Tonight, my wife and I were watching some videos from the Glastonbury concert. Shortly after, I showed her the stunning photos shared by @Glastomichelle and we decided that as soon as we have the chance, we’ll visit those places. The Fediverse works better than a travel agency!
Friends of #BSDCafe and the entire #Fediverse, until now, I have taken an approach to moderation where I engage in dialogue with users to find suitable solutions. However, for some colleagues, this approach has not seemed sufficient, so I will be adopting a different strategy. From now on, as soon as an issue is reported to me, I will take immediate action and then discuss it with the user. Fortunately, these situations are very rare, but they do occur, and I want to ensure that no one feels attacked or harassed. For this reason, I am adding a new rule:
Promote Positivity:
BSD Cafe is a supportive environment. Pro, not against.Any kind of attacks are strictly prohibited.This is a place for relaxation and serenity. Violations may lead to immediate account suspension. Negative behavior risks our server being isolated by others, affecting all users
For this #ThankYouTuesday, I want to express my gratitude to SDF.org.
This long-standing community, thriving and healthy, is built on #NetBSD.
Many years ago (I’d have to dig through old emails, but it’s definitely over 20 years), I reached out to them for advice on setting up a public access server (which I ended up not doing). They were incredibly kind and provided me with a wealth of information.
They are also present in the Fediverse - @SDF - showing that they are always keeping up with the times and looking toward the future.
Long live SDF, and thank you for everything!
#SDFCommunity #Fediverse #TechHistory #Gratitude #RunBSD #Community #ThankYou #SDF
A small compendium of the Fediverse platforms I use/know well.
In the past few days, I revisited some of my old Fediverse instances since some friends asked me to help them set up a new one. I also took the chance to perform maintenance on some leftover instances. Here's my experience:
Akkoma: My oldest instance still running, opened in 2022. It was offline for a few months (3/4). I updated everything to the latest version and restarted it. I’m not sure why, but it’s extremely slow, with a heavy load on Postgres and many queries just to open the main page. I like Akkoma - I'll investigate further.
GoToSocial: I updated a friend's instance - GoToSocial itself was up-to-date, but the underlying system wasn’t. I noticed that once it exceeds 2000 followings, it becomes a bit slow. The database is PostgreSQL, but that's not the issue. The GoToSocial process becomes somewhat heavy on the VPS. Still, it's very usable and a software with great potential, in my opinion. The Mastodon API is implemented quite well and works with the major software.
Mitra: It seems well-built. The person had around 1000 followers and followings on a Mastodon account, which they moved from a large instance. No speed issues, though sending a message makes the server “heavy” for a bit, but it’s temporary. The Mastodon API is partially implemented, but the software is advancing quickly, and I find its native interface quite pleasant.
Snac2: I've always had a soft spot for Snac2. The lack of a database and some design choices make it an excellent solution for small instances. For example, sending posts to all known instances increases visibility and interaction. Its basic, JavaScript-free interface is very clear, though it might not be the best for those used to Mastodon. But the Mastodon API is improving version by version, and I think the developer is doing an excellent job. It struggles a bit with larger numbers, but that's due to the underlying file system, not the software itself. If "move" support (both in and out) were added, I would recommend it to anyone starting self-hosting for single-user or small community instances because "move" is one of the options that gives the most freedom in Fediverse software.
Mastodon: My “old” personal instance was stuck at version 4.1.x and had been offline for a few months. I updated the FreeBSD Jail and upgraded Mastodon to 4.2.12 and then to 4.3.0-beta1. No issues. I also helped a friend (who had an old Pleroma-based instance they barely used) migrate. This user has around 5000 followers and followings - Mastodon is running on FreeBSD on a VPS (arm64) for just over 3 euros a month, with no significant issues (apart from media storage, but that's not Mastodon’s fault). Mastodon is sometimes said to be heavy, and that's partly true, but its modularity ensures that even in cases of overload, queues may slow down, but navigation and the local timeline remain reasonably fast. I think this is a good thing for any larger-scale use of an instance.
In short, I think things are moving in the right direction, and the software is evolving nicely. Well done, devs!
#Fediverse #Akkoma #GoToSocial #Mitra #Snac2 #Snac #Mastodon #SelfHosting #InstanceManagement #FreeBSD #OpenSource
In my opinion, every government, public entity, association, foundation, etc., that needs to communicate with the public should have its own communication channel, with full control over its data and the messages it delivers. When I read “my Discord server,” I feel like responding “there’s nothing ‘yours’ about it - tomorrow morning they could shut everything down, and you would have lost EVERYTHING.”. Own your data!
