Lemmy maintainer. Interested in politics, video games, and many other things.
- 21 Posts
- 116 Comments
Joined vor 3 Jahren
Cake day: Jan. 17, 2020
Thank you i opened an issue.
It helps a lot to realize that we are not obligated to respond to anyones issue. Wee are providing a software for free, and if sonething cant get it working, thats their problem. They can just not use it, or pay someone for help. Just because I wrote some software doesnt mean I owe anyone an explanation how it works.
In this regard I think it will be helpful if we aggressively close any support requests on Github, and tell people to ask on Lemmy/Matrix, where other people can help them.
On this page you donation options. However renting a fast vps is generally very expensive, so selfhosting is much more cost effective. That needs some time and to setup and manage though. As we already host a number of different servers, it would be helpful if someone else could manage this one.
Possible yes, but then we would be relying on a specific company (Microsoft) with no easy way to switch to another provider. And we would have to pay money to them if the free tier isnt enough. With drone.io we initially used their free cloud offering, and then seamlessly switched to a selfhosted instance. Now if we need more resources, any server can be used.
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- ein Monat
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We are looking for someone who would be willing to provide a build server for Lemmy's continuous integration. This is used to ensure that new changes and pull requests pass all the checks, and that the code is written well. At the moment we are using a small VPS for this purpose (2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM). This works but is quite slow, and can slow down the development process with unnecessary waiting times.
For this reason we are looking for a community member with a spare server or computer, who would be willing to provide it as a build server. There are no specific hardware requirements, but the faster the better. The build server has to run 24/7 and run the [Drone Docker Runner](https://docs.drone.io/runner/docker/overview/). The setup is very easy, especially if your machine is already running docker. If you have such a server and are willing to provide it, please comment below with the specs.
Additionally we are also looking for an ARM builder, so that we can provide official releases for this platform as well. Note that some Raspberry Pi models seem unable to build Lemmy (our 4GB memory builder failed), so please try if the compilation works on your device. If you can provide an ARM builder, also comment below with the specs.
Maybe what youre looking for although it looks quite different: https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmyBB
We have a selfhosted Gitea instance which is currently hosting mirrors of Lemmy repos. For now thats not ideal because everyone would have to create an account to open issues and contribute, and it could easily fill up with spam. Once Gitea federates it would definitely be a great option.
Das liegt wahrscheinlich am Rate limit, siehe https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/issues/2612
I mentioned onboarding in my other comment: https://lemmy.ml/post/632344/comment/346629
For super-moderators there is an issue, i believe hexbear folks will work on it: https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/issues/2071
I also recently noticed the problem with signups being too complicated, so Im planning to work on an alternative way for admins to approve new users. As an alternative to the current "registration application, admins could instead choose to review and approve comments from new users, which means that users can start posting immediately. Issue is here: https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/issues/2601
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- fedibb.ml
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- 3 Monate
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Give it a try if you are interested in the project. If you notice any problems, you can [open an issue](https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmyBB/issues). Contributions are also more than welcome.
In a few days I will publish the first release, and make a proper announcement.
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- 5 Monate
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I have just finished migrating the services mentioned above to new domains, and also to hosting on the lemmy.ml server, instead of my personal server. This makes sense because all of them are used almost exclusively for Lemmy development. It will also allow [@dessalines@lemmy.ml](https://lemmy.ml/u/dessalines) to administrate the services in case of problems.
The new domains are:
Gitea: git.join-lemmy.org
Weblate: weblate.join-lemmy.org
Drone: drone.join-lemmy.org
There are redirects in place, so you will automatically be forwarded from old domains to new ones.
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- github.com
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- 6 Monate
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I have finished writing instructions for deploying lemmyBB on a production server, which you can follow at the link above. Right now the project is still in a very early stage, nevertheless main funcionality is already working. This includes browsing communities, posts and comments, writing posts/comments and registration/login. Before developing the project further, I would like to get some feedback from users and admins.
If you are interested, you can follow the instructions to install lemmyBB on your own server. This setup also installs lemmy-ui, in order to access functionality which is not yet available in lemmyBB (particularly moderation).
