proofInAToot(mathstodon.xyz)
mathstodon.xyz
proofInAToot
https://mathstodon.xyz/tags/proofInAToot
99 comments
Shortening Mastodon to Masto is even worse
"Here are some #MastoTips" https://mathstodon.xyz/tags/mastotips
T-t-thanks
"Here are some #MastoTips" https://mathstodon.xyz/tags/mastotips
T-t-thanks
Oh man. Just “published” a Masto-Toot. The kids are not happy.
I believe the best way to phrase it is "pushed out a masto-toot"
did you mean: pinched out
It's even weirder in Canada, where "toot" means "fart" but also "toke" as in inhaling cannabis smoke from a joint / pipe / bong.
> It's even weirder in Canada, where "toot" means "fart" but also "toke" as in inhaling cannabis smoke from a joint / pipe / bong.
No, that makes it sound just about right.
No, that makes it sound just about right.
Fair point
Means the same in the US afaik, but maybe it's regional. That's the first thing I thought when I heard it.
IDK, I live in Canada (Ontario) and I've never heard of the word toot referring to flatulence until people started complaining about Mastodon on HN. For me toot always referred to the sound a horn makes.
I listened to an old radio show from late 2000s and heard them making fun of the word tweet, so clearly it wasn't widely accepted at first either. But the people eventually prevailed because the platform was so much fun for them.
“Tweets” and “blogs” sounded stupid, too, but they got bludgeoned into our collective consciousness. If you step back and think about it for a second, “blogging” sounds like something you might do in the bathroom.
There was a "hit" commercial in the Netherlands, IIRC somewhere early 2000's. Lot's of funny gags and word-jokes. Also this one (translated from memory).
> A. Also, my husband blogs twice a day.
> B. Eeww, Yuck!
(Joke being that, for people not knowing what "blogging" is, but who want to appear worldly, it's safe to presume it's something really gross)
> A. Also, my husband blogs twice a day.
> B. Eeww, Yuck!
(Joke being that, for people not knowing what "blogging" is, but who want to appear worldly, it's safe to presume it's something really gross)
I bet he googles himself too!
> “blogging” sounds like something you might do in the bathroom.
This is really stretching it.
This is really stretching it.
The term 'toot' is gone from the latest release. https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/pull/18583/files
Among other reasons they didn't want to get sued by HootSuite because toot rymes with hoot. (Just BSing)
Eugen, the CEO, feels similarly to you. A good chunk of the userbase likes that it's silly. Conflict has ensued.
No, it's not just you. It's an awful name.
Gimp is the worst offender amongst badly named products. Its name is both a kink sex term and a slur against disabled people.
"Toots" are in the same category as "Cockroach" DB. Not something you want to think about. From among similar feature offerings, I'd go for the one that wasn't horribly branded.
Gimp is the worst offender amongst badly named products. Its name is both a kink sex term and a slur against disabled people.
"Toots" are in the same category as "Cockroach" DB. Not something you want to think about. From among similar feature offerings, I'd go for the one that wasn't horribly branded.
Cockroach DB makes sense in the "impossible to kill, would survive a nuclear war" connotation, which are desirable traits for a database.
Calling them "farts" might be accurate but seems strictly unflattering.
Calling them "farts" might be accurate but seems strictly unflattering.
Now, here is the interesting part: I was well into my thirties before learning that Gimp was a slur, and HN is still the only place I know it from IIRC.
The third use I hadn't heard about until you mentioned it.
The third use I hadn't heard about until you mentioned it.
I knew it was a slur in middle school
Just watch "pulp fiction" and you'll never hear gimp the same again.
Part of the solution though is to just pronounce it "jimp" which is the official way anyhow
Part of the solution though is to just pronounce it "jimp" which is the official way anyhow
The other part of the solution is to just use Krita instead. XD
(but seriously there are very very few things that "The Gimp" is good for these days when you have the option to use Krita)
(but seriously there are very very few things that "The Gimp" is good for these days when you have the option to use Krita)
Thanks for the recommendation, it looks very promising. Photopea is another great option that I've been meaning to try
Then call them "posts." Everyone knows what that means, it's not Mastodon-specific, and it's not a euphemism for something associated with bodily function that I'm aware of.
