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@otl@hachyderm.io cover
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

otl

@[email protected]

Rollerblading, programming, writing, documentaries, travel, motorbikes… That’s it!

Preferably email: [email protected]

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@VintageGenious Think about it this way: an email client can do both Gmail and Hotmail (and Fastmail etc.) because it’s all just email. The same goes for the Fediverse; it’s all just ActivityPub. For example this reply is from a Mastodon app :D

I have personal frustrations about how popular servers like Mastodon and Lemmy hide ActivityPub. I feel progress is stifled. Enough that I wrote my own ActivityPub service (https://apubtest2.srcbeat.com/apas.html)

@fediverse

otl , (edited )
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@maegul @VintageGenious Agreed. But it's tricky. Few thoughts:

  1. ActivityPub itself is in a bit of a mess. Spec too large (spread out over many other specifications!), poor documentation, overly generic.

  2. Many devs just aren't that familiar with interoperability

  3. To encourage adoption, Mastodon and Lemmy cloned existing services and behaviour

  4. Those two fediverse systems added ActivityPub late in their development

@fediverse

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Probably! :) https://old.lemmy.world/post/19168403
To rephrase your question: "did my message get sent to Lemmy servers?"
Because in a sense, your comment isn't "on" anything; you sent a message to your server (thebrainbin.org) which then sent out a copy to many, many other servers.

@sunzu2 @VintageGenious @fediverse

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@rglullis RSS is so underrated I feel. Easy to understand, battle-tested, scales up easily, plethora of clients. Many uses of microblogging, especially in the “real world” use by places like governments, police departments, public transport services could be easily replaced by simple RSS/Atom feeds. Governments and TV stations don’t need to set up Mastodon instances since they never actually interact with people. It’s not “social” media to them; just another avenue of broadcast.

@fediverse

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@VintageGenious For sure you’re absolutely right to ask the question. I have the same question :)

I guess I’m just venting. Popular Fediverse systems are implemented in a way that closely mimics exisiting CRUD social media like Twitter and Reddit. You upload a post, it’s stored in a database, and you’re done. Mastodon and Lemmy are the same, with the afterthought of sending ActivityPub messages to other systems.

And we see the result: how federation works remains an obscurity.

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Lots of things! I subscribe to blogs, Lemmy communities, Mastodon accounts, podcasts, YouTube channels, source code repositories (GitHub, Sourcehut, cgit…), Hacker News, subreddits. All in one ad-free, tracker-less, totally local, instantly searchable, open source application. Couldn’t have lived without it for the past 15 - 20 years!

@fediverse @VintageGenious

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Sure I can ;) I clicked on the link to your post in my RSS reader then replied from a Mastodon application.

@VintageGenious @fediverse

Is there a Git repository activity aggregator, like GitHub's user activity but platform independent?

I’m looking for something like GitHub’s user activity indicator that gathers information from a list of git repositories regardless of where they are hosted (as long as they are public), that I can put on my webpage, kind of as a thing to show what I’m working on at the moment....

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@2xsaiko RSS/Atom feeds were developed for this use case. GitHub, GitLab, Codeberg (Forgejo), Sourcehut, even cgit and git's own gitweb serve feeds. For example here's my GitHub account: https://github.com/ollytom.atom
my main OSS project: https://git.olowe.co/streaming/atom/

Atom feeds are widely supported (it's how I found this post!) and there are many libraries/apps/plugins for aggregation. Robust old tech. And no need to limit feeds to Git activity if you don't want to :) Good luck!

@technology

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@xnx PieFed won’t have an app any time soon due to the way it’s implemented. It’s still awesome without a native app because it’s fast and doesn’t really need direct access to hardware to do its thing.

Tech detail: PieFed is a Python app using Flask and server-side rendered HTML templates. It is super fast as there’s no heavy Javascript framework being used. The maintainer has written about how PieFed is developed with poor internet connections in mind: https://piefed.social/post/6102

@fediverse

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@skullgiver Good Q. Some thoughts... a standard Python, Flask, PostgreSQL app can handle hundreds of requests per second on a single machine. Any bottlenecks - Lemmy or PieFed - would probably not be at the language yet. For example, Lemmy's poor performance when I looked ~1 year ago came from a bizarre disregard for things like relational DB query optimisation, HTTP caching, and how the stock frontend lemmy-ui fetched data. Yet Lemmy is written in Rust which is known for speed.

@fediverse

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@threelonmusketeers @hendrik This is how many Fediverse microblogging systems currently work; they serve the Mastodon API for client to server (e.g. app to server) interactions. GoToSocial doesn't even provide any user interface; you use it from some app originally designed for Mastodon. Why? I think because Mastodon's HTTP API is simpler, better documented and well-tested compared to something like ActivityPub's Client-To-Server API.

@fediverse

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@Jedi Agreed! Am I on Mastodon or Lemmy when I read and replied to this thread? Doesn’t matter :D

@asklemmy

otl , to fediverse
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Apas: ActivityPub via email

https://apubtest2.srcbeat.com/apas.html

The overarching goal is an experimental system to make ActivityPub federation stuff clearer for devs, sysadmins and advanced users.

