It's actually really awesome that Mastodon attracted a shitload of users who largely aren't aware that the underlying GNUSocial platform is old.
You know why?
Because it means we can do this over and over.
Every time someone releases a new implementation with different-looking chrome on top, it can go through its own marketing and media cycle and garner new users. *And the network effect will be cumulative.*
This federation has gathered users as identi.ca, StatusNet, GNU social, Free Social, and mastodon.
There's no end to how many different ways we can market the same product :)
But I think the broader view is this: GNU social isn't so much a social network as a framework for building compatible, federated social networks. It 'has to' win because ultimately people will just write all their new social networks with GNU social!
Chris Martin
pentagram axiom⚑