I thought the same when I joined twitter with its "tweet". In my head it just seemed weird, but quickly didn't even think about it anymore once I found interesting things
no, i find it weird too lol.
however, remember how many people used to so confidently say things like, “i will never use the word tweet. i’m an adult with an adult voice!”
if Mastodon catches on, it’ll just naturally fall into vernacular just like tweet did.
however, remember how many people used to so confidently say things like, “i will never use the word tweet. i’m an adult with an adult voice!”
if Mastodon catches on, it’ll just naturally fall into vernacular just like tweet did.
For me it doesn't matter if its Facebook, Twitter, Mastodon, HN, ... - mentally it is "posts". I'd have to go look what the UI on my instance actually says (some change it).
I like it for the specific reason that it's ridiculous.
I honestly thought this was going to be something to do with flatulence before I clicked on the link!
> is the fact that tweets called toots
It hasn't even used that name anymore for a while already.
It hasn't even used that name anymore for a while already.
Better toots than the shamefully embarrassing “truths” label.
I think it’s cute!
I wonder if they could just use “tweet”.
is “tweet” copyrighted?
[as far as I know] hashtags were originally just a twitter thing and they spread outwards. obviously the word “tweet” is more interlinked with twitter’s name and identity, but, if it’s not copyrighted, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be able to spread like hashtags did
is “tweet” copyrighted?
[as far as I know] hashtags were originally just a twitter thing and they spread outwards. obviously the word “tweet” is more interlinked with twitter’s name and identity, but, if it’s not copyrighted, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be able to spread like hashtags did
No idea if this link works, but Tweet™ is a trademark of Twitter®.
https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4806:hi...
https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4806:hi...
It annoys me to no end that TESS links aren't sharable. But if you click the "TSDR" button, it will take you to an equivalent TSDR page for which the link is sharable:
(It seems Twitter actually has the "tweet"® trademark in two different classes, so I'm not sure which one you were originally linking too)
https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85116717&caseType=SERIAL_...
https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=77715815&caseType=SERIAL_...
(It seems Twitter actually has the "tweet"® trademark in two different classes, so I'm not sure which one you were originally linking too)
https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85116717&caseType=SERIAL_...
https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=77715815&caseType=SERIAL_...
(I edited the title half an hour after submitting, solely to remove the octothorpe (#). The reason is because Mastodon has HN bots which are retooting this thread, and the literal # is causing the retoots to be interpreted as hashtag-using and polluting the submitted page with spam).
(Sorry!)
(Sorry!)
I've seen a lot of anecdotes on twitter of people confused by the mastodon server thing. There seems to be a definite fear of missing out on good content due to picking the wrong one. Not sure how you tackle that issue.
Isn't the idea that you publish on one but you subscribe to many?
I think so (no idea personally) and if you're afraid to miss good toots wouldn't not signing up at all be even worse?
I know this isn't a solution but the fear of missing out is a psychological one. You should put those fears aside and just participate, live in the moment. It might work out.
If I’m living in the moment, I’m not using social media at all quite likely.
And it doesn’t matter if the effect is “psychological,” it’s going to have an effect on product outcome.
And it doesn’t matter if the effect is “psychological,” it’s going to have an effect on product outcome.
Someone more versed in social media could perhaps explain this to me...
Are you able to "sign up once" and be able to log into every instance of Mastodon? Would having a "central profile" database break everything it stands for?
I really like the idea. At the end of the day though, people usually follow the path of least resistance. Hence why reddit "wins" over forums (obv forums are much better for many things but you know).
It seems like something I would be interested in. I have been, since before this twitter drama even started. Someone tried explaining it back then and it sorta made sense. Perhaps its changed in the mean time though?
Are you able to "sign up once" and be able to log into every instance of Mastodon? Would having a "central profile" database break everything it stands for?
I really like the idea. At the end of the day though, people usually follow the path of least resistance. Hence why reddit "wins" over forums (obv forums are much better for many things but you know).
