The time is probably right.

Back in 2022, when I was still using iOS, I wasn’t completely happy with the Fediverse apps that were available. I was mostly using Akkoma, and the interface I liked the most was actually its web UI, even on mobile. So I started playing with Xcode and put together the foundations of an app tailored to my needs.

A lot has changed since then and today we have great alternatives like IceCubes, Mona, Ivory, etc. Each one has strengths and weaknesses though, so I picked up my old project again and kept pushing it forward.

So I’m happy to announce that my app will finally see the light: I’ve been using it for the past few days and, in my spare time, I’m fixing bugs and adding missing features. I’m building it around my own needs, so it doesn’t have to “appeal to everyone”. I wouldn’t call it opinionated, but it’s definitely targeted.

The app will have one key trait: #snac2 support will be a first-class feature, not an incidental one. Many apps, especially on iOS, support snac as a side effect, but the experience is often not optimal. In this case, the choice is deliberate and it strictly follows the Mastodon API support implemented by snac. So snac will work properly (within the limits of the platform, of course).

Among the features already implemented: the app is minimal and lightweight (under 10 MB, including debug code), easy on RAM, and privacy-first (for example it strips EXIF data from media before posting, so the server will never see it). On snac it also cleans up the "Boosted by Aoderelay" messages that appear when using a relay, removes the character limit, and supports posting in Markdown.

I also added support for Apple Intelligence to generate alt text, both for the media I post and for media posted by others that is missing alt text.

Everything is processed locally through Apple APIs and only on supported devices. The results aren't amazing, Apple Intelligence is extremely limited, but in my opinion it's the only privacy-friendly and ethical way to approach it. And of course, you can disable it.

On Mastodon it supports all the main features: lists, quote posts, granular notifications (you can choose what you want for each category), notification grouping, multi-account support, and it works.

It's still missing a few things (block, etc.) and has some bugs, which I’m spotting as I keep using it.
As soon as it's stable enough, I'll invite a few people to test it. I still haven't fully decided how I'll distribute it: an Apple Developer account has a yearly cost, and I hope to reuse it for other projects too. So this app might be paid, with a trial period, but if possible (I still need to check what’s feasible) I'd like it to be free if you connect to one of the BSD Cafe instances, illumos Cafe, or any snac instance, including your own.

I don't know how long it will take before it's ready... but I can already tell you what it will be called.
It already has a name, and it's... MastoBlaster.

This name was chosen for personal reasons, and also because of its similarity to Master Blaster by Stevie Wonder, which even today feels relevant and fitting for the Fediverse.

Stay tuned!

#MastoBlaster #Fediverse #Mastodon #iOS #FediverseApp #Announcement #Apple #snac #snac2 #BSDCafe #illumosCafe

Are there any fediverse apps where the bulk of the processing, the rendering, and the authoritative datastore are all on the client? In other words, where the server does almost nothing but forward messages to clients and other servers, and minimizes storage on the server?

This structure seems necessary for a privacy-centric app, in order to minimize how much a user needs to trust their own server and possibly other servers. E2ee will help a lot, but it would be even better if servers didn't store who all our follows and followers are, for example.

Just brainstorming on how to get to a fediverse app with good privacy. I wrote a non-AP app like this with a simple UI, but I'd much rather take an existing fediverse app with a well-developed UX and modify it as needed. So that's what I'm looking for.

Thanks for any ideas!

#fediverse #privacy #e2ee #FediverseApp

@raccoonforfriendicaapp This weekend I took some time to investigate how much work would be needed to build an iOS version of the app, and it turned out that at least building and running a basic version of the app is doable with some minor changes (see here).

What do you think about it? Would you like to see a Raccoon on iOS too?

#friendica #friendicadev #androidapp #androiddev #fediverseapp #raccoonforfriendica #kotlin #multiplatform #kmp #compose #cmp #opensource #foss #procyonproject

ugh, moved to Safari to view mastodon because chrome has no audio for videos. I'm not liking how Safari handles this website. In advanced web view the home column jumps when updating and the notifications column doesn't update unless I refresh the page. The hunt for the right browser continues. Or app.

What Computer app has the best interface for viewing multiple columns? (a la Tweetdeck)

#Mastodon #MastodonApp #FediverseApp

@raccoonforfriendicaapp version 0.4.1 has been finally released! I was waiting to fix a couple of old issues but I realized I was keeping people waiting too much since almost 2 months had passed since the previous stable version.

If you were on the latest beta, the only new feature is the possibility to see in every timeline the "source platform" each post is coming from (Friendica, Mastodon, Lemmy, Misskey/Sharkey, Pleroma/Akkoma, Kbin/Mbin, WordPress, GNU Social, Pixelfed, Peertube, GoToSocial, Diaspora, generic ActivityPub and more are coming).

If you were using 0.4.0 there are a ton of improvements, the most important of which are:

• feat: add per-user rate limits;
• feat: suggest hashtags while typing;
• feat: swipe navigation between posts;
• feat: exclude stop words from timelines;
• feat: add shortcuts to other instances ("guest mode");
• feat: open post detail as thread;
• feat: post translation;
• feat: followed hashtag indication;
• feat: show source protocol for posts;
• enhancement: support for embedded images.

This version is also available in the production track on Google Play, so you don't have to participate in the beta program any more to get it.

Let me know what you think about it, enjoy your weekend and as always #livefasteattrash

#friendica #friendicadev #androidapp #androiddev #fediverseapp #raccoonforfriendica #kotlin #multiplatform #kmp #compose #cmp #opensource #foss #procyonproject

@raccoonforfriendicaapp version 0.4.1-beta11 has been released yesterday and is available for testing.

Its "latest and greatest" are:
- tags in post headers in your timeline (if that post is included due to you following one orore hashtags);
- new post detail layout which makes it easier to view relationships between posts and replies and load more replies on demand.

The initial depth of nesting (higher values imply loading will be less performant, lower values imply you'll see more often the "load more replies" button due to threads being partially downloaded).

It is the best I can do with the current Mastodon APIs but it looks ok-ish and, which is more important to the user who asked for this feature I guess, it makes it easier to follow conversations.

Let me know what you think, and if I accidentally broke anything and in the meantime, as usual, #livefasteattrash

#friendica #friendicadev #androidapp #androiddev #fediverseapp #raccoonforfriendica #kotlin #multiplatform #kmp #compose #cmp #opensource #foss #procyonproject

@raccoonforfriendicaapp version 0.4.1-beta10 has been released and is available for testing in the Play store (or in Obtainium if you prefer installing directly from GitHub)!

Apart from the usual localization and dependency updates, this version contains several improvements for embedded images and, if you are using Friendica, you will also be able to insert embedded images within your post body (as opposed to regular attachments). This can benefit those who want to create larger posts with several illustrations.

Let me know what you think about it and, as always, #livefasteattrash

#friendicadev #androidapp #androiddev #fediverseapp #kotlin #multiplatform #kmp #compose #cmp #opensource #foss #procyonproject