Tonight, because of the problems with TweeseCake and Blob.cat compatibility, I was reminded of TWBlue. Normally, I don't use it, because I can't edit posts. But other than that one feature, I love it! It even has a few features that TweeseCake doesn't, including the ability to view followers, those whom you follow, and blocked users. It even allows searching within posts and for people! It also allows me to view favourites, which TweeseCake has only partially implemented. There, they disappear, but here, they remain visible. I was also wrong when I said that I can't post paragraphs. It's just that, instead of hitting return as I normally would (and as in TweeseCake, for those curious), I have to hit shift+return. Interestingly, I found that I can edit my Friendica profile perfectly, excluding Friendica-only features such as keywords. Remember, both of these clients are made to work with Mastodon, and the only reason they can work with other platforms is their compatibility with it. Anyway, when I try to edit my profile on Blob.cat, I can't. After I choose "Edit", nothing happens. But the most vexing thing is that TWBlue doesn't include an editing feature for posts! If anyone here works with and/or for them, can you plese either suggest this or strongly consider implementing it? It would make life so much easier and would complement the other features very well.
#accessibility #blind #Blob.cat #clients #Friendica #NVDA #ScreenReaders #TweeseCake #TWBlue #Windows
I am unable to view or even edit my sent posts in TweeseCake with Blob.cat! I have no idea why. Maybe, it's different enough from Mastodon (the actual network that TweeseCake is meant to work with) that it won't allow me to do it. Sometimes, I honestly have half a mind to just give up all social networking accept Dreamwidth, because it's the only place that is completely accessible. I don't have to beg developers to make things screenreader-friendly, or hope it will work with this client or that website because I can't do x on the main one, or that y feature that worked on one site will be accessible on the next one. It just works. Say what you like about Facebook, but the Basic Mobile site (not app) worked. I hardly had any problem with it. Then, they closed it, and I left because their main site is a nightmare to work with. Now, I'm in the Fediverse, feeling as if I'm using the main Facebook site all over again!
I don't blame the administrators of friendica.world or blob.cat. It's not their fault. They're just working with what they have. Both are wonderful human beings who have been very kind to me. It's not even the fault of the developers of both sites. It makes sense, when you're a small business or a single developer, not to know about things such as accessibility. I just wish more people would learn and/or write things in semantic html or offer some kind of text-only or basic version of their site. I know that Deque University and Geeks4Geeks teach accessibility and teach html with accessibility included, respectively, but I guess other sites and books don't. As for TweeseCake, this is an excellent client for the blind that works well with Friendica and probably even better with Mastodon. But again, it's by a single developer. While changes are coming, people do have lives and other committments, and one person can't be expected to work as quickly as a huge company.
By the way, my Dreamwidth account is here. I must update it slightly, as I have some new entries to post for the month.
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org
#accessibility #Akkoma #blind #Dreamwidth #Facebook #Fediverse #fediverse #Friendica #html #Mastodon #NVDA #ScreenReaders #SemanticHTML #TweeseCake #WCAG #Windows
Okay. Let's try this again from TWBlue.
Oh! It works! Yay! If I hit shift+enter, I can make long posts! I wish editing were that easy. There are some features that TwBlue has that even TweeseCake doesn't!
This is strange. Can anyone please tell me why, whenever I type anything into the TweeseCake edit box in my Blob.cat account, it makes a dinging sound, but it doesn't do that in my Friendica one? This is quite annoying. I didn't change sounds, and even if I wanted to, I'm not sure if they can be changed for individual sessions. Thanks for any help given. Also, like an idiot, I didn't write down the hotkey for deleting seraches, so I forgot it. But the search function doesn't always seem to work, anyway. I tried with the at sign and also the number sign, but searches that worked on the main Friendica site and showed me results from around the Fediverse don't work in TweeseCake with either account.
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
𓂀 Cynni 💜 likes this.
I have looked everywhere, but I can't find this post from 11 February! It isn't showing up in my Sent timeline. So if it is on my profile, and/or if you have seen it, I apologise.
I am not closing my account here, but I need to try something other than Friendica, due to accessibility issues. I am considering Akkoma, but am open to other networks if they are compatible with Mastodon.
I am seeking an instance with the following specifications.
Accessible interface (I use a screen reader called NVDA). If it uses Semantic html and isn't cluttered, that's a great start. I would prefer it to be compatible with Mastodon so that I could also use TweeseCake as a client. I need to easily be able to access things such as notifications, follow requests, my own posts, to be able to search for tags, people, my posts etc.
Posting limit of 5,000 characters or more (more preferred.
Ability to pin, unpin, edit, and delete posts.
Ability to filter content, so that I don't see certain words or phrases. (This doesn't work with TweeseCake, so it's not as important as the rest, unless the site is so accessible that I can use it often.)
Ability to select between seeing all posts of someone or only some, and to choose whether to let someone follow me without my seeing his posts or to follow him completely. (Friend versus Subscriber on Friendica).
Extensive profile with keywords. (Keywords may be a Friendica feature, so can be skipped.)
Most people write in English and are not politically, technologically, or gaming obsessed. No radicals of any pursuasion. (the English bit is just to help me find friends on my particular instance.)
Free speech (nothing illegal or homophobic). I personally avoid obscenities.)
If such an instance exists, please tell me. I found https://akkoma.fediverse.observer/list[7] but that's just a list with no real information about each instance. I would have to go through over 400 of them, choose the ones from the UK, Canada, and America (they're the most likely to have English instances), then go through those to see if they meet my requirements, but that's ridiculous.
I am not a programmer, so please don't suggest I start my own instance or join a network that is not set up with a webpage and/or to accept a client, as I know nothing about these things other than that they run on Linux and I'm a Windows user. I just want something that works. Also, if there are any demonstration instances, please let me know. I heard of one where accounts only lasted five days, but it seems to be gone.
