stefano

Happy #SilentSunday from one of my favourite places in the world

#Photography #Photo #Pic #Italy #GardaLake #LagoDiGarda

It's Wednesday, the day of the sea!

#photography #Photo #pictures #pic #picture #Sea #MeerMittwoch

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, @[email protected]

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.

#BSDCafe #BSDCafeServices #BSDCafeAnnouncements #snac #snac2 #Fediverse #Mastodon

For more information, there is always a dedicated page on our wiki: https://wiki.bsd.cafe/snac.bsd.cafe

Stay Tuned!

Good morning, #Fediverse!

https://invidious.nerdvpn.de/watch?v=IGBwmorKeug

#Music #JukeBox #MastoMusic #FediMusic #PianoMusic #Piano

Yesterday, the noise of the thunderstorms was all around.
Today, the Sun is making it a great, Silent Sunday in Ferrara

#SilentSunday #Photography #Photo #Pic #Sunny #Italy #Ferrara

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

The Sun is setting on a Silent Sunday.

#SilentSunday #Photography #Photo #Picture #Ferrara #Italy #Sunset #CityPhotography #AncientCities

A Small Compendium of Fediverse Platforms I Use

https://it-notes.dragas.net/2024/09/12/a-small-compendium-of-fediverse-platforms-i-use/

#Mastodon #Fediverse #Akkoma #GoToSocial #Mitra #Snac2 #ITNotes #NoteHUB

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

One of my favourite days of the week: the day of the Sea!

#MeerMittwoch #SeaWednesday #Photography #Photo #Picture #Sea #Boat #Italy #Calm #Relax

Love is…growing old together, walking hand in hand toward a grey future but along a colorful, green path.

#Love #Photography #Photo #Italy #OldPhoto #Future #BW #BlackAndWhite #blackandwhitephoto #PhotoMonday

Silence, please. Let the Nature speak.

(This photo is 10 years old, but timeless)

#SilentSunday #Photography #Photo #Pic #Sea #Italy #Nature