It seems like something I would be interested in. I have been, since before this twitter drama even started. Someone tried explaining it back then and it sorta made sense. Perhaps its changed in the mean time though?
>Are you able to "sign up once" and be able to log into every instance of Mastodon?
In short, no. But this isn't a question that makes sense in context, it's like asking if you can sign into Yahoo with your Gmail account.
Let's be clear up front: mastodon is not Twitter. They look similar at first glance, but that's as far as it goes. Try to keep an open mind and appreciate mastodon for what it is instead of what it isn't.
Each instance is an independent server. The software is often tweaked, custom interfaces, and each instance builds a unique community with their own rules. The trick is that they all speak the ActivityPub protocol, which allows any server to talk to any other.
You don't need to log into other instances because your instance already knows how to show you content from another. You can interact with any account on any instance which talks to yours. Those remote accounts don't even have to be mastodon accounts! You can follow accounts on pixelfed, peertube, pleroma, etc all from your one mastodon account.
It's often compared to email. Anyone anywhere can spin up a server and start sending email to Gmail, yahoo, outlook, etc. No two email servers have any relation to one another, but since everyone uses the same protocol, you can generally talk to anyone.
Additionally, you can move your account between servers. It will transfer your profile and followers, but not posts. There's a general sentiment that posts should be ephemeral, and you have settings in your account to delete posts after a period of time.
Mastodon is fundamentally different from how we've been doing social media, and I think that's a good thing. I've been using it for a couple of years, and I haven't had fun on social media like this since I became friends with Tom on MySpace.
It's new and scary, but if anyone is considering trying it out, I enthusiastically encourage you to give it a good solid try for a week or two. The big servers are fine, but you really want to fine a small server with a community of interests similar to yours. (avoid mastodon.social like the plague)
Through the last few waves of people jumping ship, almost everyone remarks that it's a better experience. You get more and more meaningful engagement on your posts, even with 1/100th the follower count. It's a much more fun and human experience than machine-fed algorithmic crap.
In short, no. But this isn't a question that makes sense in context, it's like asking if you can sign into Yahoo with your Gmail account.
Let's be clear up front: mastodon is not Twitter. They look similar at first glance, but that's as far as it goes. Try to keep an open mind and appreciate mastodon for what it is instead of what it isn't.
Each instance is an independent server. The software is often tweaked, custom interfaces, and each instance builds a unique community with their own rules. The trick is that they all speak the ActivityPub protocol, which allows any server to talk to any other.
You don't need to log into other instances because your instance already knows how to show you content from another. You can interact with any account on any instance which talks to yours. Those remote accounts don't even have to be mastodon accounts! You can follow accounts on pixelfed, peertube, pleroma, etc all from your one mastodon account.
It's often compared to email. Anyone anywhere can spin up a server and start sending email to Gmail, yahoo, outlook, etc. No two email servers have any relation to one another, but since everyone uses the same protocol, you can generally talk to anyone.
Additionally, you can move your account between servers. It will transfer your profile and followers, but not posts. There's a general sentiment that posts should be ephemeral, and you have settings in your account to delete posts after a period of time.
Mastodon is fundamentally different from how we've been doing social media, and I think that's a good thing. I've been using it for a couple of years, and I haven't had fun on social media like this since I became friends with Tom on MySpace.
It's new and scary, but if anyone is considering trying it out, I enthusiastically encourage you to give it a good solid try for a week or two. The big servers are fine, but you really want to fine a small server with a community of interests similar to yours. (avoid mastodon.social like the plague)
Through the last few waves of people jumping ship, almost everyone remarks that it's a better experience. You get more and more meaningful engagement on your posts, even with 1/100th the follower count. It's a much more fun and human experience than machine-fed algorithmic crap.
Great explanation!
> It's a much more fun and human experience than machine-fed algorithmic crap.
What happens when the bots show up?
> It's a much more fun and human experience than machine-fed algorithmic crap.
What happens when the bots show up?
They just don't exist like they do on Twitter. We do get spam bots now and then, but users report and block them quickly. They usually give up before the admin gets around to banning them.