#accessibility #Akkoma #blind #Fediverse #Friendica #Glitchsoc #html #instances #NVDA #Mastodon #screenreaders #TweeseCake #Windows
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I know you’ve done a lot of research about accessibility, do you have any recommendations?
If not, you know enough people, a boost may help.
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
@Alien_Sunset Thank you for tagging me!
I don't think I have a good recommendation here, but I am more than happy to pass along the request.
@dandylover1 Good luck!
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##accessibility #blind #TweeseCake
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
I just noticed something quite interesting. The Home, Notifications, and Mentions feeds are quite different in TweeseCake and TWBlue, with the latter being quite behind. I'm not sure why. Maybe, they use different methods of retrieving information from Friendica or are set to do so at differing intervals.
I am seeking an Akkoma instance with the following specifications.
Accessible interface (I use a screen reader called NVDA). If it uses Semantic html and isn't cluttered, that's a great start. I would prefer it to be compatible with Mastodon so that I could also use TweeseCake as a client.
Posts of 5,000 characters or more.
Ability to edit and delete posts.
Extensive profile.
Most people write in English and are not politically or technologically obsessed. No radicals of any pursuasion.
Free speech (nothing illegal or homophobic).
Allows me to select between seeing all posts of someone or only some, and to choose whether to let someone follow me without my seeing his posts or to follow him completely. (Friend versus Subscriber on Friendica).
If such an instance exists, please tell me. I found https://akkoma.fediverse.observer/list[7] but that's just a list with no real information about each instance. I would have to go through over 400 of them, choose the ones from the UK, Canada, and America (they're the most likely to have English instances), then go through those to see if they meet my requirements, and honestly, that's ridiculous.
I am not a programmer, so please don't suggest I start my own instance or join a network that is not set up with a webpage and/or to accept a client, as I know nothing about these things other than that they run on Linux and I'm a Windows user. I just want something that works. Also, if there are any demonstration instances, please let me know. I heard of one where accounts only lasted five days, but it seems to be gone.
#accessibility #Akkoma #blind #Fediverse #html #NVDA #TweeseCake #Windows
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I was planning on running akkoma.world but I'm a bit worried about the development of the software. Latest announcement of a release was april 2024, and I do see they released a new version a while ago I don't see any announcement or changelog about it.
But maybe I'll setup one where you can test it.
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Edited to include a few things.
I probably won't leave Friendica, since the developers are working on trying to resolve the accessibility issues on the main site. But I am interested in trying something else. I am considering Hometown or Glitchsoc, but wouldn't mind suggestions from other places as well. I've heard of Akkoma, Misskey, and Pleroma as well, but again, this is all new to me. I am seeking a network and/or instance with the following features.
Accessible with screen readers, especially NVDA, in case I need to use the web interface. If it's mostly text, or at least uses semantic html, that would be perfect.
Compatible with Mastodon. I will most likely be using TweeseCake for as many things as possible as i do with Friendica. But if the website is really clean and it's not compatible, I will still consider it.
Long posting limit. Friendica.world has a 200,000 (not a typing error) character limit. While wonderful, it's not strictly necessary. But I would expect at least 5,000 at the minimum, 10,000 or more to be comfortable.
Free speech, but nothing illegal or full of hate. I'm not one for obscenities. but barring adult content, I don't really post warnings either, especially not for silly things. I also want the right to respectfully disagree with people without being kicked off a server. It's one thing to be strict in a group. It's another to be strict on one's own timeline. Friendica.world is good in this regard.
Not a political server. I am not a leftist, or a rightist, or an anythingist. I am also not a vegan, a gamer, or a technology professional. I just want a general server, or at least, one that aligns with my interests (see my profile). High culture would be wonderful but is not strictly necessary.
Ability to accept people as friends (where we see each other's posts) and subscribers (where they just see mine).
Ability to choose whether to see some or all posts by users.
#accessibility #blind #Fediverse #Friendica #friends #Glitchsoc #Hometown #instances #Mastodon #NVDA #TweeseCake
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@anubis2814 I actually wrote about it on my timeline. It turned into quite the discussion. I can't even read my original posts on the site, only the comments, as is true much of the time. Fortunately, I save it before I wrote it.
friendica.world/display/84b6ef…
Here is a shortened version. Again, the full explanation should be above.
There is a list of links at the top of the page that acts like a menu. This causes many problems while trying to perform basic tasks. I can't always activate said links/menu either. Editing posts is terrible and sometimes takes up to ten minutes. Likewise, activating notifications is very difficult, and makes the process of following people from said notifications tedius.
Posting to the site requires going through a menu and/or clicking on a link. There is no edit box on the main page. But there is one for searching, and often a box for commenting on one post or another.
I can't always read my posts (see example here).
There are a few other problems mentioned, but these are the main ones. I usually access the site with TweeseCake, but not everything is implemented in that client, so I am required to use the main site for several actions.
I tried to post this to the Friendica support forum, but it kept timing out when I entered my information. I am now attempting to subscribe to their e-mail list. However, I thought I would write this here so that those who know coding, etc. might be able to offer a solution, or at least, to pass this on to the developers.I joined Friendica in October of 2024, when Facebook decided to shut down their Basic Mobile site (not app). I am totally blind, and their main page is a nightmare to use with a screen readre (NVDA in my case). I chose Friendica because of the huge character limit, the ability to edit and delete posts, local posting, extensive profiles with keywords, and the ability to connect with all sorts of accounts in the Fediverse. For the most part, I am enjoying my time here. However, I am noticing a lot of inaccessibility on the Friendica page. I am not a programmer, but I'm guessing this is at the core of the software and is not due to the instance I'm using (friendica.world). I am also guessing that the page is not written in HTML5 and does not follow WCAG guidelines, though I may be wrong about that. If not, I strongly urge the developers to review them and implement them if possible. If so, perhaps, some changes can still be made that would make this a more screen reader-friendly site. Note that I tried this with Firefox and Supermium (a direct fork of Chrome).
