GNU social V3

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 13:56:33 +0000

-Milestone: ActivityStreams 2.0 and WebFinger +Milestone: Collections

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 13:56:12 +0000

The primary use of GNU social is to access the free network, be it ActivityWeb (ActivityPub) or Fediverse (OStatus).

- -

Contrary to the original plan, we have merged The Free Network Module, WebFinger and LRDD into a single component named FreeNetwork. Likewise, ActivityPub and ActivityStreams 2.0 was kept the same plugin instead of separated.

- -

Understanding the organisation chosen

- -

The FreeNetwork component adds WebFinger (RFC7033) lookup and implements Link-based Resource Descriptor Discovery (LRDD) based on RFC6415, Web Host Metadata. It takes and produces both Extensible Resource Descriptor (XRD) and JSON (JavaSript Object Notation). Furthermore, and different from v2, every federation protocol will use the same distribution queue maintained by this component instead of holding its own.

- -

We originally intended to have data modelling plugins that would extend the GS's "language". We then understood that it added more complexity than we wanted without any considerable advantage because we cannot dissociate data reception handling of the protocol itself.

- -

Situation Report

- -

ActivityPub already translates between activity and entity and allows plugins to extend it (thus serving a similar purpose to data modelling and representation plugins).

- -

GNU social v3 now supports mentions, which is a process that starts in the Posting component. The processing of local mentions naturally finds its entire handling here.

- -

For remote ActivityPub mentions, ActivityPub handles it aided by the FreeNetwork component).

- -

Next steps

- -

We still have to port OStatus (and ActivityStreams 1.0) and implement the distribution by FreeNetwork, although the base work is done. Regarding ActivityPub, although some of it already works, expanding the existing plugins to supplement ActivityPub, and full validation isn't ready yet. We will most likely finish the implementation of the whole federation stack in the next week.

- - - - - - - - - - +

We have generalized collections around our search engine. For that introducing +the Collection component.

This structure has the following implication:

Collection -> OrderedCollection
+|-> Notes (known as Feed)
+|-> Actors (known as Circle)
+|-> Other Object (known as Collection of ...)
+  |-> Attachments: AttachmentCollection
+  |-> Tags: TagCollection
+

And it allow us to centralise the scope system in the core, ensuring that no +actor will have access to notes or other objects that shouldn't be able to see.

Finally, with this, a plugin such as Note Type Feed Filter can be useful in +every note collection (feed).

It also allows plugins such as ActivityPub to translate every collection +automatically.

We also introduced the Circle component, which has a UI similar to the +Attachments Collections, +and enables circle mentions with @#circle_name.

Notes Filter and Sorting Options

Actors Filter and Sorting Options

The Search Component

Results

Note Options

Actor Options

ActivityPub Examples

+ +

-Milestone: Actor colour theme plugin +Updates: Local Groups

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 13:13:38 +0000

Actors are now able to set their own colours, through a brand new plugin: "Oomox". -Those accustomed to customising their own desktop should know where the name comes from ;)

Here's how it works!

We haven't implemented federation of Groups yet, but group tags and discussion +on how unbounded groups can be federated via ActivityPub has already started.

The Oomox plugin main class catches the "PopulateProfileSettingsTabs" event upon visiting user panel.

Concerning federation of traditional groups, we will port our logic from v2 and +translate following the same rules as AndStatus because they work, as yvolk beautifully stated :)

public function onPopulateProfileSettingsTabs(Request $request, array &$tabs): bool
-{
-    $tabs[] = [
-        'title'      => 'Light theme colours',
-        'desc'       => 'Change the theme colours.',
-        'controller' => C\Oomox::oomoxSettingsLight($request),
-    ];
+Finally, also note that the group actors now have "self-tags", as the other actors, which was a milestone.
 
-    $tabs[] = [
-        'title'      => 'Dark theme colours',
-        'desc'       => 'Change the theme colours.',
-        'controller' => C\Oomox::oomoxSettingsDark($request),
-    ];
 
-    return Event::next;
-}
-

As made evident by the code, two new tabs are added to profile settings, light and dark theme colours. -Since the page styling follows the system theme, actors may want to style each theme differently, therefore they are treated separately.

+ +

+Milestone: Pinned Notes +

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 12:36:14 +0000

+You can now pin notes in your profile! Given you have suficient permissions to do so (e.g. you created the note), an additional action is represented, allowing you to highlight your favourite notes.

The actor's defined colours are then saved in the respective entity and cached. -Finally, the colour preferences are used to render the corresponding CSS file which defines the various colour variables used:

With this feature, an actor has more ways to express itself to the community as a whole. This activity is federated using Mastodon's featured collection extension.

public function oomoxCSS(): Response
-{
-    $user = Common::ensureLoggedIn();
-
-    $oomox_table = PluginOomox::getEntity($user);
-    if (is_null($oomox_table)) {
-        throw new ClientException(_m('No custom colours defined', 404));
-    }
-
-    $content = Formatting::twigRenderFile('/oomox/root_override.css.twig', ['oomox' => $oomox_table]);
-    return new Response($content, status: 200, headers: ['content-type' => 'text/css']);
-}
-

- -

Please note, upon rendering for the first time, page render may be blocked until the resulting file is served. Nonetheless, subsequent page renders -won't experience the issue again. That is, if the file is cached by the browser.

