i set up a mastodon instance

[Upthorn]

That's the server I'm currently on. Seems like a good place.
Anyone have any recommendations on phone apps?

I hate downloading apps I don't have to, so I've just been using the website's mobile interface.

That said, I've heard the following recommendations from multiple sources:
Android: Tusky, or Toot
iPhone: Metatext, or Toot

[Lady]

If we do end up making a Mastodon, this server has a convenient list of nazi/pedo servers to disable federation with: https://mastodon.lol/about

ty, I was actually looking for one of those.

https://brontosin.space

[Lady]

actually I want to install the hometown fork, but I might have used up all my laptop time for the next few days, so we'll see how it goes

[nosimpleway]

Ah yes, the issue of choosing which version of the backend software you want your Masto instance to run

or as the huge nerds typically call it, The Real Fork Blues

[Mongrel]

oh my god

no R^2

no

[Upthorn]

actually I want to install the hometown fork, but I might have used up all my laptop time for the next few days, so we'll see how it goes

A while back, I saw an informative chost about some of the technical pros and cons of various ActivityPub server software.
I even managed to hunt it down in case it's of any help to you.
The advice is assuming a single-user instance, but there's still some decent info in there

Tl;dr:
Mastodon will eat all your RAM and then complain it's not enough
MissKey has a lot of configurability, and only takes about a GB, but is sponsored by a Web3 project, so may take some unwholesome dev turns
CalcKey is a fork of MissKey that isn't connected to cryptoscammers
Pleroma is lightweight (512MB) but abandoned and may get defederated on sight due to its popularity in MAGA
Akkoma is a fork of Pleroma that's still lightweight, isn't run by chuds, and probably won't get instabanned from major instances

[Thad]

Tl;dr:

Thanks, Upthorn; this looks like extremely useful info.

Lady, I'll poke around the instance that's there right now; no worries if you end up nuking it later in favor of something else.

[Lady]

house keeping:

1) if anyone wants to engage in custom emoji adding, please let me know
2) for lack of any better ideas, the admin account and roles are generally metal gear themed, since we have a schtick
3) if anyone wants to check out the admin and moderation stuff, I'm certainly willing to share the wealth.
4) this is actually being hosted in my basement (literally), so uh, I guess we're subject to Arkansas laws.

[Büge]

4) this is actually being hosted in my basement (literally), so uh, I guess we're subject to Arkansas laws.

Uh oh

throws a tarp over the alligator in the bathtub

[nosimpleway]

Flood of new, Masto-seeking users

[KingRoyal]

You can find me on Mastodon behind this link

[Grath]

... Interesting. I moved my account over from mastodon.lol because Bronto Sin Space is more fun, and the biggest difference I'm noticing so far is that the Federated Timeline isn't a firehouse of Toots because it's only pulling in from instances that it's seen (presumably from our follows?)

[Thad]

it's only pulling in from instances that it's seen (presumably from our follows?)

Yeah, yesterday morning it was identical to the Local feed; I followed a few people and then it started filling out.

I'm sorta ambivalent about how much of what I pulled in is the usual anxiety-inducing politics/Twitter news, but hopefully we can balance it out over time with some lighter stuff. I added some games and comics and tech news accounts today.

[Grath]

I was considering replying to a toot, decided against it, and refreshed the page... now it refuses to load whether I'm logged in or trying an incognito window.

[Thad]

Yeah, looks to be down at the moment.

[beatbandito]

Lady mentioned in IRC that specifically this week, but at all times, the server is subject to private power grid maintenance downtime.

[Grath]

Well, I would think that power grid maintenance downtime would mean nothing showing up, rather than an error page.

[Thad]

FYI I'm getting a 500 when I try to upload a 1MB photo. Is that a space-saving thing? Should I make it smaller?

[nosimpleway]

Today I learned that the Mastodon was named because the scientists who discovered the fossils thought some of the bits around the teeth looked like nipples.

Mastodon, from "mastos", breast, and "-odont", tooth.

The new social media hotness is boobtooth.

...

...titeeth.

[Mongrel]

teethteethteethteethteethteethteethteethteethteethtee-