You'll also find that users of the instance don't all run entirely free software and yet it's still a relevant place to congregate and discuss topics like "why this open source project didn't work for me", "why this open source project was a great alternative to closed-source offerings" and all of the subtleties in-between. My experience of most of these conversations is that few people try to gatekeep or provide vapid criticism of people who aren't fanatical purists.

You'll find that most community members (including the staff) come from a wide/diverse background. Unlike some other groups that have more of a "FOSS or else" atmosphere, Fosstodon has members (and staff) that are hobbyists to extremists to pragmatics and everything in between. It's really a great place to discuss and support the FOSS movement without being chastised if you're not "all in".