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+ ← Go back
+ mint.lgbt is shutting down+Hello everyone, this is Lux. + ++ After 4 years of offering services, we're announcing the permanent termination of the mint.lgbt + service provider, set to happen on August 8th, 2024. This was not an easy decision for us to + make, but we're no longer able to keep maintaining the service due to a lack of funds and time. + We'll go through our history and reasons in detail, how everything will unfold during the shutdown + process, some recommended services users can move to, and some questions we think may arise. + + +Why++ We started back in July of 2020, when I bought the domain to start my own personal website. + I rented a very inexpensive VPS to host everything I needed. At the time I also needed to host some + additional services side-by-side. The first one was Femgit, which has become the longest running + service in the suite. After looking back at the server load, I noticed much of the VPS was going + unused, with little to no plans on adding more services on top of the existing ones. With this in mind, + I decided to open up registrations on Femgit. This gave me a bigger idea: What if that was the entire + focus of the site? + + ++ Considering the TLD I had chosen, I determined, if this was to be the future for the website, it would + be to satisfy the necessities of LGBTQIA+ folk. Considering how, even to this day, queer rights are + not universally respected, privacy can be used as a huge tool for defense. Therefore, this was the focus + the project would point towards: Privacy tools for queer people. + + ++ I caved in, and moved my own personal website to a subdomain, while rebranding the main website. Luna, + who I worked with on a previous project joined in, and ever since then we've been running the website + under this purpose. Funding was mostly left out to either donations or, if none were present, pocket + money, and we both had rather free schedules due to the high schools not being too demanding, and the + COVID-19 pandemic. The project was also welcomed in my family, helping me fund it occasionally. + + ++ However, we're not living under the same scenarios nowadays. I'm now a college student, working with a + rather tight budget, where I'm way more limited in terms of my weekly budget. A lot of my time is spent + up studying, so I cannot continuously maintain the server. Luna cannot maintain it either, as she's not + yet in a situation with stable income either. + + ++ We technically could ask for donations more frequently, but that would still be essentially feeding + cash into an unsustainable project. Therefore, we determined it's best to end things here and now. + + +How++ We'll run mint.lgbt for an additional 3 months. During this time period, users are advised to export their + data and move out to another alternative. In the next section, we provide some recommended alternatives. + + ++ After this time period passes, the main VPS will be removed, and every subdomain will be null-routed. The main + website will be replaced with a shutdown notice, and the domain will be put on sale. After it is purchased, + the domain will be transferred to the next domain owner, which means we'll no longer be affiliated to whatever + project starts in this exact domain. No databases will be transferred to anyone, as to protect them from being + potentially misused. + + ++ If you didn't get your data in time, don't worry! We'll hold onto the databases privately for a while. Keep in + mind however that we can't recover data from Matrix or XMPP, since those services either store E2EE data, or + only store data for a short period of time, after which it gets wiped. + + +Where to Move++ Here are some service providers we highly recommend, which share a lot of common philosophy with our + collective. + +Potential FAQ+Q: Can I buy mint.lgbt? ++ Yes, but don't expect to get the databases or anything. Also, the sale will work in a "highest bidder" basis, + and domain valuators cannot decide how much it should sell for. For reference, GoDaddy sets it at $3,408 USD + + +Q: If I pay you, can you keep running it? ++ It depends. If it's enough for Luna to maintain it well, and for me to start affording necessities, then maybe? + + +Q: I donated recently, and just found out about this. ++ If you need a refund, let me know through email at lux@nixgoat.me, and we can sort it out. + + +Conclusion++ Thanks to everyone for staying around for all these years. It was fun to run mint.lgbt and to form a community + that tied a lot of people together. We're excited to see y'all in future endeavours! Y'all can find us in the + websites we've listed in the homepage, but if you can't access it, check out mine + and Luna's. Farewell. + + |
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+ + + + mint.lgbt leaf graciously donated by + Ember. + + + + © 2020-2024 mint.lgbt. Licensed + under the + ISC license. + |
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