You can also try out lemmyBB on a test server with this setup, namely [lemmybb.lemmy.ml](https://lemmybb.lemmy.ml/). It runs lemmy-ui at [lemmyui.lemmy.ml](https://lemmyui.lemmy.ml/), which shows the same data in another format, and the same account login works on both domains. Registrations are currently open, but keep in mind that this instance is only meant for testing, until other instances are created.
If you notice any bugs or want to request new features, please open an [issue](https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmyBB/issues) or comment here.
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- 7 Monate
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Lemmy is structured in a way that backend (database, api, federation etc) and frontend (html, css, javascript) are completely separate. This makes it possible to create other frontends which can take the place of lemmy-ui. I have long been playing with the thought of having a Lemmy frontend that looks more like a traditional forum. Now I finally found some time to work on this, and get an initial proof of concept working.
To reduce the amount of work, the project uses HTML templates and CSS themes from [phpBB](https://www.phpbb.com/), which are open source under GPLv2. This also has the advantage that many preexisting phpBB themes can be used for lemmyBB. It is written in Rust, because it allows for tight integration with the Lemmy API, and is generally a great language for webservers.
For now the funcionality is very basic, but nonetheless its already usable. You can:
- browse the local post listing
- browse comments
- login and logout
- create new posts and comments
To give it a try, run the following commands on your local computer, replacing lemmy.ml with your own instance:
```
git clone https://github.com/Nutomic/lemmyBB.git
LEMMY_INTERNAL_HOST=https://lemmy.ml cargo run
```
If there is any specific feature that you would like to see added, please [open an issue](https://github.com/Nutomic/lemmyBB/issues). For now there arent any instructions for deploying lemmyBB to a server. If you would like to do that, please open an issue as well.
This post was made from lemmyBB.
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- 7 Monate
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[Activitypub](https://www.w3.org/TR/activitypub/) is decentralized social networking protocol recommended by the W3C. It provides a client to server API for creating, updating and deleting content, as well as a federated server to server API for delivering notifications and content. As part of the work on [Lemmy](https://join-lemmy.org/), we have implemented some high-level abstractions for handling the server-to-server protocol in Rust. These abstractions are now available as a standalone library.
The main features are:
- Data structures for federation are defined by the user, not the library. This gives you maximal flexibility, and lets you accept only messages which your code can handle. Others are rejected automatically during deserialization.
- ObjectId type, wraps the id url and allows for type safe fetching of objects, both from database and HTTP
- Queue for activity sending, handles HTTP signatures, retry with exponential backoff, all in background workers
- Inbox for receiving activities, verifies HTTP signatures, performs other basic checks and helps with routing
- Generic error type (unfortunately this was necessary)
- various helpers for verification, (de)serialization, context etc
Documentation is currently lacking. If you want to get started with the library, best look at the example.
The code has already been used in production as part of Lemmy for a long time, without any notable problems. However, ergonomics are lacking and need to be improved. There are also many additional features which would be worth implementing. See the project readme for details. Contributions and suggestions are very much welcome!
You can find the project here:
[https://github.com/LemmyNet/activitypub-federation-rust](https://github.com/LemmyNet/activitypub-federation-rust)
[https://crates.io/crates/activitypub-federation](https://crates.io/crates/activitypub-federation)
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- 10 Monate
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Lemmy.ml has long had some political conflict among the userbase, especially in communities like worldnews. This is because the instance is composed of both leftists (anarchist/communist) and liberals (those who agree with the mainstream political views in western countries). Additionally, the instance admins all belong to the former group.
Recently we made an announcement offering [free Lemmy instance hosting](https://join-lemmy.org/news/2022-03-17_-_Free_Lemmy_instance_hosting) for one year, for non-politics instances. We are hereby making a similar offer to host a liberal or mainstream political instance, which can accomodate those who are unhappy with lemmy.ml moderation.
This has many advantages. Instance admins have full power to set the rules, block federated instances (like lemmygrad.ml), or remove unwanted content. An administration team that is closer aligned politically would certainly be an improvement for some of the users here.
So if you are interested to host such an instance, send an email to contact@join-lemmy.org some relevant details about yourself. You will also have to buy a domain. We will only host one such instance, so if multiple people are interested, you should coordinate among yourselves. As in the original offer, the hosting will be limited to one year.
On a side note, we would also like to help with the creation of a general-purpose instance that is less focused on politics than most of the existing instances. This is fully within the terms of the initial "free instance hosting" announcement, so if you are interested, send us an email!
