this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2025
1290 points (99.2% liked)

Comic Strips

19815 readers
3202 users here now

Comic Strips is a community for those who love comic stories.

The rules are simple:

Web of links

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
1290
Apprehension (files.mastodon.social)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by Maven@crust.piefed.social to c/comicstrips@lemmy.world
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] shalafi@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Maybe it's not so much the business as the consumer. Commented before on travelling to a new client's shop and having the employees asking for an app to access their payroll.

Told the manager that our site would automatically optimize for phone, works great as-is.

"These people are not going to understand that unless they can download an app."

"No problem. I'll show everyone how to put a shortcut on their home screen. Done! I'll even write up directions for Android and Apple."

<manager shaking her head>

Understand, a load of these people were illiterate, embarrassed to need help filling out the online hiring docs.

If this was your experience as a business, would you not wrap your site in an app and push it? Plus, imagine the talk, "Yeah, site's OK but they don't have an app."

[โ€“] Landless2029@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

That's understandable, but not the point of the comic.

Some sites don't just off apps but require them for service.

I read fan translated stories. I tried the paid officially licensed website. Forced app. Tried it. DRM bullshit. Can't even download a chapter. Tried website on desktop.

Website literally told me to get a phone and the app...

They never saw another penny from me. I started donating to fan translations groups and just using machine translations.

Edit: name and shame.

I forget the stupid name but webtoon.com got into web novels and it was the absolute worst experience. The translation was fine but slow, extremely expensive and loaded with DRM. If I "unlock" something to read I'd like to download a copy.

To hell with your "you own nothing" business model. Shit I could buy physical copies of books for cheaper than their crap.