Notices tagged with activitypub

@silverpill

@delta might like to have a word with you. 😅

I did not try to make the literal comparison between a person who emails or creates email-related software with #fediverse AP solution development.

What I did want to point out was how blurred the lines are in the #ActivityPub fediverse between stuff that is the protocol, and stuff that is solution development i.e. app-specific / domain-specific.

The anti-patterns I listed are encountered by any newcomer dev who takes an interest in creating fedi apps & services, and is faced with much more than they bargained for when reading the AS/AP specs.

It forms a barrier to entry, decrease in attractiveness to create fedi apps, and devs leaving the space for greener pastures (e.g. to #ATProto or various still-less-mature-than-fedi #P2P protocols)

@silverpill

There are a couple of #ActivityPub projects that focus on providing the good tools that abstract away the complexities of wire-level network comms, and help free the hands of a solution developer to focus more directly on what people need, instead of on plumbing and Babylonian speech confusion of how things fit together. I try to emphasize these projects, e.g. @fedify by listing them higher in the https://delightful.coding.social curated lists.

But their challenge is to offer a kind of reverse to browser quirks mode. Web browsers can handle about any malformed HTML a person throws at it, and still manage to turn that into machine processable form, and make the most of it.

As a fedi toolkit builder you almost need to do the opposite. Focus on offering comprehensive and intuitive API's and functionality to solution developers, and translate it into wire chaos that constitutes the fediverse-protocol-of-the-day.

@smallcircles

There are a couple of #ActivityPub projects that focus on providing the good tools that abstract away the complexities of wire-level network comms

You're talking to a developer of such project.

There is no "wire chaos", where did you get this idea from?

@fedify

The #ActivityPub protocol is often compared to email with its actor inboxes and outboxes.

However email allows emailers to email without knowing anything about how SMTP works under the hood. Using friendly tools you can construct newsletters, order receipts, invoices, etc. and send them to addressees. Fire and forget, and if it was undeliverable you receive notice. The network mechanics are a black box.

Here the #fediverse significantly differs. Solution developers (emailers) creating apps and services must not only become protocol experts (handle SMTP) but deal with ugly wire reality (self-hosting email), then do whack-a-mole maintenance against moving release targets to fix app-by-app breakages and protocol decay. That is like if I send an email, it may break yours.

The ActivityPub API initiative + task force offer GREAT opportunity to improve things. A greenfield #ATProto-like start to realign with the original promise and power of AS/AP based social web.

https://github.com/swicg/activitypub-api/issues/66#issuecomment-4124959526

New post: Can we have a more “social” media?

https://profpatsch.de/essays/a-more-social-media

On advertising, the Fediverse, and what a more human social web could look like.

Special mentions: @smallcircles, @phnt, @happy-programming

#fediverse #activitypub #socialmedia #writing #essay

@evan

I gave an elaborate follow-up to the #ActivityPub API protocol design issue, where I also cross-ref'ed this thread..

https://github.com/swicg/activitypub-api/issues/66#issuecomment-4124959526

The "Reviving the #ActivityPub Social API" breakout session starts in 30 minutes!
@w3c @evan

I'm chairing a breakout session on Reviving the #ActivityPub Social API at the W3C breakout day in a few minutes!

https://www.w3.org/events/meetings/fd048dc6-4486-4e21-a639-545523e4ca60/

With the news of the secret $100 million investment in Bluesky by Bain, I keep thinking about protocols.

Maybe the perceived "drawbacks" of #ActivityPub are ultimately strengths?

#ATproto handles identity in a way that allows a single sign-in across apps. But wouldn't this make it easier to profile you? Is this why crypto VCs are so attracted to it?

And ATproto has funding in the 100s of millions by VCs but at some point they'll want to turn a profit. There is ZERO pressure here to ensh*tt*fy

RE: https://mastodon.social/@HolosSocial/116286098619535273

The next step with #HolosSocial will be to let you use your root domain as your identity while still using a subdomain for the relay.
Yes, #Holos is kind of like #nostr but with #ActivityPub. The main difference: your data lives on your device, not on a server, and relays remain completely dumb.