Mostly, I use TweeseCake to access the site, but there are some things I can't do with that client. All of the following refer to the site itself.
- There is a list of links at the top of the page that acts like a menu. This causes many problems while trying to perform basic tasks, particularly editing posts and handling notifications. I can't always activate said links/menu either.
1A. I can't stress how frustrating editing posts is. It sometimes takes over ten minutes. The "edit" option is a link/menu, and it can only be found via another menu. Once I finally find and activate it, I hear the sound indicating that I have entered focus Mode. Usually, this means that I am in an edit box and can type. However, in this case, I am taken back to the main page, as if I never entered the option to edit my post. Using e to try to find an edit box doesn't help, as it just sends me to the replies to different comments. So I am forced to find the post, and start all over again. The only way I can do this successfully is to try to tab through the links/menu at the top of the page (when it works), then through other posts, until, finally, I am placed in an edit box where I can type.
1B. When I go to the Notifications" link, I have to tab to "Mark all System Notifications as Seen". This isn't even a regular link, as I can't copy and paste the text from it. Once I tab to and out of that, I can then read my notifications. But here is what I have to do if I want to see follow requests.
1. Try to get the notifications link to work, then click on it.
2. Tab to marking notifications.
3. Perform a search for the word follow.
4. Click on the link of the notification that someone wants to follow me. I open this in a new window, to try to keep the original one available.
5. Make my choice as to whether to approve that notification, then close that window.
6. Return to the main window. Only now, I am not where I left off. Instead, I am placed back at the beginning of the page and the Notifications menu is not open.
7. Repeat steps 1 through 3.
Ideally, I should be able to go to a normal notifications link, perform steps 3 through 5, then return back to the link, and perform steps 3 through 5 again, as many times as necessary, without having to repeat 1 through 3.
- I can't just go to the site and enter an edit box to post. I must go through a menu to find the link to do so. Yet there is an edit box for searching for content, tags, etc.
- Some pinned posts don't always read properly. I can see my name, when I posted, that it's pinned, a public message, tags (if applicable), buttons for resharing, etc., and the number of comments. But I cannot simply read the post itself. ""Comments" is also a button, not a link. Even when I expand them, I still can't see my post, and finding the button again to close them takes a lot of time, as posts also have their own buttons. Note that unpinned posts are read properly.
- While the process of editing my profile is completely accessible, finding the edit option might be slightly confusing for new users, as it requires entering yet another link/menu, this time with the user name as the title..
- If I go to a profile of someone not on Friendica (usually Mastodon) and wish to reply to a post, after I enter my credentials, it takes me back to my profile, not to the relevant post. It only worked once.
- The Friendica app for Windows is basically the site itself. I don't understand this at all.
If you want to see a truly accessible site, try this link. I don't work for them, though I do have an account there.
Please, if any changes can be made, I urge you to do so. The site is otherwise a pleasure to use, but my frustration at not being able to easily perform such basic tasks is increasing.
#accessibility #blind #coding #Chrome #Developers #Dreamwidth #Facebook #fediverse #Firefox #Friendica #HTML #HTML5 #NVDA #ScreenReaders #TweeseCake #WCAG #Windows
@meneer Thank you for your suggestion. Is this a regular instance that I can join? It seems to be its own network and mostly written for developers. Is it compliant with Activity Pub and/or Mastodon? This made me a bit nervous.
"Note however that Socialhome is a very small project with only two developers working on it. There are absolutely no guarantees of anything working (although things probably mostly might), and there is absolutely no user support (but you're welcome to ask questions in the chat room - just don't have expectations)."
As someone who is totally blind and uses a screen reader, I may need support. I am not a developer or coder of any kind. I just want to join something that will work for me.
*This is a note for those who wish to follow me. First, please read my profile. Secondly, subscribers are those who follow me, but whom I don't follow in return. Friends are those who follow me and whom I follow in return.
People who will never be accepted: Minors. I don't feel comfortable having anyone under eighteen (preferably twenty-one) follow me, even as subscribers.
People who will always be subscribers: Those who constantly write about politics, who always use obscenities, anti-capitalists, anarchists, extreme leftists and rightists), religious fanatics, those who hardly post in English, only post about technology and/or games (not including accessibility), or medical/mental issues.
Note. I'm not talking about having a bad day or posting once about politics. I'm talking about those who barely post anything else.
People who will always be friends: Those who post about high culture (classical music, good literature, art, history, theatre, wine, coffee, tea, snuff, fine dining, etc.), male fashion, nature, pets (especially cats), plants/gardening, good news, writing, and daily life (without constant drama).
Ironically, you've connected to me first. My channel has only got two topics. The primary topic is a certain kind of 3-D virtual worlds, the secondary topic is the Fediverse beyond Mastodon, although this may include accessibility topics. Since this is not my personal, all-round channel, I don't post about anything else.
I'm working on a series of posts that will touch male fashion. But they'll touch male fashion in the above-mentioned virtual worlds, I'll post them on a dedicated (streams) channel, and this Hubzilla channel will only forward them. Also, expect each one to have both a summary and a spoiler tag for those who are easily triggered by even the slightest eye contact.
