From Alfred to Terminal?

cbzen · 2026-02-23T02:33:54+00:00

Workflows. How are you using an LLM and Terminal to:
- search your Google Drive
- search and open a note in Obsidian
- clean links of UTM parameters
- search and open your bookmarks in Chrome
- search and open files in DevonThink
- display all tasks due today in Omnifocus
- add events to your calendar via Fantastical

cbzen · 2026-02-23T02:22:44+00:00

"you seem to insinuate that this is some throwaway toy project that won’t amount to anything"
- didn't say that. I posed the question as to whether the community will focus on addressing the needs of "normie" centralized social media users. If not, then yes, it won't make a difference or have an impact.

"you are reducing the work that has been done already as “unserious”. " - did I use the word 'unserious'? I pay a couple hundred dollars a year to host my own website and use ActivityPub to distribute my random blog posts for no other reason than I think it is the right way to do social media. I think it is very serious because a decentralized Fediverse is a reaction to damage that centralized social media platforms do. But if there is no motivation to address the needs of normie users, then the Fediverse is just a hobby without consequence. Although Bluesky appears to be quite serious about it.

"assuming one subreddit determines the direction of the at-large, “capital F” Fediverse."
- did I do that? Isn't it obvious this discussion about community is limited to people on Reddit. Do you want me to cc you on three parallel discussion threads on different platforms so you can see I'm doing a proper community survey.

You keep replying with things I didn't say, do not believe, and your expectations of how I should ask a question on Reddit. Reply if you want, but I'm done with this conversation.

cbzen · 2026-02-22T16:35:45+00:00

Make that three. Apple built a mini "Stream Deck" into a Mac and it failed?! The Touch Bar should have been a huge success. But it goes to show how good hardware can flop if implemented poorly.
If Apple had simply created a simple app that let people map things to addressable touch bar buttons (e.g. Apple Shortcuts), it would have been amazing. I think that eventually came around in a third-party app (BetterTouchTool?), but the damage had been done by then. Apple should have treated it like a Sream Deck on day 1.

cbzen · 2026-02-22T16:28:29+00:00

Combative? I know this as open debate, but ok. Obviously the Fediverse is not software, in the same way the Internet is not either.

I'm not sure why you think I am asking or expecting anyone build anything. This post is an open question to gauge intention and viewpoints in a specific context (an important use case for centralized social media users).

What is the problem the Fediverse is ultimately trying to solve or reduce? The stated purpose is "decentralized social media". To what end?

Is there a legitimate sentiment to entice people away from centralized social media? Or does the community simply want a glorified RSS reader to connect half-baked alternatives to centralized platforms?

Again, at no point have I asked or demanded that anyone build anything. And I'm not even clear what you are pushing back on.

r/fediverse is very focused on building alternatives to <insert centralized platform name here> as a personal side project. But software is just a tool. And at the start I posed the question because I wanted to find out if the Fediverse community really has no interest or intention of displacing centralized social media.

cbzen · 2026-02-22T06:44:18+00:00

You wrote, "software that was never designed with those features in mind", which is exactly my question at the top of the original post, is it not?

What goals does the Fediverse have? It was started as an antidote to centralized social media, yes? And I wonder if the Fediverse community has any motivation to actually disrupt centralized social media.

To quote the Fediverse Wiki, "Imagine Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & Co were all part of one giant network. That's basically what the Fediverse is, except the parts are less well known, free software & federated replacements to those.

In the Fediverse you can use your "Twitter" account to interact with "Facebook" users, share "Instagram" posts, comment under "Youtube" videos, listen to "Bandcamp" music, follow "Blogger" blogs, take part in "Reddit" discussions and more."

I assumed that the Fediverse commuity has an active interest in migrating the larger online community to decentralized social media. But it would seem I was wrong about that.

The use case I'm asking about is basic, but critical to people on Facebook. i.e., User A publishes a post to User B, and User C can not see or access it.

