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I just sent the final proofs of the #ActivityPub book to the editors at O'Reilly.

I'm done; with this part, at least.

I am not sure what I'm going to do with all that surplus time. I should probably start a huge new project!

#ActivityPub
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •

I turned in my manuscript at the end of May; we've done 5 rounds of edits since then. Making books is hard!

https://evanp.me/2024/06/03/i-turned-in-my-manuscript/


I turned in my manuscript!

I’m excited to say that I turned in my manuscript for the ActivityPub book for O’Reilly Media today. I started working on it in September of 2023, with a lot of interim checkpoints and …
Evan Prodromou's Blog
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •

You can still read the pre-release version on O'Reilly Learning Platform for free with a 10-day trial of the service. I don't know how much longer that deal is going to be around.

https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/activitypub/9781098162733/


ActivityPub

ActivityPub is the new standard for connecting social networks together on the social web. This open, decentralized social networking protocol defines an API for sharing activities to a social network … - Selection from ActivityPub [Book]
O’Reilly Online Learning
in reply to Evan Prodromou

everton137
everton137
• •
congrats! Just a curiosity, is there a comparison with other protocols trying to create an interoperable web? I'm trying to understand why AT Protocol was created. I still need to read some references some people shared here.
in reply to everton137

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •
it was created because Jack Dorsey thought Twitter could spin out a business with a protocol as a product. They would connect big social networks, using the Twitter user and content base as an enticement. Those networks would pay BS to develop and maintain the pipes connecting servers.
This entry was edited (1 day ago)
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •
@everton137 using an existing open standard wouldn't work for this business model, because those big social networks could connect without paying anything to BS. They needed to make a new, incompatible protocol that other businesses had to pay for.
@everton137
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •
Twitter gave them $13M, and they raised another $8M. They've spent that money developing their proprietary protocol. I don't think it's a successful strategy. They are shooting the moon; hoping to be successful at all other developers' expense.
This entry was edited (13 hours ago)
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •
@everton137 my knowledge of this is firsthand. I talked with Parag, then CTO of Twitter, about it when BS first started. He laid out the entire business plan for me. I was part of the BS community that discussed different protocols to use.
@everton137
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •
I don't agree that the primary motivations for starting BS were technical, in response to AP's failings. I don't think it's fair for BS people to position it that way.
@everton137
This entry was edited (13 hours ago)
in reply to Evan Prodromou

everton137
everton137
• •
I'm seeing developers saying that. I'm working as a developer, but I haven't had time to examine those documents in detail, to be honest.
in reply to everton137

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •
@everton137 I've already written about BlueSky and what a dangerous distraction it is.
@everton137
in reply to Evan Prodromou

everton137
everton137
• •
is it somewhere I could read and share?
in reply to everton137

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •

@everton137

https://prodromou.pub/@evan/110045336289311841

http://evanp.me/2023/10/06/activitypub-the-socialcg-and-the-social-web/

Evan Prodromou (@evan@prodromou.pub)

'Prodromou, however, has strong words for any organization looking to enter social media with a new decentralized social media protocol. “I’m not interested in any protocol besides ActivityPub,” he says.
Prodromou.pub
@everton137
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •
@everton137 I've got a lot going on over the next few weeks, but I'm going to try to find time to write an explainer about BlueSky. I agree, we probably need some better guidance out there. I don't really want to give them any oxygen or attention, but I'd rather have this stuff clear.
@everton137
in reply to Evan Prodromou

everton137
everton137
• •

I'm quite disappointed to see so many Brazilians migrating to Bluesky. But I don't blame them. I see the logic to be where the crowd is if you don't know the importance of points you raised.

Unfortunately it appears only a few people, as compared to the big tech social media, are aware of it.

It was more disappointing to see people continuing to use x tho.

in reply to everton137

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •

@everton137 Absolutely. You saw that we have had 2M new users since August on the Fediverse, right?

https://fedidb.org/

We're seeing a lot of growth here.


FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics

FediDB is a cutting-edge service providing detailed statistics and insights into the Fediverse network.
fedidb.org
@everton137
in reply to Evan Prodromou

everton137
everton137
• •

I've seen some other numbers that indicated more Brazilians coming here. But the bubble I used to interact in Brazil when I lived there, some (data) journalists, access to information and even some open source and data privacy folks, seem pretty active on Bluesky. That's the main reason of my disappointment.

I am glad the new director of the organization I founded 11 years ago, @okbr, has decided also to create a profile in the fediverse. I hope they will be active and not only replicate content.

I don't live in Brazil for more than 8 years, so I am afraid to have strong opinions, and I am now just a foreigner (still an immigrant latino) living in the comfort of Europe. @josemurilo might have a better understanding of the reasons behind most people in Brazil have migrated from x to Bluesky.

#fediverse #Brazil #X #BlueSky

#Brazil #fediverse #x #bluesky @Ecologia Digital @Open Knowledge Brasil
This entry was edited (1 day ago)
in reply to Evan Prodromou

bryan newbold
bryan newbold
• •

@everton137 bummed that you have such a negative public take on atproto and Bluesky and see it as antagonistic and "dangerous".