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #FediMeta #FediverseMeta #CWFediMeta #CWFediverseMeta
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
I didn't join Friendica to protest anything. I didn't join to make a political statement. I joined for one reason only. Facebook shut down their Basic Mobile site (not app), and their main site is a nightmare to use with screen readers. That's it. I was just looking for a place where I could find new friends (I lost almost all of mine after moving here), and read interesting things. Yet almost everyone I approve gets set to Subscriber, because of constant political posts, anti-capitalism/extreme leftism, or an obsession with technology. Yes, I post about artificial intelligence, but just as something interesting I read in the news. I don't live for technology. Likewise, I mostly don't choose the places I buy from based on politics, how the workers are paid, what the owners do, etc. It is true that I don't ever give to the Salvation army because of their stance on homosexuality. But I can't simply stop buying from Amazon. I could count the number of books I've bought from them in almost twenty years on one hand. What I do buy from them is everything else, like essentials for my life, from food, to body care, to technology, to household items, and more. I love it when people say "just buy locally". Great! Now can you give me a working pair of eyes, money, and a car? Then, there are those who say "try this site". That seems reasonable. But will they give me free shipping and discounts as Amazon does, and will their selection be as varied? If there is a site like that, I would be more than willing to buy from it. Anyway, I'm just looking for people who share my interests, and while I've found a few, they are very few, indeed. Even those who just post regular things, whether they interest me or not, seem rare here. This probably why so many people don't come to the Fediverse. It's like there's a little clique, and those of us who are not in it are shut out in the cold. Yes, we're invited, and some of the people here are truly wonderful individuals as a whole. But if we have nothing in common with most of them, how are we supposed to find our own? Thank you to those who do post wonderful things. I did find a few of you, and rest assured, you are set to friends and to all, so that I see all of your posts.
I tried to post this to the Friendica support forum, but it kept timing out when I entered my information. I am now attempting to subscribe to their e-mail list. However, I thought I would write this here so that those who know coding, etc. might be able to offer a solution, or at least, to pass this on to the developers.
I joined Friendica in October of 2024, when Facebook decided to shut down their Basic Mobile site (not app). I am totally blind, and their main page is a nightmare to use with a screen readre (NVDA in my case). I chose Friendica because of the huge character limit, the ability to edit and delete posts, local posting, extensive profiles with keywords, and the ability to connect with all sorts of accounts in the Fediverse. For the most part, I am enjoying my time here. However, I am noticing a lot of inaccessibility on the Friendica page. I am not a programmer, but I'm guessing this is at the core of the software and is not due to the instance I'm using (friendica.world). I am also guessing that the page is not written in HTML5 and does not follow WCAG guidelines, though I may be wrong about that. If not, I strongly urge the developers to review them and implement them if possible. If so, perhaps, some changes can still be made that would make this a more screen reader-friendly site. Note that I tried this with Firefox and Supermium (a direct fork of Chrome).
Mostly, I use TweeseCake to access the site, but there are some things I can't do with that client. All of the following refer to the site itself.
- There is a list of links at the top of the page that acts like a menu. This causes many problems while trying to perform basic tasks, particularly editing posts and handling notifications. I can't always activate said links/menu either.
1A. I can't stress how frustrating editing posts is. It sometimes takes over ten minutes. The "edit" option is a link/menu, and it can only be found via another menu. Once I finally find and activate it, I hear the sound indicating that I have entered focus Mode. Usually, this means that I am in an edit box and can type. However, in this case, I am taken back to the main page, as if I never entered the option to edit my post. Using e to try to find an edit box doesn't help, as it just sends me to the replies to different comments. So I am forced to find the post, and start all over again. The only way I can do this successfully is to try to tab through the links/menu at the top of the page (when it works), then through other posts, until, finally, I am placed in an edit box where I can type.
1B. When I go to the Notifications" link, I have to tab to "Mark all System Notifications as Seen". This isn't even a regular link, as I can't copy and paste the text from it. Once I tab to and out of that, I can then read my notifications. But here is what I have to do if I want to see follow requests.
1. Try to get the notifications link to work, then click on it.
2. Tab to marking notifications.
3. Perform a search for the word follow.
4. Click on the link of the notification that someone wants to follow me. I open this in a new window, to try to keep the original one available.
5. Make my choice as to whether to approve that notification, then close that window.
6. Return to the main window. Only now, I am not where I left off. Instead, I am placed back at the beginning of the page and the Notifications menu is not open.
7. Repeat steps 1 through 3.
Ideally, I should be able to go to a normal notifications link, perform steps 3 through 5, then return back to the link, and perform steps 3 through 5 again, as many times as necessary, without having to repeat 1 through 3.
- I can't just go to the site and enter an edit box to post. I must go through a menu to find the link to do so. Yet there is an edit box for searching for content, tags, etc.
- Some pinned posts don't always read properly. I can see my name, when I posted, that it's pinned, a public message, tags (if applicable), buttons for resharing, etc., and the number of comments. But I cannot simply read the post itself. ""Comments" is also a button, not a link. Even when I expand them, I still can't see my post, and finding the button again to close them takes a lot of time, as posts also have their own buttons. Note that unpinned posts are read properly.
- While the process of editing my profile is completely accessible, finding the edit option might be slightly confusing for new users, as it requires entering yet another link/menu, this time with the user name as the title..
- If I go to a profile of someone not on Friendica (usually Mastodon) and wish to reply to a post, after I enter my credentials, it takes me back to my profile, not to the relevant post. It only worked once.
- The Friendica app for Windows is basically the site itself. I don't understand this at all.
If you want to see a truly accessible site, try this link. I don't work for them, though I do have an account there.
Please, if any changes can be made, I urge you to do so. The site is otherwise a pleasure to use, but my frustration at not being able to easily perform such basic tasks is increasing.
#accessibility #blind #coding #Chrome #Developers #Dreamwidth #Facebook #fediverse #Firefox #Friendica #HTML #HTML5 #NVDA #ScreenReaders #TweeseCake #WCAG #Windows
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BeAware, pataphysician, Noah Loren, slowmart, Laurel Jean Walden, Jupiter Rowland, Eugenio Monforte, the esoteric programmer, Svenja, Sozan, The Evil Chocolate Cookie, dasgrueneblatt, DamonHD, Jules, Walter Vermeir and Kaveinthran reshared this.