- -

How it looks

- -

Tabs added using the "PopulateProfileSettingsTabs" event: -

- -

Changing the dark theme colours! -

- -

The result of given changes, please note it's no longer a 'dark' theme. -Given a valid colour, it's the actor's responsibility whether or not the colours make sense. So, go wild! -

Source +

+ +

+Milestone: Notes with LaTeX +

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 11:41:47 +0000

+ +

LaTeX content types is now supported.

+ +

latex

+ +

+ + + + + + + + +

+Milestone: Notes with Markdown +

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 11:40:49 +0000

+ +

Markdown content types is now supported.

+ +

Markdown

+ +

+ + + + + + + + + +

+Milestone: Web Monetization +

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 01:57:40 +0000

+ +

Web Monetization is being proposed as a W3C +standard at the Web Platform Incubator Community Group.

+ +

GNU social now supports that initiative with the Web Monetization plugin.

+ +

With this, we also introduce an ActivityPub (FEP pending) GS extension +gs:webmonetizationWallet. This enables actors to support other actors with Web +Monetization in the fediverse.

+ +

It looks like this:

+ +

Own profile

+ +

In the profile of other actors

+ +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + +

+Milestone: Mute notifications from a conversation +

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 13:56:12 +0000

+ +

If a conversation in which you have interacted becomes very active and you wish +to stop receiving notifications derived from that, it is now possible: +

+ @@ -185,10 +256,10 @@ Given a valid colour, it's the actor's responsibility whether or not the colours -

Milestone: Albums

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 13:56:12 +0000

@@ -225,144 +296,26 @@ specialisation of a collection.

-Milestone: Collections +Milestone: ActivityPub

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 13:56:12 +0000

We have generalized collections around our search engine. For that introducing -the Collection component.

- -

This structure has the following implication:

- -

Collection -> OrderedCollection
-|-> Notes (known as Feed)
-|-> Actors (known as Circle)
-|-> Other Object (known as Collection of ...)
-  |-> Attachments: AttachmentCollection
-  |-> Tags: TagCollection
-

- -

And it allow us to centralise the scope system in the core, ensuring that no -actor will have access to notes or other objects that shouldn't be able to see.

- -

Finally, with this, a plugin such as Note Type Feed Filter can be useful in -every note collection (feed).

- -

It also allows plugins such as ActivityPub to translate every collection -automatically.

- -

Notes Filter and Sorting Options

- -

Actors Filter and Sorting Options

- -

The Search Component

- -

Results

- -

Note Options

- -

Actor Options

- -

ActivityPub Examples

- -

- - - - - - - - - - -

-Milestone: Documentation and Tests Infrastructure -

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 13:56:12 +0000

- -

>WIKI Milestone entry

- -

GNU social now has its documentation available in -https://docs.gnusocial.rocks/. It features four -different books. These are automatically generated from the source using mdBook.

- -

-
Only the development book is in an elaborated state, the other books are -holding for more ready code.
-

- -

And two of them are new:

- -

The Developer is both intended to guide third-party plugin developers and to make it easier of contributing to the code.
The Designer is the most recent of the four and came from a necessity of keeping some standardization between templates and ensuring the same principles are kept in mind when designing new themes.

- -

And two of them are updates from existing documentation:

- -

The User one is adapted -from the existing GNU social documentation for users that was provided in v2.
The Administrator one is adapted -from the "Unofficial GNU social docs" by Thomask who asked us to make it official.

- -

Together with the documentation we've introduced a -wiki. Its purpose is to walk-through decisions, -convention, terminology. It's where we document the reasoning the development team went -through before implementing more sophisticated functionalities.

- -

Finally, when the documentation doesn't explain, and to ensure the whole code -is properly tested, we have the -tests. And the coverage is available here. At the time of writing the coverage has 98.76% code lines tested.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - +

ActivityPub Plugin source.

This milestone could be just this, what's different from any other ActivityPub +plugin? How is it better than v2's?

It's better in how it's organised and extensible, check the EVENTS.md for examples.

Video of GNU social v3 exchanging notes with GNU social v2.

+ @@ -380,143 +333,8 @@ is properly tested, we have the -

-Milestone: Mute notifications from a conversation -

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 13:56:12 +0000

- -

If a conversation in which you have interacted becomes very active and you wish -to stop receiving notifications derived from that, it is now possible: -

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

-Milestone: Notes and Actors with languages -

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 13:56:12 +0000

- -

Well, it's that, our notes now have a language attribute.

- -

... All right, all right, it's not just it.

- -

Here's what comes with it:

- -

Here's how it looks

- -

First, the user panel section where the desired preferences are selected: -

- -

Upon sending the previous form, the user is redirected to order their selection: -

- -

Finally, when posting the language with the highest priority is selected by default.

- -

However, by accessing "Additional options", another language may be selected. The resulting -note will have the html lang attribute according to it.

- -

The posting widget itself: -

- -

What does this mean?

- -

We can now show you the notes you can read, but for groups, this mean that you -can access umbrella groups and filter the feeds to see what's in your language -and even region.

- -

For too long the fediverse struggled with languages, this step makes it easier -for actual internationalization of the free network.

- -

A marvellous feed filtered by note language

- -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

-Milestone: Notes with LaTeX -

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 13:56:12 +0000

- -

LaTeX content types is now supported.

- -

latex

- -

- - - - - - - -

-Milestone: Notes with Markdown -

GNU social development team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 13:56:12 +0000

- -

Markdown content types is now supported.

- -

Markdown

- -

- - - - - - - - -