The documentation is incomplete and the code is really not OK! But they always say it's better to get stuff out the door for others to look at sooner. Maybe it inspires others to think about the Fediverse/ActivityPub in weird new ways!

PS thanks @emersion for your SMTP work!

@fediverse

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Furthermore, why be sneaky? Spam it loud, spam it proud!

@Ghostalmedia @Dran_Arcana
@news

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Dev publishes unreadable website:

"Some developers are bad at CSS and design/CSS (like me)"

Implying some innate incapacity.
Same dev:

"Or these people could learn Rust and contribute to the existing project."
https://lemmy.ml/comment/8855579

Man I just don't get it. There's a kind of wilful ignorance here or something? It's jarring. All due respect for what's been made but this attitude... I'm not offended or have disdain, just dumbfounded at the messaging.

@Ghostalmedia
@fediverse

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Ha nice analogy. Might steal it if that's ok! :)

Reminds me of a place I used to work at. Small place; 10 people. I started as a sysadmin but later started programming. They encouraged me; "yes we suck at this we need help!" so I kept going. But as the work became more involved and I needed a bit of co-operation from their side, it was torture. They didn't "suck" at it, they just didn't respect or bother themselves with that kind of work.

@Ghostalmedia @fediverse

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

This is not about software licensing nor the spirit of FOSS.

There's some inconsistent messaging that's genuinely confusing me. I've shared an anecdote below (from a time when I was developing open source software) in the interest of generating discussion to clear it up for me and perhaps others, too. I don't mean to imply I know what is happening right here.

@pop @fediverse

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

> Why is Mastodon being treated as a monolithic entity?

Oh the usual: makes a batter headline.

I guess I’m spreading toxicity by replying to a post from a Mastodon app…? Or something?

@fediverse @finkrat

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@Zaktor There is some influence. Two things that come to mind:

  • default post length limit (500 characters)
  • how the server renders “Page” ActivityPub objects (e.g. Lemmy posts)

For example, many comments made in this thread could not be made from a Mastodon server. All Lemmy posts show as just a title and link with a blank body. These application behaviours have a direct influence on what types of conversations take place by people from Mastodon servers.

@fediverse

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@onlinepersona @fediverse Haha good question! They're light on details ("we moved to Wordpress")
and after testing it seems like it's not even working :(

WordPress has an ActivityPub plugin: https://wordpress.org/plugins/activitypub/

Here's a wordpress blog that is available via activitypub: https://solarbird.net/blog
We can address it like so: @solarbird[email protected]
We can't see the posts on Lemmy (doesn't support ad-hoc fetching of ActivityPub Notes)
but in a Mastodon web UI: https://solarbird.net/blog/2024/02/27/kosa-again-yes-again/

otl , to selfhosted
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Follow-up: OpenBSD routers on AliExpress mini PCs

I got lots of replies to the last post showing the little OpenBSD internet gateway setup (super interesting; thanks!). Here's more info and pictures:
https://www.srcbeat.com/2024/02/aliexpress-openbsd-router/

Something I've been meaning to share for years now.

@selfhosted

otl OP ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@czardestructo For the CPU Intel says 7.5W: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/81071/intel-celeron-processor-n2830-1m-cache-up-to-2-41-ghz.html
So all up I’m guessing under 10W. I don’t know how much other components affect the power usage, though. And I’m about 200km away from where it is installed! Hoping someone more expert in hardware could chime in here :)

@selfhosted

otl OP ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

For starting out, Building a Router from the OpenBSD FAQ is helpful: https://www.openbsd.org/faq/pf/example1.html

@MigratingtoLemmy @selfhosted

otl OP ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@1couchpotato Nope, this one is https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003378019857.html

@selfhosted

otl OP ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

pf/opnsense essentially provide web interfaces to the underlying
FreeBSD OS tooling. In this case I'm running plain OpenBSD. That means
configuring the system is mainly done by reading and writing text
files and doing stuff at the command line. There's a whole bunch of
reasons why some people prefer one way or the other or even mix things
up a bit. My recommendation is, if you're interested, have a go
administering a system without a web interface and see how you feel!
@Edgarallenpwn @selfhosted

otl OP ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@becha @selfhosted Sure I’d be happy to talk about it there!

otl , to selfhosted
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Another successful OpenBSD setup

I've been buying these little boxes from AliExpress for years to use as firewalls and routers. My oldest one is almost 9 years old now! OpenBSD installs just fine. Just a BIOS tweak to always boot up after power is restored.

@selfhosted

otl OP ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Good eyes! Yes this is one we got from Telstra on a VDSL NBN connection. Now it’s just a modem in bridge mode with Aussie Broadband

@selfhosted @Da_Boom

otl OP ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

None that I know of :(
But @benjja tells me that on some of these you can install coreboot: https://ohnepunktundkomma.org/@benjja/111991771619601081

Something I’m keen to look into.

@cmnybo @selfhosted

otl OP ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

This one has an old Intel N2830:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003378019857.html
With this particular model you can get a newer N100 chip

@selfhosted @tk

otl OP ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Because blinking lights give me goo goo ga ga

@Smc87 @selfhosted

otl OP ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@jjlinux Hahaha no way that’s awesome

@selfhosted

otl OP ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

> The garbage out there today is too much.