Sometimes, I read that instances are not opened because of “costs not balanced by the number of users.” But even public television channels are often economically unprofitable, yet they are considered an essential service for public communication. Open, decentralized technologies that ensure control over one’s data should be treated the same way.
I read that the official Mastodon instance of the Swiss government will be closing down.
They say there are few active users, low engagement, and minimal interaction, which seems quite plausible. Additionally, they claim that "on platforms like X or Instagram, the Federal Council and the Federal Administration have many more followers." I believe that too, of course.
However, I do not agree with their decision. I think a government shouldn’t be overly concerned about follower counts and interactions, but rather about providing free, autonomous communication that is independent of third-party companies. In my view, a government shouldn’t operate like a business focused on "numbers."
Still, I appreciate their experiment - many governments, like the Italian one, haven’t even tried.
Regarding costs and management effort: an instance with 5 users and 3,500 followers (numbers provided by them) can run on a VPS for €3 a month and doesn't require heavy moderation. The cost for them is nearly zero. Yet, the freedom of information and discussion, especially for a Neutral Country, should always be a priority.
I believe that maintaining control over one’s information channels is crucial, especially in today's world. But, I fear that decision-makers only consider the numbers, which often favor the flashiest - but worse - solutions.
Encouraging citizens to use closed platforms is, in my opinion, a wrong choice.
Thanks to the Swiss government for at least giving it a shot.
https://www.admin.ch/gov/it/pagina-iniziale/documentazione/comunicati-stampa.msg-id-102585.html
#Mastodon #FreedomOfSpeech #Switzerland #Fediverse #SocialNetworks
Increasing or Modifying Character Limits and Poll Options in Mastodon 4.3
https://it-notes.dragas.net/2024/10/09/2024-modifying-limits-in-mastodon-4-3/
Just to clarify: when I boost a post, it doesn’t necessarily mean I agree with it.
Often, I do it just to give visibility (and, consequently, to see the comments) on the topic being discussed - especially if it’s a post from a BSD Cafe user.
Good morning, #Fediverse!
Snac2 is an excellent software solution for accessing the Fediverse. It is lightweight, very easy to compile and install, has minimal dependencies, and the development is progressing along a clear, clean, and logical path - thank you, @grunfink
Since last December, BSD Cafe has had, among its services, a snac instance - https://snac.bsd.cafe - which has been used sparingly, mainly by some for testing purposes. I’ve kept it as a 'testing' option.
In light of the interest it is generating (we now have stable users) and given that development is evolving to allow for both inbound and outbound movement, I have decided to designate it as a stable solution for accessing the Fediverse and to consider it a primary service of the BSD Cafe.
It has always received the utmost attention, I have consistently updated it promptly, and it has always been accessible, but I have also modified all the descriptions to clarify that it is a stable and definitive solution.
For more information, there is always a dedicated page on our wiki: https://wiki.bsd.cafe/snac.bsd.cafe
Stay Tuned!
#BSDCafe #BSDCafeServices #BSDCafeAnnouncements #snac #snac2 #Fediverse #Mastodon
Snac2 is an excellent software solution for accessing the Fediverse. It is lightweight, very easy to compile and install, has minimal dependencies, and the development is progressing along a clear, clean, and logical path - thank you, @grunfink
Since last December, BSD Cafe has had, among its services, a snac instance - https://snac.bsd.cafe - which has been used sparingly, mainly by some for testing purposes. I’ve kept it as a 'testing' option.
In light of the interest it is generating (we now have stable users) and given that development is evolving to allow for both inbound and outbound movement, I have decided to designate it as a stable solution for accessing the Fediverse and to consider it a primary service of the BSD Cafe.
It has always received the utmost attention, I have consistently updated it promptly, and it has always been accessible, but I have also modified all the descriptions to clarify that it is a stable and definitive solution.
For more information, there is always a dedicated page on our wiki: https://wiki.bsd.cafe/snac.bsd.cafe
Stay Tuned!
#BSDCafe #BSDCafeServices #BSDCafeAnnouncements #snac #snac2 #Fediverse #Mastodon
I haven't implemented a simple count of following / followers on purpose; I consider all metrics in network media inherently toxic, because it's a way of comparing the relative success of people. This is also why, as seen from other Fediverse implementations, snac accounts always report 0 / 0 connections.