Each server individually isn't a great target for spam, since the populations are low, and there isn't a good way to spam outside of your server, because the entire instance can block you.
Not foolproof in the least, but I haven't seen anything more than a dozen individual spam bots in the last two years.
Each server individually isn't a great target for spam, since the populations are low, and there isn't a good way to spam outside of your server, because the entire instance can block you.
Not foolproof in the least, but I haven't seen anything more than a dozen individual spam bots in the last two years.
they have their own instances: https://botsin.space/about/more
In addition, its common courtesy to check the "this account is a bot" checkbox, when an account is a bot.
And on the other side, it's a single checkbox to say "I want to filter any bots".
It's neither perfect nor failsafe. But with enough humans to moderate, report and help out, I'm sure it works better than any centralized, algorithmic setup can ever work.
And on the other side, it's a single checkbox to say "I want to filter any bots".
It's neither perfect nor failsafe. But with enough humans to moderate, report and help out, I'm sure it works better than any centralized, algorithmic setup can ever work.
Thanks for this explanation. I think I have the best understanding of it, that I've ever had. I think with this, I could even do a TL;DR for non tech people.
I guess my only question now is, what if instance "collude" or you end up with powermods 2.0 from reddit? I remember I got banned by one mod on a powertrip in a local city sub and woke up with messages saying I was banned in half a dozen default subs (I never really visited either way though). Would it just completely block users from that instance? as if they didn't exist? Why not let the user make that call?
This is probably like asking "what if you don't agree with the moderation policy of the central authority" so maybe it really is just a "trade off" at the end of the day.
I guess my only question now is, what if instance "collude" or you end up with powermods 2.0 from reddit? I remember I got banned by one mod on a powertrip in a local city sub and woke up with messages saying I was banned in half a dozen default subs (I never really visited either way though). Would it just completely block users from that instance? as if they didn't exist? Why not let the user make that call?
This is probably like asking "what if you don't agree with the moderation policy of the central authority" so maybe it really is just a "trade off" at the end of the day.
This has happened before. It goes down something like this:
Server admin starts harassing people for whatever reason Users from that server start calling them out (usually with a #fediblock tag) Any sympathetic users will block the entire instance where the abuse is happening (this is called de-federation)
Any instance is basically a private space, and there is no external authority which can influence what happens there. Instead, that server gets blocked from interacting with other servers. A server in isolation isn't much fun, so those users tend to migrate elsewhere until the offending server is empty and shuts down.
The beauty is that there is no central authority which could potentially abuse users, but there is also no central authority to protect them. So we protect each other, and let the toxic servers stew in their own juices away from everyone else.
Server admin starts harassing people for whatever reason Users from that server start calling them out (usually with a #fediblock tag) Any sympathetic users will block the entire instance where the abuse is happening (this is called de-federation)
Any instance is basically a private space, and there is no external authority which can influence what happens there. Instead, that server gets blocked from interacting with other servers. A server in isolation isn't much fun, so those users tend to migrate elsewhere until the offending server is empty and shuts down.
The beauty is that there is no central authority which could potentially abuse users, but there is also no central authority to protect them. So we protect each other, and let the toxic servers stew in their own juices away from everyone else.
Tldr
> You don't need to log into other instances because your instance already knows how to show you content from another.
If it takes 9 paragraphs to explain this concept, I can see why Mastodon is so confusing for so many people.
> You don't need to log into other instances because your instance already knows how to show you content from another.
If it takes 9 paragraphs to explain this concept, I can see why Mastodon is so confusing for so many people.
It's one of those things that's tricky to explain, but simple to understand.
But also I am bad at words and tend to over-explain.
But also I am bad at words and tend to over-explain.
This HN post is actually a perfect opportunity to demonstrate an important detail of the fediverse. See the post links to mastodon.xyz, one instance.
I replaced mastodon.xyz with my own instance and only got two posts.
So each instance has a fairly unique perspective based on its federation.
And that federation is decided through mainly two factors, what its users follow, and AP relays. AP relays are just a cheatcode that gives a small instance a lot of federation by subscribing to relayed "toots" from other instances.
But the true federation magic happens when users follow other users.
