5 ms·

Funnily enough, the whole "Truth Social" is just a Mastodon clone

by imilk 5y ago

hunterb123 5y ago
Mastodon clone or instance? If either, explain why. What's the difference? The benefit of federation is to have multiple philosophies in charge of moderation of their own communities whilst also being connected.
- imilk 5y ago
  Clone, as in a re-skinned version. But my main point is the irony of releasing a pitch deck like this [1], and just adding some custom CSS to popular open source product. [1] https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1849635/000119312521348593/d242442dex992.htm https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1849635/000119312521...
  - tnzk 5y ago
    Would their server federate with other servers?
    - imilk 5y ago
      Of course not. They probably just wanted to pay a laughably small amount to make a clone of Twitter. And whether the client asked for it to be done or not, the outsourced development group they hired copied the source code while removing the required attribution.
  - hunterb123 5y ago
    So is an instance not allowed to skin itself? Most instances have different designs. Are companies not allowed to compete with Twitter using Mastodon as the platform? Is this not the desired goal for social media companies, to operate within a federated network? You do admit to compete with Twitter you need a lot of resources, that's what the filing you linked to is for.
    - QuikAccount 5y ago
      It is not an instance, it was a clone or if you want to be generous you can call it a fork. A fork that did not abide by the Mastodon license. https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/29/mastodon-issues-30-day-ultimatum-to-trumps-social-network-over-misuse-of-its-code/ https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/29/mastodon-issues-30-day-ult...
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
      - Proven 5y ago
      - hunterb123 5y ago
        https://opensource.truthsocial.com/mastodon-current.zip https://opensource.truthsocial.com/mastodon-current.zip
        JohnTHaller 5y ago
        They capitulated after being called out on the license/copyright violations.
        hunterb123 5y ago
        Sure, capitulated, or developers did not inform them, the notice did, and they complied. Given the short timeline, couldn't it just be an honest mistake? My point in the reply was to followup on events, the fact they "capitulated" was left out.
        imilk 5y ago
        Given that they want to be taken seriously as a major social media network and public company, you'd think they'd actually do some development of their own rather than just copying another project.
Sparyjerry 5y ago
Isn't that kind of the point of open source software? I doubt they would use it going forward because of the BS the mastodon developers already tried to pull on a closed alpha site because they disagreed with the users. I get it, there's some people you let the little things slide because you like them and others you act strict as hell because you don't like them. It's odd to use an open source software when you feel the developers are actively trying to catch you slip up to bring you down permanently.
- rvz 5y ago
  > Isn't that kind of the point of open source software? With free software, yes. It also includes undesirables as well. > It's odd to use an open source software when you feel the developers are actively trying to catch you slip up to bring you down permanently. Well it seems that the Mastodon developers have forgotten that there aren't any restrictions in free software except for the terms of the license and in the end Truth Social complied. So that is that. Putting special source code restrictions on other users beyond the AGPL intends to basically defeats the purpose of free software.
- imilk 5y ago
  That's completely besides the point of what I was getting at. They put out press releases and pitch decks boasting on how they were going to develop the best social network that the world had ever seen. Look at the laughable "Infrastructure" slides on their investment deck: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1849635/000119312521348593/d242442dex992.htm https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1849635/000119312521... And all this bluster just to pay someone in Eastern Europe to re-skin an existing open source project. It should take about a week to recreate what they've done. It's like saying you're going to make the #1 Slack competitor then just re-skinning Mattermost. It's pathetic. I love open source and all the ways it benefits the world. But I hate exaggerated bravado when the actual service is the very definition of average.
rvz 5y ago
And? They are using free and open source software. What is wrong with that? Anyone can use it, just like anyone can use Tor, including undesirables. I'm still waiting for the 'gotcha' though.
- betwixthewires 5y ago
  They didn't release the source code as required by AGPL and pretended to have built it from scratch initially and defederated from the rest of the network.
  - naoqj 5y ago
    Truth Social hasn't launched yet, I think.
    - bdcravens 5y ago
      It launched last month. It initially had a burst of users and activity, but that has cooled off substantially. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_Social https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_Social https://mashable.com/article/truth-social-downloads-drop-donald-trump https://mashable.com/article/truth-social-downloads-drop-don...
  - rvz 5y ago
    So what is this then? [0] [0] https://opensource.truthsocial.com/mastodon-current.zip https://opensource.truthsocial.com/mastodon-current.zip
    - imilk 5y ago
      That's them acknowledging that they haven't built anything novel or interesting, the just copy/pasted another project and expect people to take them seriously as a major social network.
      - rvz 5y ago
        So their iOS app is also copy and pasted project then? Another asset that didn't stop them from launching, did it? On top of that, so basing on 'free and open source software' and even giving attribution now means 'you haven't built anything novel or interesting'. Oh dear. > the just copy/pasted another project and expect people to take them seriously as a major social network. Yeah, surely Mastodon by itself has hundreds of millions of users worldwide since launch day right? /s I never knew that a controlled launch, only in the US with a waitlist already means 'it is over' or 'it is failing' /s I guess it depends on the 'sources' one reads.