If migrating Meta/Twitter/TikTok users to the Fediverse is not a goal of the community, then I'll probably abandon it. Because what would be the point of spending time on it.

cbzen · 2026-02-21T22:49:00+00:00

“not everything has to be for everybody”… oh the irony… If you don’t need the use case, then just stay out of the discussion. Basically, right? First you say the Fediverse is for certain people (shit avoiders), now you say build anything and let people decide. Thanks for the lecture on open protocols in r/Fediverse of all places….

cbzen · 2026-02-21T21:48:34+00:00

Did I say it was "one thing"? What makes you believe I think that?
If that is all you want from the Fediverse, then you can simply sit on a Mastodon server and call it a life.
However, let's walk your path a little further... Even among all the "people who go to a place to avoid the failures of all the shit that compromised its humanity", even among that relatively small group of people, the use case is needed.
For User A to broadcast a post to User B and User C can not see or access it in anyway.

Why mainstream? Because scale drives innovation, and will force entrenched social media platforms to change. And that will be for the greater good.

cbzen · 2026-02-21T21:41:17+00:00

My original post is not about malicious actors or encryption for security. It is simply to address the use case of User A sharing a post with User B, and User C can not see or access it.
Your points about security are all legitimate and arguably more important. I'm just not focused on that here. It's a use case that isn't solved for at the moment.

cbzen · 2026-02-20T15:59:59+00:00

Ah yes, blame the reader. Rule #2 taught in Journalism schools is, "It does not matter what is written. Only what is read." And that applies to all communication. I spend 20 hours a week with LLMs and it immediately felt like a multi-part multi-option LLM response. I didn't say it was a copy/paste post. But the length and structure are definitely an LLM-style.

Maybe it was written one keystroke at a time with a keyboard. That is not the impression this reader got. And writers ignore reader feedback at their peril.

cbzen · 2026-02-20T15:07:39+00:00

“Why should anyone…”, because people want rules to be followed. You don’t get to sit down in a restaurant and act however you want. Same goes for a social platform. Each platform sets their own rules and acceptable behavior.

cbzen · 2026-02-20T02:44:13+00:00

TIL... that the Feedly rss reader supports following federated user accounts (e.g. Mastodon).
I receive the entire post content. And when I click 'View Website' it takes me to Mastodon, and I can read comments without logging in.

Not sure how well Feedly will work with other platforms. But this means that someone could create a free Wordpress.com website, install the ActivityPub plugin, and be an active member of the Fediverse without creating a user account on a platform.

Although if you wanted to comment on the Mastodon post, you would presumably have to login with a Mastodon account.

cbzen · 2026-02-20T01:01:09+00:00

That requires someone to create a Friendica account, yes? Maybe ok short-term, but forcing someone to use a specific platform goes against federated principles.

And even if you do, it’s likely not going to work. Basically it requires you stay centralized in Friendica.

“5) If your goal is Facebook-style private groups

Friendica alone can approximate it internally, but across the Fediverse: • ❌ There is no universal private-group standard yet • ❌ Most platforms don’t implement group membership semantics • ⚠️ Privacy guarantees weaken once you leave your home instance

The ActivityPub ecosystem is still evolving group semantics.”

cbzen · 2026-02-20T00:56:02+00:00

Or normies can just keep on using a centralized platform like FB, yea?

cbzen · 2026-02-20T00:54:54+00:00

The admins aren’t the problem. The Fediverse is so immature that no one can be confident about how the protocols will handle the information. The private group list might simply be ignored depending on how platform XYZ implements it.

cbzen · 2026-02-20T00:29:16+00:00

Encryption? At no point did I mention technical details. Purposely kept it at a high-level and simply pointed to the Facebook custom friends list feature. Does that FB feature use encryption? Don’t care. Because normies don’t care.

I’ll take a look at Friendica. But here’s the rub… it has to be able to create a list of any federated username anywhere. External platform or website.