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- weblate.yerbamate.ml
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- ein Jahr
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The domain was included in a spam list, which meant that confirmation emails couldnt be delivered, and signup was impossible. Now the problem is fixed, so if you would like to translate Lemmy into your language, register an account and get started.
You can also join the [Lemmy Translations](https://matrix.to/#/#lemmy-translations:matrix.org) Matrix chat.
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- 2 Jahre
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Recently there have been some discussions about the political stances of the Lemmy developers and site admins. To clear up some misconceptions: Lemmy is run by a team of people with different ideologies, including anti-capitalist, communist, anarchist, and others. While @dessalines and I are communists, we take decisions collectively, and don't demand that anyone adopt our views or convert to our ideologies. We wouldn't devote so much time to building a federated site otherwise.
What's important to us is that you follow the site rules and [Code of Conduct](https://join.lemmy.ml/docs/en/code_of_conduct.html). Meaning primarily, no-bigotry, and being respectful towards others. As long as that is the case, we can get along perfectly fine.
In general we are open for constructive feedback, so please contact any member of the admin team if you have an idea how to improve Lemmy.
## Slur Filter
We also noticed a consistent criticism of the built-in slur filter in Lemmy. Not so much on lemmy.ml itself, but whenever Lemmy is recommended elsewhere, a few usual suspects keep bringing it up. To these people we say the following: we are using the slur filter as a tool to keep a friendly atmosphere, and prevent racists, sexists and other bigots from using Lemmy. Its existence alone has lead many of them to not make an account, or run an instance: a clear net positive.
You can see for yourself the words which are blocked (content warning, [link here](https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/blob/main/crates/utils/src/utils.rs#L10)). Note that it doesn't include any simple swear words, but only slurs which are used to insult and attack other people. If you want to use any of these words, then please stay on one of the many platforms that permit them. Lemmy is not for you, and we don't want you here.
We are fully aware that the slur filter is not perfect. It is made for American English, and can give false positives in other languages or dialects. We are totally willing to fix such problems on a case by case basis, simply open an issue in our [repo ](https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/issues)with a description of the problem.
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- 3 Jahre
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Let's start with the biggest news first: Lemmy is receiving funding from the [NLnet foundation](https://nlnet.nl/)! The funding is for a total amount of 45.000 €, which will allow [/u/dessalines](/u/dessalines) and me ([/u/nutomic](/u/nutomic) ) to work on Lemmy full-time for at least half a year.
We have created various milestones for the work we are planning to do. Most of them are about getting ActivityPub federation ready for production. In addition, we will work on:
- better accessibility
- private communities and instances
- reworking search
- creating a `joinlemmy.ml` type site
- the option to block other users or communities
The details of the milestones will be posted on our github issue tracker soon.
We're very excited about this opportunity, and can't wait to finish federation.
In other news, we have just released [Lemmy v0.7.0.](https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/blob/master/RELEASES.md#lemmy-v070-release-2020-06-2x) Most importantly, this update switches to [Pict-rs](https://git.asonix.dog/asonix/pict-rs/) for image hosting, due to various performance-related issues with Pictshare. Pict-rs was coded from scratch in Rust by the amazing @asonix, who also created the ActivityPub library for Rust. We can't thank him enough for all the work he is doing for Lemmy!
We'd also like to thank the following people for their contributions:
- @iav for their work in building arm compatible rust docker images and builds.
- @ernestwisniewski and @bytesnake for code contributions.
- Many others for contributing translations via the [Lemmy weblate.](https://weblate.yerbamate.dev/projects/lemmy/)
- Our [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/dessalines) and [Liberapay](https://liberapay.com/Lemmy/) supporters who help us devote more time to Lemmy (We're still very far from these being able to sustain two developers)
- Everyone else who contributes to Lemmy, be it by coding, hosting instances or just using it and spreading the word!
Other than that, since v0.6.0 in January [we've closed over 100 issues](https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/milestone/16?closed=1), fixed tons of bugs and added many new features.
[You can find the full changelog and upgrade instructions here](https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/blob/master/RELEASES.md#lemmy-v070-release-2020-06-2x).
Edit: [Here are the milestones for the funding](https://dev.lemmy.ml/post/35612)
FYI this will be fixed in Lemmy 0.17