Funnily enough, the whole "Truth Social" is just a Mastodon clone

by imilk 5y ago

Funnily enough, the whole "Truth Social" is just a Mastodon clone

Mastodon clone or instance? If either, explain why. What's the difference? The benefit of federation is to have multiple philosophies in charge of moderation of their own communities whilst also being connected.

imilk 5y ago
Clone, as in a re-skinned version. But my main point is the irony of releasing a pitch deck like this [1], and just adding some custom CSS to popular open source product. [1] https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1849635/000119312521348593/d242442dex992.htm https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1849635/000119312521...
- tnzk 5y ago
  Would their server federate with other servers?
  - imilk 5y ago
    Of course not. They probably just wanted to pay a laughably small amount to make a clone of Twitter. And whether the client asked for it to be done or not, the outsourced development group they hired copied the source code while removing the required attribution.
- hunterb123 5y ago
  So is an instance not allowed to skin itself? Most instances have different designs. Are companies not allowed to compete with Twitter using Mastodon as the platform? Is this not the desired goal for social media companies, to operate within a federated network? You do admit to compete with Twitter you need a lot of resources, that's what the filing you linked to is for.
  - QuikAccount 5y ago
    It is not an instance, it was a clone or if you want to be generous you can call it a fork. A fork that did not abide by the Mastodon license. https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/29/mastodon-issues-30-day-ultimatum-to-trumps-social-network-over-misuse-of-its-code/ https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/29/mastodon-issues-30-day-ult...
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - Proven 5y ago
    - hunterb123 5y ago
      https://opensource.truthsocial.com/mastodon-current.zip https://opensource.truthsocial.com/mastodon-current.zip
      - JohnTHaller 5y ago
        They capitulated after being called out on the license/copyright violations.
        hunterb123 5y ago
        Sure, capitulated, or developers did not inform them, the notice did, and they complied. Given the short timeline, couldn't it just be an honest mistake? My point in the reply was to followup on events, the fact they "capitulated" was left out.
        imilk 5y ago
        Given that they want to be taken seriously as a major social media network and public company, you'd think they'd actually do some development of their own rather than just copying another project.

Sparyjerry 5y ago

Isn't that kind of the point of open source software? I doubt they would use it going forward because of the BS the mastodon developers already tried to pull on a closed alpha site because they disagreed with the users. I get it, there's some people you let the little things slide because you like them and others you act strict as hell because you don't like them. It's odd to use an open source software when you feel the developers are actively trying to catch you slip up to bring you down permanently.

rvz 5y ago
> Isn't that kind of the point of open source software? With free software, yes. It also includes undesirables as well. > It's odd to use an open source software when you feel the developers are actively trying to catch you slip up to bring you down permanently. Well it seems that the Mastodon developers have forgotten that there aren't any restrictions in free software except for the terms of the license and in the end Truth Social complied. So that is that. Putting special source code restrictions on other users beyond the AGPL intends to basically defeats the purpose of free software.
imilk 5y ago
That's completely besides the point of what I was getting at. They put out press releases and pitch decks boasting on how they were going to develop the best social network that the world had ever seen. Look at the laughable "Infrastructure" slides on their investment deck: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1849635/000119312521348593/d242442dex992.htm https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1849635/000119312521... And all this bluster just to pay someone in Eastern Europe to re-skin an existing open source project. It should take about a week to recreate what they've done. It's like saying you're going to make the #1 Slack competitor then just re-skinning Mattermost. It's pathetic. I love open source and all the ways it benefits the world. But I hate exaggerated bravado when the actual service is the very definition of average.

rvz 5y ago

And? They are using free and open source software. What is wrong with that? Anyone can use it, just like anyone can use Tor, including undesirables. I'm still waiting for the 'gotcha' though.

betwixthewires 5y ago
They didn't release the source code as required by AGPL and pretended to have built it from scratch initially and defederated from the rest of the network.
- naoqj 5y ago
  Truth Social hasn't launched yet, I think.
  - bdcravens 5y ago
    It launched last month. It initially had a burst of users and activity, but that has cooled off substantially. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_Social https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_Social https://mashable.com/article/truth-social-downloads-drop-donald-trump https://mashable.com/article/truth-social-downloads-drop-don...
- rvz 5y ago
  So what is this then? [0] [0] https://opensource.truthsocial.com/mastodon-current.zip https://opensource.truthsocial.com/mastodon-current.zip
  - imilk 5y ago
    That's them acknowledging that they haven't built anything novel or interesting, the just copy/pasted another project and expect people to take them seriously as a major social network.
    - rvz 5y ago
      So their iOS app is also copy and pasted project then? Another asset that didn't stop them from launching, did it? On top of that, so basing on 'free and open source software' and even giving attribution now means 'you haven't built anything novel or interesting'. Oh dear. > the just copy/pasted another project and expect people to take them seriously as a major social network. Yeah, surely Mastodon by itself has hundreds of millions of users worldwide since launch day right? /s I never knew that a controlled launch, only in the US with a waitlist already means 'it is over' or 'it is failing' /s I guess it depends on the 'sources' one reads.