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2026-08-16 18:16:45

Evan Prodromou 🇨🇦🇺🇸🇬🇷🇵🇸

evan@cosocial.ca

Is it OK to write code that does new things on the Fediverse?

#EvanPoll #poll #ActivityPub #Fediverse

Yes

120 Stimmen | 70%

Yes, but...

49 Stimmen | 29%

No, but...

0 Stimmen | 0%

2 Stimmen | 1%

171 Stimmen insgesamt
Umfrage ist beendet

2026-08-16 18:25:53

―

grahamperrin@bsd.cafe

@evan 100% yes but no but yes but no but

2026-08-16 18:26:18

Astro

astro@c3d2.social

@evan
Very strong yes.

2026-08-16 18:27:13

Tomáš

prahou@merveilles.town

@evan no, you have to ask the president of the fediverse.

2026-08-16 18:28:18

Alaa, family in Gaza ❤️‍🩹

alaasamour@mastodon.social

@evan
Please🙏🙏🥹🥹🥹

2026-08-16 18:34:23

Jeff Miller (orange hatband)

jmeowmeow@hachyderm.io

@evan Where's "Yes, and"?

2026-08-16 18:38:57

Mark Andrew 🇨🇭

spraoi@tooting.ch

@evan of course.

2026-08-16 18:42:24

Mark Andrew 🇨🇭

spraoi@tooting.ch

@evan

I really want to read the arguments against.

2026-08-17 11:57:13

Jupiter Rowland

jupiter_rowland@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@Mark Andrew 🇨🇭 I guess that, more often than not, the only new developments that are widely welcome are those that happen on Mastodon, that still don't make Mastodon feel different, and that don't introduce features to Mastodon that are (considered) bad on 𝕏.

This alone is the reason why many Mastodon admins hold on to older Mastodon versions for their dear lives: They want to boycott new Mastodon features which they don't like, but they don't have what it takes to soft-fork or even only hard-fork Mastodon and remove the new features.

Now, when it comes to developments in the Fediverse outside of Mastodon, they tend to be even more nerve-grating for Mastodon users because they often aren't in line with Mastodon and its culture at all. That is, many Mastodon users don't even notice that these features exist unless these features directly hit their timeline. But once they do, they're considered bad new developments even though they've actually been around for much longer than Mastodon itself.

For example, quote-posts and full-text search. Mastodon users tend to be staunchly against both because they're used to harass and dogpile minorities on 𝕏. If at all, they're only okay with these if they come with an opt-in, and/or if server admins can turn them off entirely.

If only they knew that Friendica has had both since May, 2010, five years and eight months longer than Mastodon has even existed. That Friendica has been search-indexing and able to quote-post any public Mastodon toot since Mastodon's very launch. I guess they'd demand the immediate destruction of Friendica or at least its complete and permanent defederation.

#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #FediMeta #FediverseMeta #CWFediMeta #CWFediverseMeta #QuotePost #QuotePosts #QuoteTweet #QuoteTweets #QuoteToot #QuoteToots #QuoteBoost #QuoteBoosts #QuotedShares #QuotePostDebate #QuoteTootDebate #FullTextSearch #Mastodon #Friendica

2026-08-16 18:47:42

Almino :autism:

almino@ursal.zone

@evan I plan to do so next year.

I will try to prove that #ActivityPub can be way more useful that it already is by implementing it in a different system, in a new social case.

2026-08-16 18:58:56

Pau Amma

pauamma@mstdn.social

@evan That entirely depends on which new things you're thinking of, so neither "yes but" nor "no but" fits the question as asked.

2026-08-16 19:13:40

HubertManne

HubertManne@piefed.social

I don’t see the point of this. its gpl. you can fork or see about working for an existing project or make your own thing. its like saying is doing art in a different way is ok.

2026-08-16 20:29:33

Tim Ch-AI-se (now with bonus spooky) 👻

gumnos@bsd.cafe

@evan

a "Yes but…don't be a jerk" vote here

2026-08-16 20:50:02

gabboman the wafrn dev

gabboman@gabboman.xyz

@evan@cosocial.ca

yes, but you will recive death threats!
#some-people-got-very-annoyed-at-invisible-mentions-in-wafrn #and-there-is-a-reason-they-are-now-the-first-line-on-this-reply #butt-you-should-check-this-post-in-original-instance

2026-08-16 22:18:19

Bill Statler

billstatler@forum.statler.ws

It's a strange question, like "Is it OK to write code that does new things in Linux?" The only universally not-OK code is criminal malware. Other than that, it's just personal preferences.

People are working on federating torrents over ActivityPub. People are taking old code in new directions. People are scraping major Mastodon instances and providing AI-generated summaries. None of this will stop just because some people think it's not OK.

2026-08-17 04:35:50

hiphopheaven

hiphopheaven@mastodon.social

@evan it is ok but if I find the new thing gimmick and that I don't like it I say it