@Georgiana Brummell First of all, I've just noticed that you seem to not have joined the Friendica support forum yet. As far as I know, you can't post to a Friendica group/forum without fully connecting to it first.
As for the accessibility issues: To most people, it appears like Friendica has only just been made since they haven't heard of it before mid-January. But actually, Friendica is from 2010. And its frontend is largely stuck in the early 2010s, including technologically.
Friendica has always been a spare-time hobbyist project. It was mostly developed by one single man for almost two years. That guy is a protocol designer and not a frontend developer. Also, I think Friendica never had more than two regular developers, and it definitely never had any developer who really knows how to make a modern and appealing user interface. I mean, you've obviously never seen Friendica's user interface, but let me tell you that it's quite old-fashioned. It's just meant to do its job.
Hobbyist, spare-time developers of such an extremely niche piece of software who are not trained in Web UI design normally don't know a thing about accessibility. And truly, they don't care. If the UI covers all features, and the users don't have to SSH or telnet onto the Web server to use it, it's often good enough.
Friendica's regularly active user community has never been more than maybe a few thousand at a time, maybe even only a few hundred, as opposed to the over two million at which Mastodon has topped out. Thus, Friendica has never encountered blind or visually-impaired users yet.
You can see it all over the place. Alt-text is not part of Friendica's culture. Some Friendica veterans staunchly refuse to describe their media because they think alt-text is another Mastodon fad that Mastodon fundamentalists want to force upon the whole rest of the Fediverse with Mastodon's entire culture. Alt-text, to them, is like limiting your posts to 500 characters.
All this is why nobody has noticed yet that Friendica is not accessible at all.
I've got a suspicion that Friendica can only be made fully accessible by throwing the entire Web frontend away, developing an entirely new one from scratch and then also making all-new themes for it.
Also, it's only natural that TweeseCake doesn't support many of Friendica's features. As it looks to me, TweeseCake's Fediverse side is built against Mastodon and only Mastodon. If Mastodon doesn't have a feature, TweeseCake doesn't cover it either. Thus, TweeseCake probably only covers about 20% of Friendica's features because Mastodon doesn't have the other 80%.
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #FediMeta #FediverseMeta #CWFediMeta #CWFediverseMeta #Friendica #TweeseCake #A11y #Accessibility
Droppie [infosec] 🐨 reshared this.
@Jupiter Rowland Again, thank you for the wonderful explanation. I am not doubting you at all, by the way, just explaining something. Dreamwidth looks very much like LiveJournal, which has been around for longer than twenty years. I've been using computers for over two decades, and I've definitely seen many good older sites, including from the 2010's. As a matter of fact, many older sites are far better than modern ones, because they are mostly text, don't have hamburger menus, strange buttons, etc. The old Basic HTML version of GMail and even Facebooks Basic Mobile site are two more excellent examples of good sites, though sadly, both of them are gone now. To me, Friendica actually feels a lot more modern, and in a bad way.
Thank you for explaining a bit about Friendica culture and membership. I joined for the reasons I said, so I wasn't really thinking about that. Most of my friends in the Fediverse are on Mastodon, though a few do come from other places. I initially avoided Mastodon because of the 500 character limit, no local posting, and the inability to edit/delete posts. I later learned that some instances have very long posting limits, and that posts can be edited and deleted. I was considering Hometown or possibly Glitchsoc. I forgot why I chose Friendica over those. Now, I heard that many instances on Mastodon are very strict with what they allow. I don't post obscenities, graphic images, anything illegal, etc. but I also don't want to be thrown out simply for expressing an opinion that is different from those of the moderators. I'm perfectly fine with acting a certain way within groups, but on my own timeline, I want the ability to post as I choose without my work being deleted or being banned. I heard that Pleroma is good in that regard. If I did switch, though, I would need to choose an accessible platform and, I hope, to be able to take this account with me.
As for TweeseCake, it workss with almost everything. I can see and reply to posts, create, edit, and delete my own (it respect the long ones and allows me to use carriage return instead of posting when I press that), follow and unfollow people, block and unblock them, etc. But I can't edit my profile, pin posts, follow tags, go to a list of blocked users so that I can ublock them, filter out certain words and/or phrases so that I don't see them in my timeline (I'm not even sure if I can do that on Friendica), etc. I can sort read timelines such as Home, Notifications, Mentions, and Federated, and add specific conversations, favourites (that one doesn't work well here though it does on TwBlue), etc. But I can't create, edit, or delete circles.
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@Robert Kingett Hubzilla started out as a Friendica fork by Friendica's own creator. He maintained it for twice as long as Friendica, until 2016. Since then, there are only two developers for much, much more code than Friendica has, and they're spare-time hobbyists, too, who only work on Hubzilla when they happen to find some time.
Thus, due to Hubzilla's massive backend, UI maintenance has largely fallen to the wayside. Hubzilla used to have a whole bunch of themes, but only one survived to this day because the two devs had to keep one theme alive. Its name "Redbasic" comes from Hubzilla's original name, Red. Apart from getting more settings with Hubzilla 9, it didn't change that much over time. Hubzilla kind of still looks like Friendica more than a dozen years ago.
It's mostly the backend that keeps the devs busy, too busy to take care of anything else. Example: The built-in help is half-useless because it's totally outdated and therefore partially incomplete and partially plain wrong. Features that have been available for several years aren't covered, but things that have been removed in the last decade are. Parts of it actually still refer to a "Red Matrix" which ceased to exist in 2015 when the Red Matrix became Hubzilla. The German and English help is currently being re-written by a user.
