onto your instance

[–] CallumWells@lemmy.ml 1 points 10 months ago

Yeah, that would work as well. I'm sure there are times when there isn't a community that someone made such a link to, and at those times it should show an error screen, obviously.

[–] CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

Understanding how much data it might be potentially requesting, I’d even accept a “please wait while we load this community” screen that then redirects to the community once its been loaded onto your instance

This would be closer to my and others expectations on how a web link should work.

[–] CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

So you’re saying you did know that Lemmy has the thing where if you’re the first one to ask to get community data from another instance the link will give you an error and you must click it again (or reload) to get the instanced version of that community for your instance, and then say that it doesn’t work?

Yes, I did, and that's bad design, bad programming, and goes against the expectation of every last freaking human being on the Internet as to how a link should work. And I'm saying that as someone who was a software developer for their whole career, and uses Lemmy on a daily basis, prolifically.

Edit: forgot to mention, I tried reloading twice, went back and re-clicked a couple of times, as well as when I did my reply I embedded that original link into the reply and then I tried it again from there, so I tried to resolve the link a bunch of times over a seven-minute period.

[–] CallumWells@lemmy.ml 0 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Sound's like you're just being obstinate, then. It works, just not how you would prefer (well, I would also prefer that it didn't give an error screen like that, but that's besides the point). This is still early days of an open source project, and for that one should have a bit more understanding than for corporate products. A lot of other services also started out very unpolished and took time to get better.

The good thing is that you should be able to contribute and make it so that it doesn't do that since you wrote you were a software developer for your whole career.

EDIT: nice angry downvote, Cosmic Cleric...

[–] CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Sound’s like you’re just being obstinate, then. It works, just not how you would prefer (well, I would also prefer that it didn’t give an error screen like that,

The WTF are you calling me obstinate then?

but that’s besides the point).

No, that's exactly the point. You even agreed, responding to me as well as responding to others, that's not working as what most would consider as normal, with a preference on what a more normal response to clicking on the link should be.

The good thing is that you should be able to contribute and make it so that it doesn’t do that since you wrote you were a software developer for your whole career.

I've contributed to open source projects before, so I've already done my bit for "King and Country". I'm recently retired. But since you care so much about it, I'm sure you can contribute.

You should take a step back and realize I'm not attacking Lemmy, I use it, and I support it. I am just calling out a design and implementation point that needs refinement, as like you mentioned, is what's done in early open source projects.

[–] CallumWells@lemmy.ml -2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Who said I can program?

EDIT: If I could do the work to make it work better I would.

EDIT:
obstinate
adjective
ob·sti·nate ˈäb-stə-nət : stubbornly adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion

[–] CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Who said I can program?

Wow, so you bypass everything I said just to come back with a five worded single sentence that avoids the overall context of what I said.

Why are we arguing, why are you attacking me? It doesn't help gatekeeping, it preventing input to improve a product.

[–] CallumWells@lemmy.ml -2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

I'm not attacking you, I'm attacking your words.

And the reason I said you were obstinate were because you were. You refused to accept that it works since it doesn't do it in the way you want it to. And now you're rage-downvoting. You should probably take a few minutes off.

EDIT: No, you didn't state that it didn't work after seven minutes and multiple routs of attempting to get the link to resolve. I see that you have edited that in later, in one of the later comments. It worked on the reload for me. And no, it's not preventing input to improve a product, it's asking you to be less absolutist in your comments. "It doesn't work as well as it should" compared to your "it doesn't work". When it obviously does work, albeit could work better.

Edit: No ;P

[–] CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

EDIT: No, you didn’t state that it didn’t work after seven minutes and multiple routs of attempting to get the link to resolve. I see that you have edited that in later, in one of the later comments.

I stated in my origional comment (link, or see below) that it didn't work for me. After having read one of your comments about refreshing, I went back and added (and stated in the edit that I forgot to mention the steps / how many times I tried) for others who would read later more detail about it. I clarified on how many times I tried, and did not add something new from scratch to make a point.

You're being intellectually dishonest.

What I added in...

Edit: forgot to mention, I tried reloading twice, went back and re-clicked a couple of times, as well as when I did my reply I embedded that original link into the reply and then I tried it again from there, so I tried to resolve the link a bunch of times over a seven-minute period.

[–] CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I’m not attacking you, I’m attacking your words.

And the reason I said you were obstinate were because you were. You refused to accept that it works since it doesn’t do it in the way you want it to. And now you’re rage-downvoting. You should probably take a few minutes off.

You're not being intellectually honest.

I specifically stated that it didn't work after seven minutes and multiple routes of attempting to get the link to resolve. It never worked, it never resolved.

[–] CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago

And no, it’s not preventing input to improve a product, it’s asking you to be less absolutist in your comments. “It doesn’t work as well as it should” compared to your “it doesn’t work”. When it obviously does work, albeit could work better.

Can you please stop editing your previous comments to add a new point that can be responded to, and reply instead?

To your point that I quoted above, which is your second edit, they didn't work for me, at all.

I'm not going to say it doesn't work well when it doesn't work at all, I'm going to say it doesn't work at all.

Seven plus attempts is more than enough for any human being to try to get a link to work, and honestly, links are supposed to work on the first try, or or maybe even the second try if the server is being slammed.