So clearly there is very little (almost none) overlap between my instance and mastodon.xyz because the only mention of this tag was rom 2017, and one linking the HN post now.
I replaced mastodon.xyz with my own instance and only got two posts.
So each instance has a fairly unique perspective based on its federation.
And that federation is decided through mainly two factors, what its users follow, and AP relays. AP relays are just a cheatcode that gives a small instance a lot of federation by subscribing to relayed "toots" from other instances.
But the true federation magic happens when users follow other users.
So clearly there is very little (almost none) overlap between my instance and mastodon.xyz because the only mention of this tag was rom 2017, and one linking the HN post now.
If you just want to read posts on Mastodon, you don't need to sign up at all.
You only need to sign up (just once) if you want to follow people, or post yourself.
You can read all (public) posts on all instances either way.
You only need to sign up (just once) if you want to follow people, or post yourself.
You can read all (public) posts on all instances either way.
Interesting.
So I swear this is not on purpose, but I went to try to see what thing I would be interested in. I searched "Mastodon Technology" and it leads me here:
https://mastodon.technology/about
It says it's shutting down though? So they can just shut down and if you don't migrate your account in time, you're SoL ?
I do understand a bit more now. I remember being interested in it around 2019 and it was a bit confusing then.
Your comment clears it up quite a bit.
So I swear this is not on purpose, but I went to try to see what thing I would be interested in. I searched "Mastodon Technology" and it leads me here:
https://mastodon.technology/about
It says it's shutting down though? So they can just shut down and if you don't migrate your account in time, you're SoL ?
I do understand a bit more now. I remember being interested in it around 2019 and it was a bit confusing then.
Your comment clears it up quite a bit.
Yes, but if Twitter shut down, you wouldn't have any more options.
That server got too big for its admin team to handle. The general sentiment around mastodon is that it's sad, but it isn't a bad thing. The admins did their best, but it's in everyone's best interest to shut it down gracefully rather than let it fester. All the users will migrate to new communities and continue on.
Mastodon has a problem with scaling individual instances. It works best when there are a lot of relatively small instances. Once you get too many users, server resources get tight FAST. My instance has gone down three times for upgrades this week, and the admin has had to suspend new user registration because the server just can't keep up.
That server got too big for its admin team to handle. The general sentiment around mastodon is that it's sad, but it isn't a bad thing. The admins did their best, but it's in everyone's best interest to shut it down gracefully rather than let it fester. All the users will migrate to new communities and continue on.
Mastodon has a problem with scaling individual instances. It works best when there are a lot of relatively small instances. Once you get too many users, server resources get tight FAST. My instance has gone down three times for upgrades this week, and the admin has had to suspend new user registration because the server just can't keep up.
>Yes, but if Twitter shut down, you wouldn't have any more options
That's totally fair. You're also SoL if you don't agree with their policies, etc. So I'm definitely not a fan of the way that works.
>Mastodon has a problem with scaling individual instances
That's unfortunate to hear. Seems like a "core" issue though... I mean, if it approaches anywhere near the number of DAU twitter has... no idea how that would work, logistically.
Seems it would have to come full-circle where hosters have incentive beyond "hobby" and "clout" reasons.
That's totally fair. You're also SoL if you don't agree with their policies, etc. So I'm definitely not a fan of the way that works.
>Mastodon has a problem with scaling individual instances
That's unfortunate to hear. Seems like a "core" issue though... I mean, if it approaches anywhere near the number of DAU twitter has... no idea how that would work, logistically.
Seems it would have to come full-circle where hosters have incentive beyond "hobby" and "clout" reasons.
There are a lot of things to complain about in the core of mastodon as a piece of software. That's a big part of why there are so many alternatives built on the same protocol.
The idea is that by spreading the users amongst many smaller servers, everyone has a pretty responsive experience while still being able to (hypothetically) interact with as many users as on Twitter.
The idea is that by spreading the users amongst many smaller servers, everyone has a pretty responsive experience while still being able to (hypothetically) interact with as many users as on Twitter.