Alt-text has to be manually grafted into the BBcode that embeds an image in a post. There is no official documentation on that yet, and I'll have to check if the rewrite covers it. How it's done is only known because, I think, one of the devs looked it up in the code, then told us, and it's being passed on from user to user every once in a while.
In fact, I've once been told by a blind or visually-impaired user that at least Hubzilla's Articles app for non-federating long-form articles did not work in her screen reader at all.
Hubzilla's frontend must largely run on code from 2012 when it was matched with the completely re-written backend. Afterwards, new or changed features were only patched in. Hubzilla's UI is convoluted and confusing even for sighted users.
Also, Hubzilla has never had a run-in with blind users either because it's even more obscure than Friendica, and its community is even smaller than Friendica's.
Lastly, Hubzilla can only be used via the Web interface. There is no other way. It doesn't support Mastodon apps, and it never will.
CC: @Georgiana Brummell
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #FediMeta #FediverseMeta #CWFediMeta #CWFediverseMeta #Hubzilla #A11y #Accessibility
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the esoteric programmer reshared this.
@Jupiter Rowland @Robert Kingett I just saw this.
"Getting back to the cluttered user interface I was talking about. Friendica allows the user to make changes to the user interface. There are a couple of themes to choose from and the themes can be customized in color. Also the layout and the content of the stream can be adjusted. This way I was able to create a style that is easier to digest making Friendica a much better experience than it was for me in the past."
homehack.nl/when-to-use-friend…
Could this possibly help with my problems? By the way, this is a fairly good article that explains some of the differences between Friendica and Mastodon.
Here is an explanation of another site that I just found, called Akkoma. It sounds interesting, but also a bit complicated.
Between Friendica, Mastodon, Pleroma, Akkoma, Hometown, glitchsoc, and the others, I am very confused. I didn't think I would have to be considering this again. It was bad enough when I lost all of my friends on Facebook (only one or two even talk with me outside of it) and had to find a new place to go to, because Facebook decided that accessibility didn't matter. Now, I may have to do it all over again! I really am trying to avoid this headache. At the same time, I need to know what my options are and if anything truly meets my needs.
the esoteric programmer reshared this.
Just last week I got in touch with an accessibility expert. We had a two-hour session where she registered an account and went through the whole system. She was using an iPad with VoiceOver. There were three main problems:
- Some menu items weren't spoken
- Some icons didn't have titles
- Some of the headings were inconsistent
There were also some other things that needed to be fixed, see here for a summary: github.com/friendica/friendica…
I will try to work on this. I recently got hold of an iPhone, so I can now check with VoiceOver.
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I don't own any Windows devices, I use Linux. I now have an iPhone (just for testing), an Android device and a Chromebook. So I want to try to make it accessible for those devices. And I hope it will work with other screenreaders too.
After I've made most of the changes, I'd like to get some feedback, just to make sure I'm on the right track. So I may get back to you about this.
I can't say how much time I'll need, though. Working on Friendica is like trying to juggle a dozen things at once while solving a Rubik's Cube and reciting Shakespeare. I try to code new things, to maintain the system, search and fix bugs, provide support and update and maintain three Friendica installations (while also having a daytime job and some other spare time activities).
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@Georgiana Brummell
He is the lead developer of Friendica, bearing the main responsibility. However, it is not correct to say that he is the only one continuing the development of Friendica. It would be unfair to disregard the contributions of countless other individuals who provide input, conduct code reviews, or maintain the stable versions.
In fact, the web UI has received little attention in recent years. Engaging UX/UI experts for a FOSS project is always a challenge. However, there is currently a development in this area that is quite interesting.
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Thank you @Robert Kingett for your contribution. This feedback is extremely important. It would be great if you could accompany the changes already announced and support the project with suggestions for improvements.
@Jupiter Rowland Of course it is the culture of Friendica users to use alt tags. Please refresh your knowledge in other areas as well ;)
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@Matthias It is true that it is the culture of (many) Friendica users to use alt tags. But it would be good if it became even easier to create them. Unfortunately, it is not yet self-explanatory how it can be created and it is not integrated into the GUI everywhere.
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I need to correct some things. I have spent a lot of time trying to make Friendica accessible. Many years ago I got in touch with a blind person who was working in this area. I made a lot of changes, but due to a lack of equipment to check them, I was never able to see if the changes were really good.
Last Thursday I had a two-hour session with an accessibility expert. She found a number of problems and said that, apart from three, the software as a whole was quite good from an accessibility point of view. In particular, she said that post creation was quite good compared to Mastodon.
However, there are some problems, such as the fact that some menu items aren't spoken. We also use the wrong aria roles for a lot of links. And we don't always use buttons and navigation elements where we should.
As for alt text: Of course we support the creation of this. As I have blind contacts, I'm very interested in this. However (as already mentioned) the interface can be improved a lot.
Also regarding the technology: Friendica has undergone some major overhauls of its internal structure. Just recently there was another refactoring wave that improved the whole class structure. This means that the core - although started 15 years ago - is quite modern (including a bunch of automated tests).
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@Georgiana Brummell Quote:
Could this possibly help with my problems? By the way, this is a fairly good article that explains some of the differences between Friendica and Mastodon.
End quote.
It depends on where exactly your issues are rooted. If the UI is too cluttered for you, it may help, but I'm afraid that the editor itself may not be accessible. But if the UI elements themselves aren't accessible, it makes no difference if you rearrange them or remove elements that you don't need.
As I've probably already mentioned, Friendica has changed a great lot since the last time I've used it, and my more recent experience is from Hubzilla and (streams). But while they let you rearrange all pages, they don't let you modify the UI elements themselves in detail and add accessibility features.
Also, I don't know if Friendica lets you change the layouts of the pages by editing the raw Comanche code that describes them. While this means getting used to Comanche, I can imagine this actually being more accessible than a purely WYSIWYG drag-and-drop editor.