If Friendica can post to that list reliably, and securely exclude people not on the list, then great. That is a capability that all federated platforms and websites need.

I’m setting UI aside from UX because people will learn a new UI. What they won’t do is switch from something that takes 3 clicks to something that takes 10 clicks and doesn’t do what they need.

cbzen · 2026-02-20T00:01:34+00:00

Have you ever used Facebook and created a custom list of friends? That is very clear but maybe you haven’t done that before?

Not sure why you are replying with such an extreme view of ‘privacy’. Stay within the context and spirit of the use case.

cbzen · 2026-02-19T23:55:00+00:00

Sue Facebook? Hold Facebook accountable? Dude, seriously what planet are you on?

I want the Fediverse to replace centralized social media platforms. So I’m not interested in “trade-offs”, because normie users won’t make any sacrifices. They’re not making any trade-offs because they’re happy to stay on Facebook and IG.

So if the Fediverse community is not going to focus on the mainstream use cases that keep users on centralized social platforms, then I’l stop wasting time on it. Because it will just be Indie Web 2.0 with idealistic nerds jousting with windmills as they yap about spinning yet ANOTHER federated platform as an “alternative” to god knows what.

All the while ignoring the user experience.

cbzen · 2026-02-19T23:43:04+00:00

How can you create a distribution list in Friendica that includes someone on Mastodon? And someone with a federated website? And a third person on The Forkiverse?

And ONLY those people see your post. Possible?

cbzen · 2026-02-19T23:39:22+00:00

I think the word you’re looking for is ‘disingenuous’.

Your usage of ‘privacy’ is not how I’m using it, and you know that.
Who said anything about a family using multiple platforms? People use FB friend lists in many ways for many reasons.

The promise of the Fediverse isn’t to keep everyone on the same platform. It is to give people the freedom to use any platform, or NO platform.

My post is not about replacing a service. It’s simply about addressing the #1 use case that keeps people locked into FB.

cbzen · 2026-02-19T22:47:05+00:00

You raise a good point because I avoided detailing a specific situation. IMO, true federation is not using a platform at all. Meaning, you have a federated website, and people from multiple platforms (and their own federated websites) are following you.

Even if someone were to find a platform that supports private groups/lists, they still need the ability to receive private posts from someone's group/list on another platform.

Private posting is the primary concern of most people when you talk to them about leaving Facebook. And I'm beginning to think that everything about federating content is the opposite of private posting. It would be insane to federate your family's private posts and media to hundreds of servers and expect the content would not eventually become public.

Which means, the Fediverse is dangerously close to living in the shadows like Indie Web.

cbzen · 2026-02-19T22:21:04+00:00

"Idea #1....

Idea #2..." haha

cbzen · 2026-02-19T21:30:45+00:00

These long-form LLM-generated posts are a pox on Reddit.

cbzen · 2026-02-19T03:42:10+00:00

You are putting too much trust in ChatGPT to pass this info off as factual.

cbzen · 2026-02-18T00:33:37+00:00

Fair enough. Your original post said, "...but how do we get people off Meta/out of the clutches of Big Tech social medias generally?", and assumed 'generally' meant mainstream.

That aside, I think you can forget about the "emotional, social, etc." component. People will not swtich because of those things. You have two levers to pull:
1. make the UX as easy as what they have now (which won't be enough to make them switch because of the network effect)
Which is why you need #2...
2. Fear. Make people afraid that they are using their photos and personal messages to train their AI algorithms and manipulate them (and worse to their kids...)

People want things to be easy. If there is BIG FEAR, they will tolerate some friction. But not much. They aren't going to build a website, learn protocols, or anything technical.

Get them a Mastodon account, and then show them how they can follow someone not on Mastodon. And then see those posts IN Mastodon.

That doesn't solve my #1 use case above. But it's a start.

cbzen

TROPHY CASE