#snac #snac2 #fediverse

Emoji reactions with #snac

#MastoBlaster

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A screenshot of MastoBlaster, showing you can react to posts, as supported by snac

The time is probably right.

Back in 2022, when I was still using iOS, I wasn’t completely happy with the Fediverse apps that were available. I was mostly using Akkoma, and the interface I liked the most was actually its web UI, even on mobile. So I started playing with Xcode and put together the foundations of an app tailored to my needs.

A lot has changed since then and today we have great alternatives like IceCubes, Mona, Ivory, etc. Each one has strengths and weaknesses though, so I picked up my old project again and kept pushing it forward.

So I’m happy to announce that my app will finally see the light: I’ve been using it for the past few days and, in my spare time, I’m fixing bugs and adding missing features. I’m building it around my own needs, so it doesn’t have to “appeal to everyone”. I wouldn’t call it opinionated, but it’s definitely targeted.

The app will have one key trait: #snac2 support will be a first-class feature, not an incidental one. Many apps, especially on iOS, support snac as a side effect, but the experience is often not optimal. In this case, the choice is deliberate and it strictly follows the Mastodon API support implemented by snac. So snac will work properly (within the limits of the platform, of course).

Among the features already implemented: the app is minimal and lightweight (under 10 MB, including debug code), easy on RAM, and privacy-first (for example it strips EXIF data from media before posting, so the server will never see it). On snac it also cleans up the "Boosted by Aoderelay" messages that appear when using a relay, removes the character limit, and supports posting in Markdown.

I also added support for Apple Intelligence to generate alt text, both for the media I post and for media posted by others that is missing alt text.

Everything is processed locally through Apple APIs and only on supported devices. The results aren't amazing, Apple Intelligence is extremely limited, but in my opinion it's the only privacy-friendly and ethical way to approach it. And of course, you can disable it.

On Mastodon it supports all the main features: lists, quote posts, granular notifications (you can choose what you want for each category), notification grouping, multi-account support, and it works.

It's still missing a few things (block, etc.) and has some bugs, which I’m spotting as I keep using it.
As soon as it's stable enough, I'll invite a few people to test it. I still haven't fully decided how I'll distribute it: an Apple Developer account has a yearly cost, and I hope to reuse it for other projects too. So this app might be paid, with a trial period, but if possible (I still need to check what’s feasible) I'd like it to be free if you connect to one of the BSD Cafe instances, illumos Cafe, or any snac instance, including your own.

I don't know how long it will take before it's ready... but I can already tell you what it will be called.
It already has a name, and it's... MastoBlaster.

This name was chosen for personal reasons, and also because of its similarity to Master Blaster by Stevie Wonder, which even today feels relevant and fitting for the Fediverse.

Stay tuned!

#MastoBlaster #Fediverse #Mastodon #iOS #FediverseApp #Announcement #Apple #snac #snac2 #BSDCafe #illumosCafe

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MastoBlaster, showing my profile on my phone

CC: @romanzolotarev@mas.to

As of now, the only way to clean media is to go to the static/ subdirectory of your user and delete the unwanted files by hand.

#MRW I see a toot that ends with something like "3/19"

My Brother in Christ, there is A BETTER WAY.

* gestures broadly at #GlitchSocial, #Friendica, #GoToSocial, and #snac

Oh, and also, "That could've been a blog, brah." ;)

The #BSDCafe #snac instance has been upgraded to 2.89

#BSDCafeServices #BSDCafeUpdates #BSDCafeAnnouncements

Get snac'd up (not just) for #fossdem !

You can now purchase #snac propaganda stickers and apparel to show your allegiance or to wage war with.

https://www.redbubble.com/people/analognowhere/shop?artistUserName=analognowhere&asc=u&collections=4443355&iaCode=all-departments&sortOrder=top%20selling

Blessed be the hacker @grunfink for they can C.

#snac2 #runbsd #linux #unix_surrealism #fediverse

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snac's suzie qr, points to comam.es/what-is-snac

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snac alien SINCE YOU LEFT ME IVE BEEN SNACPILLED comam.es/what-is-snac

https://www.redbubble.com/es/people/analognowhere/shop?artistUserName=analognowhere&asc=u&collections=4443355&iaCode=all-departments&sortOrder=top%20selling

Fixed crash in pronouns processing (contributed by byte).

Added counters in the people page (contributed by byte).

New command-line option refresh, to refresh all follower and following Actor objects, marking them as broken if they are.

https://comam.es/what-is-snac

If you find #snac useful, please consider buying grunfink a coffee or contributing via LiberaPay.

#snacAnnounces #FrugalFediverse

Regarding the #snac users, I usually call them #snacizens.

https://glitch-soc.github.io/docs/

@stefano do you have some recommendations of apps that work well with #snac on Android? I'm experiencing crashes with Moshidon.

I’m trying some apps. Ice Cubes is nice, but doesn’t work with #snac and it’s open source, which is a great plus

Tusker is nice and works perfectly with snac, but doesn’t allow to quote post (which is ok, for snac, a bit less for Mastodn)

Toot! Is nice and funny. Worth investigating more.

Mona is clear and seems to be working with #snac too

Ivory looks interesting, but I should consider if I want to pay a monthly fee.

…I’ll have some fun…

The #BSDCafe #snac instance has been upgraded to 2.88

#BSDCafeUpdates #BSDCafeAnnouncements #BSDCafeServices

If disable_emojireact is set to true in server.json, EmojiReacts (incoming and outgoing) are totally disabled.

New command-line option top_ten, that returns the top ten most popular posts by a user (ordered by the sum of likes and boosts) (contributed by aov).

Added a new set of per-user muted words; if a post contains any of them, it's hidden behind a dropdown (contributed by byte).

If an account has a metadata named pronouns, it's shown by the name (contributed by violette).

Mastodon API: children of a post are returned recursively, not just the first level (contributed by violette).

Implemented optional metadata stripping for images and videos using external tools (contributed by Stefano Marinelli).

https://comam.es/what-is-snac

If you find #snac useful, please consider buying grunfink a coffee or contributing via LiberaPay.

#snacAnnounces #FrugalFediverse

So #snac has emoji reacts now! Fun!

Every so often I start thinking about moving over to my snac instance as my main Fedi presence, and I've gotta admit that this makes it a lot more tempting... 🤔