In this regard, it's interesting that (streams) doesn't offer drag-and-drop anymore. Either that, or Hubzilla introduced it after Osada and Zap were forked off.
Quote:
Here is an explanation of another site that I just found, called Akkoma. It sounds interesting, but also a bit complicated.
End quote.
Akkoma is a fork of Pleroma with a default UI that, I guess, isn't dramatically different plus compatibility with the same third-party UIs. One downside in comparison with Friendica, Hubzilla etc. is that you, as a user, can't choose a UI for your account individually because the UI is pre-defined for the whole instance. Also, both Pleroma and Akkoma are microblogging projects and closer to Twitter than to Facebook.
CC: @Robert Kingett
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #FediMeta #FediverseMeta #CWFediMeta #CWFediverseMeta #Friendica #Akkoma
@Georgiana Brummell @Robert Kingett You could try and ask the developers of both TweeseCake and TWBlue to implement full support for Friendica, not via the Mastodon client API, but by also implementing Friendica's own client API.
I wouldn't hold my breath for it, though. They may not even have heard of Friendica yet. And if you tell them what it is, they may still decide that if they haven't heard of it yet because it hasn't been the talk of the town for long enough, it's too obscure to bother.
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #FediMeta #FediverseMeta #CWFediMeta #CWFediverseMeta #Friendica #TweeseCake #TWBlue
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@Georgiana Brummell @Robert Kingett Well, GoToSocial is quite different from Mastodon and Friendica in one regard: It's mainly made for hosting your own personal instance. It isn't really for more or less big public, open-registration instances. As far as I know, it doesn't even come with its own built-in UI, so if you want a Web UI on your own instance, you have to choose one and add it yourself.
Still, there are some public, open-registration GoToSocial instances. And if you're going to use it with TWBlue, the Web UI shouldn't even matter beyond registering an account because you won't touch it anymore afterwards.
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #FediMeta #FediverseMeta #CWFediMeta #CWFediverseMeta #GoToSocial #TWBlue
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(to be able to enter the Alt texts directly during the upload?)
@Robert Kingett @Georgiana Brummell
Also, this original post has actionable suggestions already! How hard would it be to make a friendica work on more HTML 5 code? friendica.world/display/84b6ef… @feb @jupiter_rowland @dandylover1
I tried to post this to the Friendica support forum, but it kept timing out when I entered my information. I am now attempting to subscribe to their e-mail list. However, I thought I would write this here so that those who know coding, etc. might be able to offer a solution, or at least, to pass this on to the developers.I joined Friendica in October of 2024, when Facebook decided to shut down their Basic Mobile site (not app). I am totally blind, and their main page is a nightmare to use with a screen readre (NVDA in my case). I chose Friendica because of the huge character limit, the ability to edit and delete posts, local posting, extensive profiles with keywords, and the ability to connect with all sorts of accounts in the Fediverse. For the most part, I am enjoying my time here. However, I am noticing a lot of inaccessibility on the Friendica page. I am not a programmer, but I'm guessing this is at the core of the software and is not due to the instance I'm using (friendica.world). I am also guessing that the page is not written in HTML5 and does not follow WCAG guidelines, though I may be wrong about that. If not, I strongly urge the developers to review them and implement them if possible. If so, perhaps, some changes can still be made that would make this a more screen reader-friendly site. Note that I tried this with Firefox and Supermium (a direct fork of Chrome).
Mostly, I use TweeseCake to access the site, but there are some things I can't do with that client. All of the following refer to the site itself.
- There is a list of links at the top of the page that acts like a menu. This causes many problems while trying to perform basic tasks, particularly editing posts and handling notifications. I can't always activate said links/menu either.
1A. I can't stress how frustrating editing posts is. It sometimes takes over ten minutes. The "edit" option is a link/menu, and it can only be found via another menu. Once I finally find and activate it, I hear the sound indicating that I have entered focus Mode. Usually, this means that I am in an edit box and can type. However, in this case, I am taken back to the main page, as if I never entered the option to edit my post. Using e to try to find an edit box doesn't help, as it just sends me to the replies to different comments. So I am forced to find the post, and start all over again. The only way I can do this successfully is to try to tab through the links/menu at the top of the page (when it works), then through other posts, until, finally, I am placed in an edit box where I can type.
1B. When I go to the Notifications" link, I have to tab to "Mark all System Notifications as Seen". This isn't even a regular link, as I can't copy and paste the text from it. Once I tab to and out of that, I can then read my notifications. But here is what I have to do if I want to see follow requests.
1. Try to get the notifications link to work, then click on it.
2. Tab to marking notifications.
3. Perform a search for the word follow.
4. Click on the link of the notification that someone wants to follow me. I open this in a new window, to try to keep the original one available.
5. Make my choice as to whether to approve that notification, then close that window.
6. Return to the main window. Only now, I am not where I left off. Instead, I am placed back at the beginning of the page and the Notifications menu is not open.
7. Repeat steps 1 through 3.
Ideally, I should be able to go to a normal notifications link, perform steps 3 through 5, then return back to the link, and perform steps 3 through 5 again, as many times as necessary, without having to repeat 1 through 3.
- I can't just go to the site and enter an edit box to post. I must go through a menu to find the link to do so. Yet there is an edit box for searching for content, tags, etc.
- Some pinned posts don't always read properly. I can see my name, when I posted, that it's pinned, a public message, tags (if applicable), buttons for resharing, etc., and the number of comments. But I cannot simply read the post itself. ""Comments" is also a button, not a link. Even when I expand them, I still can't see my post, and finding the button again to close them takes a lot of time, as posts also have their own buttons. Note that unpinned posts are read properly.
- While the process of editing my profile is completely accessible, finding the edit option might be slightly confusing for new users, as it requires entering yet another link/menu, this time with the user name as the title..
