imagine throwing a fit like this over an app and then having the nerve to call someone else protecting their peace and energy and time a temper tantrum. you lived before SP youโll live after. get a journal.
I do believe that I explicitly stated that I have no problems with a person taking a step back from something for the sake of their own mental health, time, energy, etc.
That isn't the point.
The fact is that Simply Plural is one of the most common tools that systems use to track multiple aspects of their systemhood. It is one of the biggest accessibility tools out there for systems right now. Snatching away one of the biggest accessibility tools for systems can be extremely harmful, just as it can be harmful to take away any other major accessibility tool that exists out there.
Are there multiple sources, accusations, etc. being thrown around right now about Simply Plural and the dev? Sure there are - I, myself, have reblogged many of them.
Even if you put those aside right now and say that the dev truly does need that time back in their life and needs to recoup their energy and doesn't feel like carrying out Simply Plural anymore - that is fine. However, there were plenty of options that they could have looked into before simply stating that the servers would eventually be permanently shut down once funding ran dry. To me, that announcement was very sloppy, and just seemed to cause panic and mayhem amongst the plural/system community. Backlash in and of itself is to be expected when something like this happens, but when it's carried out in the way that it was today? I'd say that backlash was to especially been expected, and the fact that they didn't seem to expect that and come prepared with answers speaks volumes to me. Answers in the server were slim to none, the server is basically on lock-down right now because of how upset people were getting over the lack of clear and reasonable responses from the dev and their mods.
They knew how big Simply Plural had gotten over the past few years - they should have come into this decision with answers perpared for people, because obviously shutting down one of the biggest system accessibility tools was going to raise questions. I understand the desire to get the news out to SP users as soon as possible to provide warning; however, this lack of preparation is doing more harm than good.
The dev could have offered solutions such as passing on the development to someone else/another group, making SP an open source, etc., but that was not even mentioned in the slightest. Again, very unprepared.
Additionally, I will again state this decision being made so close to the recent subscription release is strange to say the least. I cannot prove that this has anything to do with the dev's decision, but it is very strange timing.
Now for the journaling. Yes, journaling may work for some. However, journaling is limited. Journaling may take much more time and energy than people may have. With platforms and resources like Simply Plural, one can simply put one or multiple alters to front with the tap of a few buttons, have profiles dedicated to headmates to fit their overall vibes (i.e. photos, fonts, colours, categories, etc.), and, if allowed, other system friends can see who is fronting, if they're okay to interact with, and much much more. You're able to see how long alters have been fronting, and if you accidentally forgot to remove that fronting status, you're able to adjust it with the click of a few buttons. The chat feature allows headmates to interact with each other - which yes, one could argue that this specific aspect could be done elsewhere - but having everything in one place is so much easier on people. Especially if those people lack the energy to customize one or multiple journals in a way that captures all of that information at once.
Yes, we may have survived life before Simply Plural existed, but since its creation, it has proved itself an essential accessibility tool in the everyday lives of systems of all origins. Taking that away so suddenly with the disrespect of little to no solutions being offered is abysmal.
I could go on about the poor ways that the dev and their mods have handled this, but I'll spare it unless more of this sort of backlash toward us comes up. You do not have to agree with me. All I am trying to do here is spread information based on what other people in the community have experienced in this situation first-hand because right now, many of us are confused, upset, angry, and panicked. SP is very important to many of us in the community.
