https://romanzolotarev.com/pub/hi

becomes

https://romanzolotarev.com/pub/hi.rss

how cool is that? 😎

• 12 posts
• 60 following
• over 9000 files (sic!)

$ du -hd0 /var/snac && find /var/snac | wc -l
61.8M	/var/snac
    9532
$

$ curl -s https://romanzolotarev.com/pub/hi.rss | wc -c
    9999

As a wise man once said: Blessed be the hacker @grunfink@comam.es for they can C.

Always be grateful. Never forget.

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

Alt...

MastoBlaster, showing my profile on my phone

is it safe to backup #snac2 like this:

any plans to use sqlite or some other database?

also thank you for creating #snac2. i love it!

# rcctl stop snac 
# cd /var/snac
# tar -cpf /tmp/snac data
# rcctl start snac

# rcctl stop snac 
# cd /var/snac
# tar -xpf /tmp/snac.tgz
# rcctl start snac

any plans to use sqlite or some other database?

also thank you for creating #snac2. i love it!

like/favorite if this appears in your feed please :)

#selfhosting #snac2 #openbsd

damn "How We Lost Communication to Entertainment" by @ploum hits hard — can't decide between setting up my own snac2 instance or just getting rid of this account for good

https://ploum.net/2025-12-15-communication-entertainment.html

#activitypub #snac2 #mail #rss

Hello world, from my new location 😃
It seems that the account migration from a #snac2 instance is *not* going very smoothly

My followers on @fd0@social.freebsd.amsterdam do not get notified of the move 😞

Searching for a solution

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

Alt...

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

Alt...

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

#GotoSocial ist auch immer eine Erwähung wert wenn es ums selber hosten geht.

I really like the glossy ones and the ones that have a glittery background!

CC: @grunfink@comam.es @prahou@merveilles.town

Hint: just in case you guys didn't get it, yes, I'm calling out for a joint effort collaboration to create the most out of this world awesome #unix_surrealism inspired stickers for #Snac2 users 👍

Boost if you are missing #unix_surrealism inspired #Snac2 stickers or think that a crossover between this two universes would be the coolest thing ever.

I'd say: no ..

Did you ever know that you can store 4 #snac2 releases in a 3.5 inches floppy disk?

That's pretty cool ...

Also amazing that this thing did not OOM-kill processes all over the place; even before I started compiling I did a pkgin upgrade on the poor box, which took .. a few hours. I'm all outta swap, real low on RAM, and yet it somehow got through this .. #NetBSD for the win, I guess.

Says top:

Memory: 56M Act, 27M Inact, 11M Wired, 15M Exec, 820K File, 2076K Free
Swap: 128M Total, 128M Used, 4K Free / Pools: 23M Used / Network: 23K In, 34K Out

#snac2 #fediverse #frugalfediverse

#FediMeteo #FediMeteoAnnouncements #FediMeteoUpdates #snac #snac2

Think I'm about ready to setup #snac2 and migrate to a small personal instance. Right now I'm stuck trying to decide what subdomain would be most clever/funny to use along with my heavy.rocks domain. This is always the hardest part. I guess the straightforward answer is snac.heavy.rocks. But that doesn't feel fun enough.

"Release Notes:
Hide EmojiReacts from muted actors and blocked instances."
Well, yes! Thanks!

You don't know Snac? But you should: https://codeberg.org/grunfink/snac2

The Fediverse is much larger than a large Mastodon. Consider setting up your own small server, Snac is easy to install and enjoyable to use.
A simple, minimalistic and well documented #ActivityPub instance server written in C, no database needed, totally JavaScript-free, no cookies either, not much bullshit.

#snac2 #fediverse #frugalfediverse

#snac2 #fediverse #frugalfediverse

Consider #Snac2 as a cheap (in both resources and money) alternative to #Mastodon.

You don't even need a vps: it can run as a (fast) cgi.

You can check its accessibility on https://comam.es/snac/grunfink (that's one of the public instance view, obviusly the interface to post is different: your browser needs to properly support details/summary tag to works fine)

Exactly one year ago, on 30th December 2024, I laid the foundation of FediMeteo.

I took a VM, installed FreeBSD, and set up the first jail to support Italy. The goal was to create a tool for my own use, support a few countries, and announce it.

Unexpectedly, the enthusiasm was incredible. That pushed me to keep going, support more countries and cities, and turn it into what it is today.

FediMeteo now supports 38 countries and 2,937 cities, with more than 7,700 followers in the Fediverse alone, not counting the many people who follow via RSS feeds or visit the web pages.

