Show HN: Textcaster – social networking where RSS is the protocol
2 days ago
- The text describes various updates and features related to RSS-based social network platforms, particularly rss.chat and similar instances like demo.rss.chat and perstitio.us.
- Key developments include: per-user feeds with subscription management, four-tab home timelines (Local, Federated, Personal, Public), multi-session support for multiple accounts, and the ability to edit posts with updates propagating via RSS.
- The concept of 'repeaters' is introduced, inspired by amateur radio, where servers monitor and rebroadcast feeds to extend coverage in a decentralized manner, emphasizing small pieces loosely joined.
- Other features highlighted: syntax highlighting for code (e.g., Clojure, bash) via AsciiDoc, cross-posting to platforms like WordPress, and firehose documentation for real-time updates via WebSocket.
- The vision is to bootstrap a distributed social network using open web standards like RSS, avoiding centralized platforms, and fostering community-driven development with replaceable components.