I have a huge respect for ActivityPub and the folks involved, including you. I think we are all working towards the same goals, there is no final word on protocols/architecture/governance/regulation in this space, and that there is a lot of room for collaboration.

@everton137
in reply to bryan newbold

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •

@bnewbold @everton137

Hey, Bryan. I like that BlueSky, the social network, is an active part of the Fediverse through BridgyFed.

@bryan newbold @everton137
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Kuba Suder • @mackuba.eu on 🦋
Kuba Suder • @mackuba.eu on 🦋
• •
Btw, remember how you wrote on Threads in mid February that you think there's maybe 30% chance that the Bluesky network won't die before they allow bridges like this to connect to the Fediverse? 🙃
This entry was edited (16 hours ago)
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Ariel
Ariel
• •
@everton137 thanks for sharing. There's a rumour about that BS development of ATproto was to create a way to essentially divest business of moderation safety etc and enable a more "free speech" social media. Do you think that has any weight?
@everton137
in reply to Ariel

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •

@arichtman @everton137 That was a little brief.

The point of ATProto is to be different and incompatible. That's the business model.

Any benefits that come out of that primary goal are secondary. Yes, their moderation system is more distributed. I think there are precedents of doing client-side moderation, like email spam filters, that we could use for the Fediverse.

But the features aren't the point. The point is a protocol that the company owns and controls.

@Ariel @everton137
in reply to everton137

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •
Parts of the BS stack are Open Source. The protocol is not an open standard. There is no guarantee that if you make your own implementation with different source code, you will not be subject to patent or other IP liability.
This entry was edited (13 hours ago)
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •

@everton137 you asked why the BS protocol exists. I just explained the why.

Once Elon Musk bought Twitter, the BS company's deal to federate Twitter first fell through. So they've been in zombie mode for the last couple of years; their original reason for existing is gone, but they had a big pile of money, and they didn't want to give it back to Twitter. So they kept it and kept going.

@everton137
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •
@everton137 their big advantage over ActivityPub is a unified stack. There's one client, one server, and one user experience. Signing up for BS is just like signing up for a really faithful Twitter clone.
@everton137
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •
I don't think the AT protocol will outlast BlueSky, the company.
@everton137
This entry was edited (13 hours ago)
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •
@everton137 if you really want to reach the BlueSky community, do it through the safety of the BridgyFed bridge. Develop for ActivityPub, and let BlueSky users reach your product through the bridge.
@everton137
in reply to Evan Prodromou

everton137
everton137
• •

yes, that was my question. Your explanation is clear. And you raised important points the general public doesn't know. Again, thanks for sharing.

If I'm reading arguments from developers comparing both protocols, I think it's fair enough to ask. I hope more people can be aware of it. It's easy to follow the trend established by those with money.

in reply to everton137

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •

@everton137 the one good part about BlueSky is that it's challenged us to do better with ActivityPub. They pointed out that AP's data portability isn't great; we're making a new extension, LOLA, that makes moving between servers a breeze.

https://swicg.github.io/activitypub-data-portability/lola

LOLA Portability for Activity Pub (0.2)

swicg.github.io
@everton137
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •
@everton137 the reason we are moving faster and doing better work on ActivityPub is variety. There are 100+ implementations of ActivityPub on the fediverse right now. Hundreds of developers making cool new clients and servers. Dozens who are defining extensions and building specs. It's a really lively period.
@everton137
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Brett Edmond Carlock
Brett Edmond Carlock
• •

This is incredibly good news.

I want to move over to my own NextCloud Social instance, but there is no way I'm losing everything again after moving from Twitter and losing it all.

@nextcloud

@Nextcloud 📱☁️💻
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Thomas Vander Wal
Thomas Vander Wal
• •
I believe the trial service is always running. The length of it seems to change over time.
in reply to Evan Prodromou

James M.
James M.
• •
congrats! 🎉🍾🏆 Looking forward to reading it.
in reply to Evan Prodromou

julian
julian
• •

Re: I just sent the final proofs of the #ActivityPub book to the editors at O'Reilly.

@evan@cosocial.ca start working on the sequel: ActivityPub: The Good Parts

cc @erincandescent@akko.erincandescent.net

in reply to infinite love

julian
julian
• •

Re: I just sent the final proofs of the #ActivityPub book to the editors at O'Reilly.
@trwnh@mastodon.social @evan@cosocial.ca @erincandescent@akko.erincandescent.net did I end up sounding facetious? Didn't mean to, was just a joke about Javascript: The Good Parts being a small book, heh.
in reply to julian

Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou
• •
@julian @trwnh @erincandescent It's also one of the best programming books ever written. It literally changed the industry. I love that book.
@infinite love @Erin 💽✨ @julian
in reply to Evan Prodromou

Brian Hawthorne
Brian Hawthorne
• •
Congratulations and thank you! That book is much needed.
in reply to Evan Prodromou

John Francis
John Francis
• •

how about something that facilitates customer-side cooperative association to counter enshittification and monopoly? Generalized and dynamic global disintermedition between producers and consumers.

Should keep you busy a while.

⇧