If you are curious to read the story and some technical details, you can find it here:
https://it-notes.dragas.net/2025/02/26/fedimeteo-how-a-tiny-freebsd-vps-became-a-global-weather-service-for-thousands/

Today is also Tuesday, a #ThankYouTuesday, so I want to say thanks to:

* OpenMeteo - @openmeteo - for providing accurate, high quality data, without which FediMeteo would be far less useful

* @grunfink - creator of snac, who made all of this possible using very few resources, on a 4 euro per month VM

* FreeBSD, which thanks to the efficiency of the OS and its jail implementation made it possible to run this service in a stable and efficient way with minimal effort

* FediFollows - @FediFollows - that periodically spreads the word about cities, countries, and the enthusiasm around the project

*All of you*, who suggested, encouraged, corrected, and celebrated this project

And forward toward supporting more countries and other interesting features already in the works.

Happy birthday, FediMeteo! 🎉

#FediMeteo #HappyBirthday #Meteo #Weather #FreeBSD #snac #snac2 #OpenMeteo #Fediverse

I took a VM, installed FreeBSD, and set up the first jail to support Italy. The goal was to create a tool for my own use, support a few countries, and announce it.

Unexpectedly, the enthusiasm was incredible. That pushed me to keep going, support more countries and cities, and turn it into what it is today.

FediMeteo now supports 38 countries and 2,937 cities, with more than 7,700 followers in the Fediverse alone, not counting the many people who follow via RSS feeds or visit the web pages.

If you are curious to read the story and some technical details, you can find it here:
https://it-notes.dragas.net/2025/02/26/fedimeteo-how-a-tiny-freebsd-vps-became-a-global-weather-service-for-thousands/

Today is also Tuesday, a #ThankYouTuesday, so I want to say thanks to:

• OpenMeteo - @openmeteo@fosstodon.org - for providing accurate, high quality data, without which FediMeteo would be far less useful

• @grunfink@comam.es - creator of snac, who made all of this possible using very few resources, on a 4 euro per month VM

• FreeBSD, which thanks to the efficiency of the OS and its jail implementation made it possible to run this service in a stable and efficient way with minimal effort

• FediFollows - @FediFollows@social.growyourown.services - that periodically spreads the word about cities, countries, and the enthusiasm around the project

And forward toward supporting more countries and other interesting features already in the works.

Happy birthday, FediMeteo! 🎉

#FediMeteo #HappyBirthday #Meteo #Weather #FreeBSD #snac #snac2 #OpenMeteo #Fediverse

I've been experimenting with lightweight activitypub tools like gotosocial and snac2.

So far snac2 works, but seems incompatible with basically every frontend I've tried.

gotosocial is more compatible, but crashes randomly and won't stay online for 24hrs at a time.

What am I doing wrong here?

Anyone have any tips?

#ActivityPub #Fediverse #gotosocial #snac2

Originally created as a temporary setup to experiment with #snac, I later decided to keep it online. For about a year now, it’s been my most 'private', less technical corner. And I couldn’t be happier: it runs in a #FreeBSD jail, uses almost zero resources, and is always ready to serve me.

Happy birthday, FediHome!

#FediVersary #Anniversary #Birthday #snac2 #Fediverse

I'd focus to support small and efficient alternative servers like #snac2 that would really benefit the #fediverse diversity and distribution

@EUCommission@ec.social-network.europa.eu @Framasoft@framapiaf.org @Mastodon@mastodon.social @IceCubesApp@mastodon.online @ivory@tapbots.social @Tusky@mastodon.social @DataKnightmare@mastodon.xyz

A new week has begun, and 2025 is getting closer to its end. The question we should all ask ourselves is this: what have we done, and what can we do, to make the Fediverse a better place?

The Fediverse is for everyone. The Fediverse belongs to everyone. We should not wait for someone else to do something. We can start ourselves.

- Follow people who post content that interests you. You do not always have to agree. Constructive disagreement helps us grow.

- Always remain respectful and civil. This is what can make the difference between the Fediverse and social platforms that profit from anger. Let us make it a place we want to go, not a place we feel forced to go just to prove someone wrong.

- Make it a better place for yourself. Our timelines are exactly what we choose them to be. This takes a bit more effort, but the result will be far more satisfying.

- Help administrators identify problems. Pointless criticism is useless. Doing your part, on the other hand, is priceless.

- Boost what you believe is worth boosting. That is how things spread. If quote posts are available, explain why you shared something. You can also share content you disagree with, if you think it may be interesting for the people who follow you.

- Do not approach people coming from other platforms with closure or arrogance. It takes time to understand and adapt. Acting like schoolteachers helps no one.

- The Fediverse belongs to everyone, therefore it belongs to no one. If you run your own personal instance, that is your kingdom, but you could be defederated by everyone and end up alone. If that is your goal, fine. Otherwise, remember that federation is, at the same time, an honor, a responsibility, and a privilege.

- Have fun. Grow. Live. The Fediverse is an extension of your life.

If you have questions, ask. You will find many people who will be more than happy to answer.

And to you, who are reading this, thank you for being here.

#Fediverse #Mastodon #snac #snac2 #akkoma #pleroma #gotosocial #honk #mitra #SocialNetworks #Lemmy #PeerTube #Misskey #Sharkey