6 ms·

I can't help it, the name always triggers me. The first association I have with this name is "a social network built especially to be controllable by the feds.

by lynx23 4y ago

I can't help it, the name always triggers me. The first association I have with this name is "a social network built especially to be controllable by the feds."

rahmeero 4y ago
I consider myself somewhat plugged into social media (Twitter, Insta, Tiktok, etc). But I admit I didn't know what Fediverse was and though it was some kind of government project, maybe for contractors to share documents relating to grants. Still don't understand the connection between "Fed" and "Mastodon". I think a Mastodon-based social network should be called "Tuskverse" or "Pachyverse" or "Stompverse"
- pferde 4y ago
  The connection is that Mastodon is just one of the "applications" built on top of ActivityPub protocol. Others are Pixelfed, Pleroma, Peertube, Writefreely, and several more. Being based on the same protocol, they are all to some extent interoperable - e.g. you can follow Pixelfed users from your Mastodon account. "Fediverse" is the umbrella term for all of these applications working together. It is a portmanteau for "federated" and "universe". The "federal police" association is unfortunate, but it is something USA only - rest of the world doesn't really see this.
  - Barrin92 4y ago
    >but it is something USA only The US holds no monopoly on the concept of a federation. Germany (Föderale Bundesrepublik) is one too, so is India or Russia. It's the first time I hear someone take offense with the name. I think it's nice honestly, captures the essence of the network well.
    - malermeister 4y ago
      It doesn't hold a monopoly on the concept of a federation, but it does (as far as I know) hold a monopoly on the association of "fed" = (federal) police in people's minds.
      - pmyteh 4y ago
        Intriguingly, "fed" is British youth slang for the police despite Britain not being a federal state and there being very few national police. A US cultural import, presumably.
- ericlewis 4y ago
  The Fed is short for Federated. Fediverse is an ensemble of federated servers. It’s use more broadly than mastodon.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
Grum9 4y ago
[flagged]
- HopenHeyHi 4y ago
  [flagged]
rapnie 4y ago
The "web" also doesn't sound so appetizing, esp. for people with arachnophobia. At least it is short. "Internet" is a rather technical sounding name. Metaverse? For people who want to be all meta? Or subjects of Meta? Once you get used to a name, it doesn't sound so strange anymore.
- lynx23 4y ago
  Sure, if you hear something often enough, it stops being special. However, I don't think I will get particularily used to it, because I am likely not going to have any contact with it. FaceBook is the last platform I have. All the hip new stuff like TikTok, Instagram and whatnot can stay where they are. I learnt my lesson in the few months that I happened to be on Twitter. I can see 1000 other things I'd prefer doing over scrolling through one of these modern depressants.
  - rapnie 4y ago
    I never used Facebook and Instagram, yet am used to the names. "Face book", a book of faces? "Insta gram", hmm instant telegrams, old-fashioned? They are equally weird imho.
mal-2 4y ago
Yeah it bothered me at first too. A relic of the euro-centric history of the network. It helps (marginally) to think of it like Star Trek's Federation.

by lynx23 4y ago

I can't help it, the name always triggers me. The first association I have with this name is "a social network built especially to be controllable by the feds."

rahmeero 4y ago

I consider myself somewhat plugged into social media (Twitter, Insta, Tiktok, etc). But I admit I didn't know what Fediverse was and though it was some kind of government project, maybe for contractors to share documents relating to grants. Still don't understand the connection between "Fed" and "Mastodon". I think a Mastodon-based social network should be called "Tuskverse" or "Pachyverse" or "Stompverse"

pferde 4y ago
The connection is that Mastodon is just one of the "applications" built on top of ActivityPub protocol. Others are Pixelfed, Pleroma, Peertube, Writefreely, and several more. Being based on the same protocol, they are all to some extent interoperable - e.g. you can follow Pixelfed users from your Mastodon account. "Fediverse" is the umbrella term for all of these applications working together. It is a portmanteau for "federated" and "universe". The "federal police" association is unfortunate, but it is something USA only - rest of the world doesn't really see this.
- Barrin92 4y ago
  >but it is something USA only The US holds no monopoly on the concept of a federation. Germany (Föderale Bundesrepublik) is one too, so is India or Russia. It's the first time I hear someone take offense with the name. I think it's nice honestly, captures the essence of the network well.
  - malermeister 4y ago
    It doesn't hold a monopoly on the concept of a federation, but it does (as far as I know) hold a monopoly on the association of "fed" = (federal) police in people's minds.
    - pmyteh 4y ago
      Intriguingly, "fed" is British youth slang for the police despite Britain not being a federal state and there being very few national police. A US cultural import, presumably.
ericlewis 4y ago
The Fed is short for Federated. Fediverse is an ensemble of federated servers. It’s use more broadly than mastodon.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

Grum9 4y ago

[flagged]

HopenHeyHi 4y ago
[flagged]

rapnie 4y ago

The "web" also doesn't sound so appetizing, esp. for people with arachnophobia. At least it is short. "Internet" is a rather technical sounding name. Metaverse? For people who want to be all meta? Or subjects of Meta? Once you get used to a name, it doesn't sound so strange anymore.

lynx23 4y ago
Sure, if you hear something often enough, it stops being special. However, I don't think I will get particularily used to it, because I am likely not going to have any contact with it. FaceBook is the last platform I have. All the hip new stuff like TikTok, Instagram and whatnot can stay where they are. I learnt my lesson in the few months that I happened to be on Twitter. I can see 1000 other things I'd prefer doing over scrolling through one of these modern depressants.
- rapnie 4y ago
  I never used Facebook and Instagram, yet am used to the names. "Face book", a book of faces? "Insta gram", hmm instant telegrams, old-fashioned? They are equally weird imho.

mal-2 4y ago

Yeah it bothered me at first too. A relic of the euro-centric history of the network. It helps (marginally) to think of it like Star Trek's Federation.