Code for people interested
app/admin/routes.py#L373 (removed since posting), app/cli.py#L1026
I commented it out, rebuild the Docker containers and it works now 👍
EDIT: People seem to misunderstand what it does. It prevents it from federating automatically when populating the community search, importing from another instance or from Lemmyverse. It’s not a full block, and you can still add it manually. Not only that, but it’s also already partially removed since I posted this.
I don’t host any so as I understand it:
The problem with PieFed is the initial filter list is not opt-in, but can be modified freely.
The problem with Lemmy is changes like those will be hardcoded.
The thing with PieFed… I don’t know if it’s in the setup guide and OP didn’t read it or if it must be pointed out in the guide.
Anyway, it should be opt-in, not opt-out.
But trying to frame it as if it was as terrible as lemmy… Lemmy defenders sure love the ragebait.
I presume that it was a simple misunderstanding, but in any case it has lead to some… interesting, and ultimately quite fruitful discussion, so there’s that to have enjoyed:-).
And it really shouldn’t have been hard-coded like that. A minor issue imho, and one not really a problem until now, but at least it’s already now well on its way to being resolved. In contrast, Lemmy’s own hard-coding of Lemmy.ml into the equivalent function I doubt will ever be changed, certainly not without strong reluctance (and likely along with public outcry, as before with the filter list).
One point: I would argue that opt-in vs. -out doesn’t fully apply here, as this automated convenience function will only ever be run once upon initial setup for an instance, after which the instance admin can add any communities they desire, manually (I’m not sure why OP phrased it then as needing to be “debugged”, that seems an odd term for such routine instance maintenance tasks that do not need any modification of any code at all, anywhere?). In short, it’s not actually a “block” at all, as the wording in the meme seems to me to strongly imply by using “federate”). The phrase “opt-out” usually referrs to something harsh but that isn’t all the way fully forced, but this issue of not pulling in (initially) of communities is so extremely gentle than on the spectrum it is adjacent to “opt-in” already? Still, ultimately you are probably correct, I am just not sure of the wording there, so wanted to help by offering those additional nuances.