> The general sentiment is… it isn't a bad thing
The general tone has seemed very defensive
The general tone has seemed very defensive
The discussion I've seen frames it something like this:
Servers rise and fall, it's part of the life cycle here. The admins couldn't handle the size of the server, and it was causing a rapidly degrading experience for everyone. Shutting down the server was mostly in the best personal interests of the admin, but people seem to be respecting them for that. They did the responsible thing by shutting down new registration, making very loud announcements, and giving everyone as much time as possible to migrate their accounts.
In other words, any instance will shut down sooner or later, and the way the admin handled this particular case is the most respectful way to treat the users.
Sad that it happened, but much respect for handling it as gracefully as possible.
Servers rise and fall, it's part of the life cycle here. The admins couldn't handle the size of the server, and it was causing a rapidly degrading experience for everyone. Shutting down the server was mostly in the best personal interests of the admin, but people seem to be respecting them for that. They did the responsible thing by shutting down new registration, making very loud announcements, and giving everyone as much time as possible to migrate their accounts.
In other words, any instance will shut down sooner or later, and the way the admin handled this particular case is the most respectful way to treat the users.
Sad that it happened, but much respect for handling it as gracefully as possible.
> any instance will shut down sooner or later
Just another thing for users to be worried about.
Just another thing for users to be worried about.
No, not any more than you worry about Twitter shutting down.
And when Twitter does eventually shut down, all of those users will lose their accounts and followers forever with no recourse. When a mastodon server shuts down, you click the 'migrate account' button and continue like nothing happened.
And when Twitter does eventually shut down, all of those users will lose their accounts and followers forever with no recourse. When a mastodon server shuts down, you click the 'migrate account' button and continue like nothing happened.
Twitter has never shut down before. As has been said, instances go down all the time.
I've moved twice so far (didn't like the (lack of) moderation on the first instance I was on, the second one is shutting down in a bit and they gave everyone advance notice so we all moved off) and it's very painless, not worrying at all.
> Are you able to "sign up once" and be able to log into every instance of Mastodon?
No. You can follow people in other instances and interact with them, but your account is tied to your instance.
No. You can follow people in other instances and interact with them, but your account is tied to your instance.
So if user A signs up on instance A, they can follow instance B and interact with users on instance B?
Effectively, if you follow enough instances, it would look/feel like twitter? In the sense that you get a feed of interesting content from multiple users?
Effectively, if you follow enough instances, it would look/feel like twitter? In the sense that you get a feed of interesting content from multiple users?
Almost every server except mastodon.social exposes local and federated timelines.
The local timeline is the real time feed of all activity exclusively on your instance.
Federated timeline shows the local timeline plus the public feeds of any account that someone on your instance is following.
With enough users on an instance, the federated feed shows you a good chunk of the entire fediverse traffic. It's one of the best ways to find new and interesting accounts to follow
The local timeline is the real time feed of all activity exclusively on your instance.
Federated timeline shows the local timeline plus the public feeds of any account that someone on your instance is following.
With enough users on an instance, the federated feed shows you a good chunk of the entire fediverse traffic. It's one of the best ways to find new and interesting accounts to follow
Yes, across all instances that your instance federates with.
If your instance dislikes the policy of the other instance, e.g. because the other instance hasn't cancelled the right people, they might refuse to federate with it (and the other way around), and then you won't see those toots.
Also, some instances will defederate any instance that itself federates with the "wrong" instances, sometimes forcing an instance to choose between letting others dictate its federation policy or having their users lose access to others they're following.
If your instance dislikes the policy of the other instance, e.g. because the other instance hasn't cancelled the right people, they might refuse to federate with it (and the other way around), and then you won't see those toots.
Also, some instances will defederate any instance that itself federates with the "wrong" instances, sometimes forcing an instance to choose between letting others dictate its federation policy or having their users lose access to others they're following.
At first I thought this wasn't a huge deal... it would be like having a bad experience with twitter moderation but now I'm thinking... in that case, you'll have to "choose" your first server pretty carefully then?
Maybe I have a misunderstanding but I can't imagine convincing something like that on reddit or discord would go over well at all.