@evan some time ago you queried about what would be a good comms channel for #ActivityPub API.

I have some ideas / recommendations on the #Github repo that the #W3C TF uses.

- Structure the repo to hold the work of the full task force, not just for the creation of a single specification document.

- Use GH Discussions for all the general elaboration, feedback collection, etc. The repo forms a self-contained body of work. Move most current Issues in the tracker to become Discussions.

- Issues are created by task force members, and always represent actionable items. They are tracked on a Project kanban board where the swimlanes represent a simple protocol development #Process with a number of stages.

Then:

- Primary comms channel is Discussions.
- Issues + kanban represent work tracks.
- Secondary comms channel can be #fedi.

I'd reserve #SocialCG mailing list to #governance and organizational matters concerning the CG itself, and point mails on other subject to appropriate channel.

📢 @w3c Breakouts Day 2026!
🗓️ Join us tomorrow - 25 March 2026, 13:00–14:00 UTC

The #ActivityPub specification defines a social API and a federation protocol. Mastodon and compatible platforms implement the latter but not the former.

Join @evan's session to discuss the social #API, its value in the distributed social ecosystem, and the efforts to revive its use.
▶️ https://www.w3.org/events/meetings/fd048dc6-4486-4e21-a639-545523e4ca60/

(Although remember that nothing is private on Mastodon. Your private mentions/direct messages are not end-to-end encrypted so your instance admins – and anyone hosting a hammer to their knees – could be reading them all. If you want to talk privately, use Signal or Delta Chat. Never share sensitive information on “private” messages on Mastodon. That goes double for our friends in Gaza.)

#mastodon #fediverse #activityPub #privacy #encryption

Loops actors now support interactionPolicy!

https://browser.pub/https://loops.video/@dansup

#Fediverse #ActivityPub

@evan @julian

I have created a separate issue "Protocol design" in the #ActivityPub API repo, cross-referencing to this discussion and the issue I created earlier to "Avoid misconception".

https://github.com/swicg/activitypub-api/issues/66

@julian @evan

Voted "No, but.." against backdrop of #ActivityPub API task force, where issue tracker has an issue on rate limits.

From perspective of "avoiding misconceptions" I was wondering about a range of issues that have been created, and how they relate to Protocol versus Solution design. See also: https://github.com/swicg/activitypub-api/issues/63

I think it may be valuable to define different stakeholder roles, to track people's needs. For #Protosocial thus far I discern in order of importance:

1. Solution developer
2. Protosocial implementer
3. Protocol designer

When asking the question "Should rate limits be part of the protocol?", starting point for design is a firm No.

Solution devs should not be worried about them. Need for rate limits depends on requirements of individual Protosocial impls, and what their goals are.

Protocol-level there's actor introspection. There are no "instances" but Application actors that host Services, including system services, that may expose Rate Limit as metadata.

Introducing Starter Kits

https://blog.joinloops.org/introducing-starter-kits/

#Loops #StarterKits #ActivityPub #Fediverse

How to Host Your Own #Mastodon Server on a #VPS (5 Minute Quick-Start Guide)

This article provides a guide for how to host your own Mastodon server on a VPS.

Running your own Mastodon server on a VPS is an excellent way to enjoy an efficient and secure Mastodon experience.
What is Mastodon?
Mastodon is a #decentralized social media platform that enables users to post ...
Continued 👉 https://blog.radwebhosting.com/how-to-host-your-own-mastodon-server-on-a-vps/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon.social #rubyonrails #activitypub #installguide #selfhosting #rubygems #selfhosted

Am I overreacting? The server @tags.pub takes every of my toots that contain any hashtag, and boost it using an account that has the name of said hashtag.

If I want to follow a hashtag, there is native feature for that within mastodon / activity pub. So my knee jerk reaction is that this is some shady click harvesting. Or?

#Mastodon #ActivityPub #HashTag