For sure. I'm hoping that with much cheaper and more reliable hardware
that we have now, it makes it easier for indivduals and small groups
to run services that could only be run by big dysfunctional companies.
Fingers crossed!
@jjlinux @selfhosted

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@jimmy90 @zeppo For sure. One major lesson off the top of my head is with ActivityPub is how errors are presented. I’ve written software to fiddle around with ActivityPub and found servers have terrible - if any - error messages. SMTP provides a bunch of standardised status codes that servers can give back to you, along with diagnostic info. In theory this is possible with apub but in practice it is not addressed at all.

@fediverse

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

RSS is kinda different. Subscribing is really just polling a file. ActivityPub messages are primarily sent around by first requesting a server to send messages to you. It’s a pull versus push thing.

I love RSS because it’s so simple. It actually goes a long way in the fediverse where most activity, which is read-only. Only a small percentage of users ever comment/post stuff.
@electricprism @fediverse

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Mastodon is written in Ruby. Nowhere near as big as Facebook or the ML field, but hey, it's important to a couple of us at least :)

@programming @nifty

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@pkill Yeah seems that way, judging by their scaling up documentation: https://docs.joinmastodon.org/admin/scaling/

Although hey, it all depends on a whole bunch of stuff written in super optimised (and kinda scary) C !

@programmer_humor

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@SpaceNoodle I’ll always be sad how GitHub helped popularise centralised workflows. Such an amazing opportunity for a big cultural shift, but it didn’t go anyway as far as it could have.

@programmer_humor

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

@towerful I mainly program in Go, so when I see all that extra software I notice how much easier it is when I get to just rely on the Go runtime. It does a lot of the heavy lifting done here, but the resulting code is not as clean. Actually just today I read through Mastodon’s code to track down a bug in my in-progress ActivityPub service (in Go) and found the Ruby really easy to navigate!

@programmer_humor

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Really? AV1 & webp support, Quantum engine, process-per-tab, reader mode, HTTP/2 & HTTP/3 support, cross-site tracking protection...?
Browsers have a lot of features. Some convenient, some come and go. That's ok.
Firefox is an ideological choice for some people so both cynicism and unconditional support is expected.

@AMDIsOurLord @linux

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

> more compact tab bar, saving space

Not sure if you're aware, but there's a hidden setting to make Firefox's toolbars more compact:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/compact-mode-workaround-firefox

@Pantherina @linux

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

I get where you're coming from. But not everyone who falls for this stuff is "stupid". Some are just vulnerable - maybe just temporarily - and once you're in, it's an awful slippery slope.

I don't know how many are just vulnerable and how many are good Darwin award nominees.

@technology @Tristaniopsis

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Installing Linux on old PCs and laptops is what got me into Linux (and other OSs) in the first place.

I still love it. There's a joy of breathing new life into old hardware.
Perhaps it's similar to how people like fixing up old cars even if people aren't really going to drive them again.

@linux @VanHalbgott

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

If you've done any programming, you could hook up a script to fdm (https://github.com/nicm/fdm).

Rough logic, for each message:

  • match body with several timestamp regexps
  • parse matched messages
  • find dates in message body
  • parse final match
  • discard message if that is date earlier than now - x days

@Pantherina @linux

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Absolutely!

Although… snail mail is also legislated to be secure. It’s not used as often because there is a more convenient, better(?) alternative: fax. I wish some funding for so-called “AI” projects could be used to develop even more convenient/better alternatives to fax. There are messaging protocols but they seemed crazy.

Payment systems are crazy too. Stripe did all the boring work and now there is a convenient interface for payment processing: Stripe’s HTTP API.

@technology @Car

The White House wants to 'cryptographically verify' videos of Joe Biden so viewers don't mistake them for AI deepfakes (www.businessinsider.com)

The White House wants to ‘cryptographically verify’ videos of Joe Biden so viewers don’t mistake them for AI deepfakes::Biden’s AI advisor Ben Buchanan said a method of clearly verifying White House releases is “in the works.”

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

A link to the video could be shared via ActivityPub.
The video would be loaded over HTTPS; we can verify that the video is from the white house, and that it hasn't been modified in-transit.

A big issue is that places don't want to share a link to an independently verifiable video, they want you to load a copy of it from their website/app. This way we build trust with the brand (e.g. New York Times), and spend more time looking at ads or subscribe.
@stockRot @technology

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Might be closer than you think. The White House is just using Instagram right now: https://www.whitehouse.gov
(See section “featured media”)

@stockRot @technology

Because AI and Crypto use so much electricity, what if a law was made that they had to power it with green energy?

Something on the lines of if your company facility is using over X amount of energy the majority of that has to be from a green source such as solar power. What would happen and is this feasible or am I totally thinking about this wrong...

otl ,
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Super interesting story - thanks for sharing. Helps getting perspective:

> the data centres proposed by Conifex would have consumed 2.5 million
> megawatt-hours of electricity a year. That’s enough to power and heat
> more than 570,000 apartments

@Wiitigo @technology

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