Who and what you interact with can be changed by the whims of discord/reddit mods. Some even go so far as to craft tools/bots to extend their "power" to allow them to ban users across subs. This doesn't make it so you can't see the other users entirely though.
What if you join on "gaming" and it turns out the admin of "gaming" is a huge d-bag and all the other instances decide to not federate with "gaming" ? Will you have to recreate your entire account?
I could still be misunderstanding... but it seems like as time goes on, the chances of admins/mods having some ridiculous drama approaches 1. At least as far as discord and reddit have gone. Just look at the whole antiwork thing. Drama and struggles within the same subreddit, let alone different ones.
Maybe I have a misunderstanding but I can't imagine convincing something like that on reddit or discord would go over well at all.
Who and what you interact with can be changed by the whims of discord/reddit mods. Some even go so far as to craft tools/bots to extend their "power" to allow them to ban users across subs. This doesn't make it so you can't see the other users entirely though.
What if you join on "gaming" and it turns out the admin of "gaming" is a huge d-bag and all the other instances decide to not federate with "gaming" ? Will you have to recreate your entire account?
I could still be misunderstanding... but it seems like as time goes on, the chances of admins/mods having some ridiculous drama approaches 1. At least as far as discord and reddit have gone. Just look at the whole antiwork thing. Drama and struggles within the same subreddit, let alone different ones.
> What if you join on "gaming" and it turns out the admin of "gaming" is a huge d-bag and all the other instances decide to not federate with "gaming" ? Will you have to recreate your entire account?
Not entirely, you can migrate to a new instance. This of course depends on the old instance still being around (as that's where your account lives until you choose to migrate it), and on your account still being accessible (so hopefully you're not banned from it) but it's an option. Your followers get migrated over but your posts do not.
So you do need to have some level of trust in the instance, but it's not necessarily a final decision.
Not entirely, you can migrate to a new instance. This of course depends on the old instance still being around (as that's where your account lives until you choose to migrate it), and on your account still being accessible (so hopefully you're not banned from it) but it's an option. Your followers get migrated over but your posts do not.
So you do need to have some level of trust in the instance, but it's not necessarily a final decision.
> What if you join on "gaming" and it turns out the admin of "gaming" is a huge d-bag and all the other instances decide to not federate with "gaming" ? Will you have to recreate your entire account?
no, you just move your account to a different server.
with reddit you’re at the mercy of the mods closing a sub down or locking down. same with discord. with mastodon we just move our account—when you move, you keep the same followers/following so in the very rare occurrence something like this happens, it’s a minimal disruption with an easy solution.
moving even redirects to your new account, so if someone has your old address, mastodon just directs them straight to where you moved to—god i wish email would do this.
no, you just move your account to a different server.
with reddit you’re at the mercy of the mods closing a sub down or locking down. same with discord. with mastodon we just move our account—when you move, you keep the same followers/following so in the very rare occurrence something like this happens, it’s a minimal disruption with an easy solution.
moving even redirects to your new account, so if someone has your old address, mastodon just directs them straight to where you moved to—god i wish email would do this.
Sounds like the origin story of EFNet [1]
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EFnet
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EFnet
That's the drama I was missing in my life.
I feel the easiest explanation is that it's like e-mail. You can send and receive from mostly anyone, even though they might use different providers. Like gmail or fastmail. But even though you have a gmail account, you don't use it to log into fastmail when talking with fastmail users.
Makes a lot of sense.
So if someone said "look at this cool OSS I created." You would be able to comment and see other's comments like a typical comment section?
So if someone said "look at this cool OSS I created." You would be able to comment and see other's comments like a typical comment section?
Yes.
Yep.
The one major difference is you cannot "subscribe" to a hashtag. You can do a hashtag view, but it will be limited to all the toots on your server (which I believe includes all the toots people in other servers that folks on your server have subscribed to).
The one major difference is you cannot "subscribe" to a hashtag. You can do a hashtag view, but it will be limited to all the toots on your server (which I believe includes all the toots people in other servers that folks on your server have subscribed to).
