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

[evan@cosocial.ca]

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

#EvanPoll #poll #ActivityPub #Fediverse

[grahamperrin@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

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

[astro@c3d2.social]

@evan
Very strong yes.

[alaasamour@mastodon.social]

@evan
Please🙏🙏🥹🥹🥹

[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.

[malte@radikal.social]

@jmeowmeow In this kind of poll, it's probably just YES. You can always qualify your answer! Except if it is a veiled "yes, but" like "yes, and at the same time ..." or "yes, and I also think there are cases where it is not ok". @evan

[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.

[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.

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@HubertManne It is not GPL.

[gumnos@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@evan

a "Yes but…don't be a jerk" vote here

[gumnos@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@spraoi

My biggest "yes, but…" exception involves being a jerk. Should I create an ActivityPub slurper that ingests & archives everyone's feeds, indexing them to be searched into the future? There's a lot of anti-norms around that. Or a bot to find topics I find disagreeable and auto-harass any post/user on the topic? Or a scheme of circumnavigating server/user blocks/bans?

I love the idea of open innovation but that can come with social costs from folks who aren't aligned with the fediverse norms. 😞

@evan

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@gumnos why?

[gumnos@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@evan

provided more detail in my other reply here:

https://mastodon.bsd.cafe/@gumnos/117106624159507186

[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.

[hubertmanne@piefed.social]

the fediverse? everything I have encountered has been some version of it.

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@gumnos so, here's a question: don't we have to make some mistakes to learn how to do things better?

Also, if someone making some software you don't use can ruin your experience, isn't your account or your server misconfigured?

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@gabboman so, maybe the person making a social web crawler is just as well-intentioned as the person making the no-mention private messages?

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@billstatler is it a strange question? Have you not seen strong negative reactions to new software running on the Fediverse?

[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

[billstatler@forum.statler.ws]

Yes, I have seen strong negative reactions to new software, and old software, and anything that doesn't look like Mastodon, and anything that does look like Mastodon. We are an opinionated bunch.

But I think your question has an unfortunate implication. If you had asked, "Do you like people to write code that does new things on the Fediverse?", it would be clearly a matter of personal preference.

"Is it OK to write code" implies that somebody could be, or should be, in a position to decide which new things are OK and which new things are not OK. It doesn't matter whether that "somebody" is a central authority or a larger group of people. That decision should always be left to individual users and instance admins, who can block or defederate as they see fit.