Bilingual

There Are No Instances in atproto — overreacted
14 hours ago
- atproto does not use 'instances'; instances are a Mastodon concept that conflates hosting and apps.
- atproto separates hosting from aggregation, similar to RSS and Google Reader, where content lives on personal hosting and apps aggregate it.
- In atproto, users can swap hosting freely and build new apps without being tied to a single platform.
- Centralized social media (e.g., Facebook) encloses users in one space, while federated systems like Mastodon use instances that exchange data, creating issues like identity tied to instances and O(n²) scaling.
- Decentralization in atproto is achieved through hosting portability and app diversity, not through the number of instances.
I joined the IndieWeb, here's what I learned
9 days ago
- The IndieWeb is a people-focused alternative to the corporate web, started in 2010, emphasizing owning your data, better connectivity, and control.
- Silos (walled gardens) are centralized corporate platforms that restrict access, claim rights over content, and often disappear, taking user data with them.
- IndieWeb principles include owning your data, using visible data, making and using what you need, documenting and open-sourcing, prioritizing UX, modularity, longevity, plurality, and having fun.
- Key technical standards: your own domain as identity; microformats2 (h-card, h-entry) for machine-readable HTML; rel='me' for verified identity; Webmention for cross-site conversations; IndieAuth for domain-based login; Micropub for publishing; WebSub for real-time feeds; and Microsub for decoupled reading.
- Publishing strategies: POSSE (publish on your site, syndicate elsewhere), PESOS (publish elsewhere, syndicate to your site), and backfeed to bring interactions back to your site.
- The IndieWeb coexists with the Fediverse (bridged via Bridgy Fed) but critiques RSS/Atom for maintenance issues, promoting h-feed instead.
- Getting started involves obtaining a domain, setting up hosting, creating pages, syndicating, adding microformats, validating with IndieWebify.me, and joining the community.
- The author implemented Webmention, h-entry, h-card, and rel='me'; discarded Micropub, WebSub, and h-feed due to personal workflow and design constraints.
- Key advice: use plain HTML for durability, create permanent URLs, commit gradually, plan for extreme longevity, and have fun with your website.
Why Org Social is the ethical Fediverse alternative
11 days ago
- The Fediverse has structural issues including concentration (e.g., mastodon.social hosting 40% of accounts), human cost (volunteer burnout), and complexity (ActivityPub is hard to implement).
- Org Social is a decentralized alternative based on a plain text file (social.org) that users host themselves, allowing full ownership, simplicity, and no reliance on instances.
- It addresses ethics through design: simplicity (easy spec), accessibility (human/machine-readable), decentralization (no central instance), richer format (Org Mode features), user ownership, censorship resistance, human sustainability, and honest privacy (all public).
- Limitations include no embedded media, no private messages, everything public, reliance on relays for better UX, and a technical barrier for self-hosting.
- Conclusion: Org Social reduces social networking to a user-owned text file, eliminating Fediverse problems as a design consequence rather than a promise.
Damaged Earth Catalog
22 days ago
- The Damaged Earth Catalog promotes a shift from remote power structures (government, big business, formal education, church) to intimate, community-based power.
- It focuses on communities conducting their own education, finding inspiration, shaping their environment, and sharing knowledge.
- The catalog seeks and promotes practices supporting this transition, listing various approaches such as Appropriate Technology, Low-Tech, Permacomputing, and Degrowth.
Mastodon, the Only Good Choice
19 days ago
- The essay argues that now is a good time to leave declining social media platforms, recommending Mastodon as a better alternative.
- Mastodon is decentralized, akin to email, with no single owner, no ads, and allows migration between servers without losing followers.
- Users report more meaningful interaction and conversation on Mastodon compared to other platforms, despite potentially smaller follower counts.
- The platform supports diverse content, including sex-positive and NSFW material, with content warnings to manage visibility.
- Moderation is server-based, with tools like defederation to combat abuse, encouraging a healthier community environment.
- Mastodon features link previews, good search functionality, and a variety of open-source client apps, enhancing usability.
- Its algorithm prioritizes chronological posts from followed accounts, avoiding engagement-driven feeds, with potential for future improvements.
- Funded by nonprofits and community support, Mastodon lacks profit motives, making it resilient and sustainable compared to venture-backed platforms.
- Bluesky is criticized for centralization and reliance on venture capital, which may lead to enshittification through ads or business pressures.
- The essay concludes that Mastodon is the only viable decentralized, non-owned social media option offering a fun and interactive experience.
Private Messaging App Isn't WhatsApp or Signal, It's Delta Chat
21 days ago
- Delta Chat is a decentralized, open-source, end-to-end encrypted, and anonymous messaging app that does not require a phone number or email address to sign up.
- The app previously operated through existing email infrastructure, but now provides users with a random email address and handles all backend processes, enhancing privacy and convenience.
- Features include audio/video calls, group chats, read receipts, disappearing messages, file sharing, and multi-device login, with strong encryption preventing spam.
- Setup involves downloading the app, creating a profile without personal information, and adding contacts via QR codes or invite links.
- Delta Chat offers advantages over competitors like WhatsApp and Signal due to its anonymity, decentralized structure, resistance to blocking/censorship, and data export ease, though adoption among contacts may be limited.
Carl is a lightweight BitTorrent client with first-class Tor anonymity
a month ago
- Carl is a lightweight BitTorrent client that features Nostr-based discovery and built-in Tor anonymity.
- It does not require accounts or collect telemetry; user identity is managed via a local Nostr key.
- Connects directly to peers when privacy is not a priority, with trackers and DHT enabled.
- Routes all connections through a proxy and uses remote DNS resolution via socks5h:// to prevent leaks.
- Downloads over Tor and seeds as a .onion hidden service, keeping the user's IP address invisible.
- Searches a decentralized relay network for torrent events (NIP-35) without centralized censorship or logging.
- Automatically switches off DHT and UDP trackers when a proxy or Tor is enabled to maintain privacy.
- Treats peers, pieces, magnet links, SOCKS proxies, and onion addresses as copyable elements.
- Provides detailed transfer views, including segmented progress bars and have/missing heatmaps.
- Enables quick clipboard access to info-hashes, magnet links, and .onion addresses.
- Distinguishes trackers, DHT, and Nostr peer-announce sources for clear peer origin tracking.
- Offers visual indicators for proxy/Tor traffic confinement and relay connection status.
- Allows easy file sharing as a hidden service in two clicks, with prominent address display.

decentralization

There Are No Instances in atproto — overreacted

I joined the IndieWeb, here's what I learned

Why Org Social is the ethical Fediverse alternative

Damaged Earth Catalog

Mastodon, the Only Good Choice

Private Messaging App Isn't WhatsApp or Signal, It's Delta Chat

Carl is a lightweight BitTorrent client with first-class Tor anonymity