And I can't figure out how to connect to a particular server. The #Patchwork #SSB client I'm using has a "+ Join Server" field, but it requires an invitation code. Which I can't generate unless I have a pub server. Which I can't join until I have an invitation code... Sigh.
#SSB: Concept: A+ ; Implementation: C+ ; Usability: F
You'd think a communications platform would make it easier to connect to people you want to communicate with...
@bobjonkman “There is no one in your community with that name.”
I suspect that without pubs or direct LAN connections, it isn’t possible to use #SSB.
I’ll see if I can connect to the same pub server that @storm is using: scuttlebutt.us ... though I’m already supposedly connected to a few others already.
I was on #SSB Secure Scuttlebutt for a while (attended an #SSB seminar at last year's LibrePlanet conference), but the application was so resource intense that my laptop couldn't keep up. And, there wasn't the network effect I needed to make it useful. While there are probably interesting people to converse with, I have no idea how to find them.
I just logged back into #SSB, my userID is @BobJonkman (of course); my public key is @aFhD6GhqLVTFFjIGiuKidbaRiU6nC6JeLLvUROLMkL8=.ed25519
Try sending me a private message, maybe that's the way to follow each other.
Multiple month-long or longer outages of the pub servers that are necessary if you’re not in the same LAN with other users means that the network is unreliable. There is zero chance that anyone I know in person would return after such long outages, so it is not ready.
Now, I suppose, if there were other SSB / #Manyverse users on my local network, we could make use of it that way. But there aren’t, and the network is pretty useless without pubs.
Scuttlebutt is a distributed socnet, but for most users, it is dependent on pub servers to do the connecting.
Seems like a number of “butts” (users of Secure ScuttleButt [ #SSB ] and related implementations) are participating in Circles. They’re posting their circles.garden profile links for contacts to establish trust.
There was a similar document shared on Secure Scuttlebutt ( #SSB ) / #Manyverse a while ago. I believe I linked the document, so search my history if you wish to compare.
Frankly, I found the SSB document unworkable and error-prone, but this one sounds like it could work in some situations.
At present, I think most implementations are based on Node.js.
An important thing in SSB is "Pubs". The link above says this:
> "Pubs" are bot-users that have public IPs. They follow users and rehost the messages to other peers, ensuring good uptime and no firewall blockage.
> Pubs have no special privileges, and are not trusted by users. However, because Scuttlebot has no DHT or NAT-traversal utilities, users must "join" a Pub to distribute their messages on the WAN.
Without a lot of active experience with SSB or its clients, it seems that pubs are a weak point and a centralizing influence. Sure, I could host a pub myself, but then I'd need to attract a good sized fraction of the overall SSB userbase, so that those connecting to my pub could find interesting users.
I'll wait another week or two before I completely abandon it.
I should write up my experience with the #SSB network. I'd heard so much about this wonder of #DCO (disconnected operation) and #P2P (peer-to-peer) that I think my expectations were too high.
I'm not very conversational there. I pretty much just read others' posts. I rarely respond or post.
#SSB seems to be a "refrigerator magnet" type of place.
Let me explain that term. When #GD2 sends me some of her artwork, I stick one piece up on the fridge (using a magnet). That's "Look at what [my granddaughter] drew / colored / painted for me". So "refrigerator magnet" is hey, look at what I did.
Copying a 'pub' invite and pasting it into the client is not easy. It took several tries on the Apple iPad, and was only possible by learning to trick the text selection function. On Android, there are some characters in the pub invite that can only be selected if you select all (grabs way more than what you want, leaving you to edit after pasting). I eventually resorted to copying the portion that selected easily, and manually entering the rest.
Each device / installation gets its own individual identity hash. In your profile, you can attach a friendly name, which is displayed to others instead of the full identity hash. Don't try restoring a hash from one device onto another, because the #Secure_Scuttlebutt network seems to deliver everything to the first device and leave the second one alone.
There seems to be a smallish set of users, many of whom are building SSB software, hosting pubs, and building similar #peer-to-peer ( #p2p ) networks.
I am nowhere near an expert with it, and I generally only open the client about once per week. It usually takes a while to update, so at first, the old posts from a week before are all you see.