Can apps be auto-removed from the site after 3 years unless a maintainer clears them to stay? #324

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opened 2026-04-10 02:44:55 +02:00 by strypey · 0 comments

strypey commented

2026-04-10 02:44:55 +02:00

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I was even thinking the automation could remove the app from the site N weeks after the notification, by commenting its entry in the code, unless a maintainer does something to defer that removal until the next 3 yearly review. Maybe after passing 2-3 such reviews, an app could be considered a long term supported project, and the auto-removal turned off. But the notifications could still be delivered every 3 years, as long term projects do die from time to time (eg GNU social, Diaspora).

My logic here is that the fediverse.party software lists are less useful if they list dead apps, and more useful the fewer apps they list, reducing decision paralysis.

As a volunteer-driven project (for the foreseeable), it's likely there will be periods where the site isn't getting the active curation it needs to stay up-to-date, as it was before Light shoulder-tapped me to take over as Lead Goose. Maybe if apps require active maintainer approval to continue being listed (although of course they would remain on the wiki watchlists), the site could remain more useful during those times? Also, if lots of live apps are vanishing from the site, this would send a clear signal to the community that fresh volunteer energy was needed to help with curation.

I'm thinking it would be useful to automate a notification - eg an issue automatically (re)opened? - 3 years after an app has been added to the site. To remind us to review whether it's still a live project, and remove it from the site if it's not. Then if it passes the first review, notify us again 3 years after that, rinse, repeat. I was even thinking the automation could remove the app from the site N weeks after the notification, by commenting its entry in the code, unless a maintainer does something to defer that removal until the next 3 yearly review. Maybe after passing 2-3 such reviews, an app could be considered a long term supported project, and the auto-removal turned off. But the notifications could still be delivered every 3 years, as long term projects do die from time to time (eg GNU social, Diaspora). My logic here is that the fediverse.party software lists are less useful if they list dead apps, and more useful the fewer apps they list, reducing decision paralysis. As a volunteer-driven project (for the foreseeable), it's likely there will be periods where the site isn't getting the active curation it needs to stay up-to-date, as it was before Light shoulder-tapped me to take over as Lead Goose. Maybe if apps require active maintainer approval to continue being listed (although of course they would remain on the wiki watchlists), the site could remain more useful during those times? Also, if lots of live apps are vanishing from the site, this would send a clear signal to the community that fresh volunteer energy was needed to help with curation.