![Jump to a federated social network](https://cdn.magzter.com/1387539988/1678770230/articles/PC1ABaHtO1680530556699/JUMP-TO-A-FEDERATED-SOCIAL-NETWORK.jpg)
You might have noticed some rich guy bought Twitter and has been making changes. That’s caused many users to look for a new home that’s a little more laid-back, and the good news is the perfect alternative is non-profit, embraces everything Linux users love, and has quickly adapted to finding itself the centre of attention as its infrastructure scales up to meet the challenge of millions of new users.
Mastodon is its name, and while there are clear similarities with Twitter – both are a micro-blogging platform – there are differences, too, not least of all culturally. Mastodon comes with a slightly steeper learning curve, but don’t worry, that’s where we come in. Before you get started, here’s a quick primer to what Mastodon is and how it differs from the bird site.
The fediverse
Unlike traditional social networks, Mastodon isn’t a single, centralised entity. Instead, it’s part of the fediverse, a huge network of independently hosted yet interconnected servers (often referred to as instances). In Mastodon’s case, each server communicates with each other through the open social networking protocol ActivityPub, which is also used by Nextcloud and other free and open alternatives to traditional platforms, such as Friendica, PeerTube and Pixelfed (offering alternatives to Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, respectively). Even Tumblr is planning to implement ActivityPub support.
Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av Linux Format.
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Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av Linux Format.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![Create your first WebSocket service](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5276/1248180/0O9EnIuy81680536957346/CREATE-YOUR-FIRST-WEBSOCKET-SERVICE.jpg)
Create your first WebSocket service
Mihalis Tsoukalos explains how to use the Go programming language to work with the WebSocket protocol.
![Fantastic Mr Firefox](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5276/1248180/cykPj7kU11680536436240/FANTASTIC-MR-FIREFOX.jpg)
Fantastic Mr Firefox
Nick Peers takes a trip down memory lane to reveal the story behind the rise - and slight fall - of Mozilla's popular web browser.
![Set up your terminal and email like it's 1983](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5276/1248180/VAZbwRiep1680535273421/SET-UP-YOUR-TERMINAL-AND-EMAIL-LIKE-ITS-1983.jpg)
Set up your terminal and email like it's 1983
Jump in the hot terminal time machine with Mats Tage Axelsson who emails from the command line using the latest technology.
![Universal layer text effects with GIMP](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5276/1248180/7K-VCwiTB1680534818555/UNIVERSAL-LAYER-TEXT-EFFECTS-WITH-GIMP.jpg)
Universal layer text effects with GIMP
Posters use them, films and presentations are hard to imagine without them: text effects. Attract attention with Karsten Günther and GIMP.
![Jump to a federated social network](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5276/1248180/PC1ABaHtO1680530556699/JUMP-TO-A-FEDERATED-SOCIAL-NETWORK.jpg)
Jump to a federated social network
Nick Peers reveals how you can get up and running with this free, decentralised and non-profit alternative to Twitter.
![Free our SOFTWARE!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5276/1248180/w6YpvpcsC1680530070840/FREE-OUR-SOFTWARE.jpg)
Free our SOFTWARE!
Taking anything for granted is dangerous, so Jonni Bidwell and Mike Saunders revisit how the free software movement got started to help free us from proprietary tyranny!
![Master RPI.GPIO](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5276/1248180/8Rutehn9H1680529335985/MASTER-RPIGPIO.jpg)
Master RPI.GPIO
Les Pounder goes back to the early days of the Raspberry Pi - and his career with this classic library! -
![Waveshare Zero to Pi3](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5276/1248180/WGSzYfBNe1680529008317/WAVESHARE-ZERO-TO-PI3.jpg)
Waveshare Zero to Pi3
Transform your Pi Zero into a Pi 3, they promised Les Pounder, but it's more like adding on go-faster stripes.
![The Best OPEN SOURCE Software Ever!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5276/1248180/2jlRYTgwb1680526563817/THE-BEST-OPEN-SOURCE-SOFTWARE-EVER.jpg)
The Best OPEN SOURCE Software Ever!
In an attempt to trigger controversy, Michael Reed and Neil Mohr unequivocally state these are the greatest free software apps ever. Probably. We’re just trying to be helpful.
![Linux-Mandrake 7](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5276/1248180/bRg0D4SrQ1680524247505/LINUXMANDRAKE-7.jpg)
Linux-Mandrake 7
Simplicity and a wide range of applications make this a great distribution for all Linux users.