(Except it's not a social network, it's the software running a social network!)
I run an instance here where you can sign up: http://w4t.pw/2q
I talk about my instance in this G+ post: http://w4t.pw/2t
A beginner’s guide to Mastodon, the hot new open-source Twitter clone
Mastodon is a fast-growing Twitter-like social network that seeks to re-create the service’s best parts while eliminating its whale-sized problems. The distributed, open-source platform offers…
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IRC, essentially.
I wouldn't say that. There's basically nothing making one IRC server connect to another, whereas with Mastodon that's an integral function of the software. Mastodon doesn't really have anything equivalent to IRC channels.
I mean, you could say that everything that involves people talking to one another is essentially, IRC, but I'm not sure that's a useful thing to say.
A much more useful comparison is Twitter. Mastodon is very much like Twitter with better privacy controls and no central authority other than convention.
Looks promising. Tried to post a test post and the server had started having problems between when I'd signed up and when I was able to actually send that post.
+Adam Alexander I think my server is a little too low-memory for the software. It is back up now. I'll migrate to a beefier server later today.
Also seems that if you get a 500 error, that it will still try to post your message later.
Just had to delete 2 copies of my first post because it eventually posted them, despite telling me that posting failed.
There are quite a few differences of opinion with the UI between me and the designers… (Logout link needs the word "logout" not just an icon… should be more obvious on how to get to your own timeline…)
Overall, shows promise… especially if I'm complaining about the UI rather than complaining about the service itself, or just dropping it entirely.