Will that not become extremely resource-intensive once a server grows a bit and federates with other larger servers? E.g. you have 5000 users and they follow some other 50k users (each one following 10 people feels low, but I have no idea), you're now locally saving the twoots of 50000 users. And this is the same for every server, or is there kind of a synergy between federated servers?
Yes. This is why mastodon.social does not have the federated timelines, and why the feature is totally absent from the official mobile apps.
Eugen (who created mastodon) has been trying to ditch the feature, which I think is a huge mistake. Almost every other server keeps it on, because it's a great part of what makes the fediverse special
Eugen (who created mastodon) has been trying to ditch the feature, which I think is a huge mistake. Almost every other server keeps it on, because it's a great part of what makes the fediverse special
You can subscribe to a hashtag in the newest version: https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/releases/tag/v4.0.0rc1
There's a reason I put quotes around the word "subscribe".
In current Mastodon, there is no subscribing of a hashtag - only searching.
My belief is that in the newest version, you can subscribe, but it's still not global. Essentially it just saves you from doing an explicit search and adds it to your feed.
So if someone posts a toot in some distant instance with a certain hashtag, it may still not show up in my feed.
In current Mastodon, there is no subscribing of a hashtag - only searching.
My belief is that in the newest version, you can subscribe, but it's still not global. Essentially it just saves you from doing an explicit search and adds it to your feed.
So if someone posts a toot in some distant instance with a certain hashtag, it may still not show up in my feed.
Makes sense.
I never really subscribed to hashtags in the first place. Always seem to be filled with spam. On twitter, I just follow a few interesting people and they'll usually tweet or retweet interesting stuff, so it works out.
I never really subscribed to hashtags in the first place. Always seem to be filled with spam. On twitter, I just follow a few interesting people and they'll usually tweet or retweet interesting stuff, so it works out.
> I never really subscribed to hashtags in the first place.
They're useful for limited, local current events. As an example, there was a sudden bush fire near my relative's house, and it was convenient to be able to track all the tweets tied to that hashtag to get the latest updates. For events like this, the local news media has only a tiny fraction of the (mis)information. You get a lot more (mis)information by following the hashtag.
They're useful for limited, local current events. As an example, there was a sudden bush fire near my relative's house, and it was convenient to be able to track all the tweets tied to that hashtag to get the latest updates. For events like this, the local news media has only a tiny fraction of the (mis)information. You get a lot more (mis)information by following the hashtag.
This is the first time I’ve ever read something on Mastodon. Well played.
Shows me error 500.
This is why Mastodon is garbage, 1, links at the bottom of an endless scroll so they can never actually be reached, and 2, the design is complete garbage, there's no ux/ui there at all.
I'm sure the content is great but no-ones ever gonna see it.
I'm sure the content is great but no-ones ever gonna see it.
Your dramatic hyperboles hide the fact that there is some truth in what you say.
The page linked is not what people commonly see or use when interacting with "the mastodon network". It's a public view on a single instance of a single hashtag.
It certainly should be designed better. But you've clearly not spent any time to look into "the UX of mastodon" because if you did, you've known that the page you are criticizing, is an exceptional and hardly used one.
Also, please try to be civil and constructive. It gets your otherwise valid point across much better. Now you sound like a nitwit with a grudge, while the points you make do have some merit.
The page linked is not what people commonly see or use when interacting with "the mastodon network". It's a public view on a single instance of a single hashtag.
It certainly should be designed better. But you've clearly not spent any time to look into "the UX of mastodon" because if you did, you've known that the page you are criticizing, is an exceptional and hardly used one.
Also, please try to be civil and constructive. It gets your otherwise valid point across much better. Now you sound like a nitwit with a grudge, while the points you make do have some merit.
I'm not sure that's a valid proof.
Literally everyone I've seen who gave mastodon an honest try has said that they get remarkably more engagement with a fraction of the followers they had on Twitter.
I've seen this said hundreds of times. It's said so often that it's become a running joke.
I've seen this said hundreds of times. It's said so often that it's become a running joke.
also, 3: "toot"
[deleted]
Toot is a term for doing a bump of coke.
More Mastodon spamming.
More Mastodon spamming.
is that just me?