- If I go to a profile of someone not on Friendica (usually Mastodon) and wish to reply to a post, after I enter my credentials, it takes me back to my profile, not to the relevant post. It only worked once.
- The Friendica app for Windows is basically the site itself. I don't understand this at all.
If you want to see a truly accessible site, try this link. I don't work for them, though I do have an account there.
Please, if any changes can be made, I urge you to do so. The site is otherwise a pleasure to use, but my frustration at not being able to easily perform such basic tasks is increasing.
#accessibility #blind #coding #Chrome #Developers #Dreamwidth #Facebook #fediverse #Firefox #Friendica #HTML #HTML5 #NVDA #ScreenReaders #TweeseCake #WCAG #Windows
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Meeting with Robert Kingett - Robert Kingett
Screen reader users should navigate the below calendar in focus mode. Do not use the below calendar in browse mode.Calendly
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@caos @Georgiana Brummell @Robert Kingett
Yes
I created an issue for.
What i need is an extension to the upload-form to add th alttext at the upload-moment.
Noe it is not possible from backend. So my uploadet can't add it.
Now you have to upload the image, the go to images, choose the new image, edit it, add alttexr, go back to posting, choose image from browser...
Or you upload it with the new uploader, add alttext in between of the ending img and url tag... but then it's not in the database... you can't reuse the image (what i do with som images!!!)
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@Jupiter Rowland @Robert Kingett Since I use TweeseCake 99% of the time, I am going to try to tag the developers here, and only use the tag for this part of the thread, so as not to annoy them. I also just read some absolutely wonderful news about the app being redesigned, so perhaps, some of the suggestions mentioned below are already part of that plan. As it is, it's a great client, so I can't wait to see what the future holds!
@TweeseCake The main post here describes problems with the Friendica site itself so can be ignored in your case. However, TweeseCake makes almost everything accessible, except the following.
- Editing my profile. There is an "edit profile" option, but I am not sure if this is for Friendica or the TweeseCake client itself. Regardless, I cannot see the main text of my profile from Friendica, and other features, such as keywords, aren't there.
- Accepting and rejecting follow requests. I can see who is following me, and I can also read notifications that someone wants to follow me, but I cannot act on them. Likewise, I can't go to my contacts and change channel notifications, such as seeing all posts, for example.
- Working with pinned posts. I can't pin, unpin, or see posts that I've pinned to my profile.
- Viewing posts or notifications on the main site. There is an option to view something on the web, but whenever I have tried to use it, it sends me to a "page not found" error.
- Seeing blocked users. I can block people, and I can unblock them if I am in a post where they posted. But I cannot see a list of my blocked users, so that, for example, I can unblock someone if I blocked him by mistake.
- Seeing favourites properly. Every time I try to activate that feature, they appear for a moment, then disappear.
- Using circles. I haven't used these yet, but I thought I should add it.
I realise that some of these features are specific to Friendica, and since TweeseCake was designed to work with Mastodon, it makes sense that some of them have not been implemented. But 1, 2, and 5 are essential.
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As a grammar prescriptivist, I take writing and proper use of words very seriously. I recently saw a post about ending text messages with full stops. Apparently, some think this is a bad idea. No. It's called using punctuation correctly! Perhaps, they should read a few grammars instead of playing their silly video games! The same is true of netspeak, textspeak, corporate spaek, and abbreviating everything. Likewise, I have no use for political correctness. I refuse to use words such as visually-challenged, vertically-challenged, etc. I will say blind (or visually impaired if the person has some vision), short, fat, etc. Unless I'm writing poetry and am seeking flowery words for things, I call them what they are. Neither do I see any difference between saying "a blind person" and "a person who is blind", for example. I also have no time for so-called gender-neutral words, unless they honestly make sense and are actually descriptive, such as firefighter or police officer. But I'm just as likely to say fireman, policeman, waiter, steward, actor, chairman, etc. and change the gender when necessary. I refuse to use the singular they. There are two sexes (gender is for grammar). You're either one or the other. This absolutely doesn't mean that you can't change your sex. If, for example, I meet you as a woman and you change to a man or are a drag king/queen, I will certainly change my use of pronouns when discussing you or talking about you, either permenantly or temporarily, as the case requires. But unless you literally have multiple personalities or are a machine or an inanimate object, you are neither a they nor an it, and you're certainly not some made-up pronoun such as xe. I would never cause harm to those who use such words. I would just consider them to be silly or confused. If the sex is unknown, or if a sentence can apply to both sexes, I use the masculine, simply because it's grammatically correct to do so.
#English #gender #grammar #language #prescriptivism #properEnglish #sex #texting #writing
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I am the chairperson of an organisation and I'm not a chairman. You are more obsessed by your gramnar obsession than for the respect of the individuals. I am very certain that this should be the other way round.
At the end of the day, only humans use grammar. The use of grammar should focus on the respect of people.
I am the chaiperson of my organisation literally. Why do I want to pigeonhole myself? The chairperson terminology is valid and inclusive. Why should the focus be gender centric and exclusive?
I certainly rebel to the patriarchal society and will identity myself as a person, not a gender.
When people write to me, they simply use Dear Ms Duval or Dear Linda. Nobody has ever reported to me that they have struggled in finding an appropriate term.
Dear Sir or Madam are also acceptable when someone does not know the name of the person they are writing to. I would expect this to be rare since most people would make an effort to find out to whom they are writing to these days.
I sign my correspondence as Chair of (name of my organisation)
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Mrs is also an unacceptable term. There is no need for women to have to advertise whether they are married. There is only one term for men and it is Mr. Women should use Ms. Women really need to move on from the old Victorian patriarchal society that entrapped women into submission.
Again, if someone needs to write to the chaiperson of an organisation, the most respecful thing to do, would simply to find out to whom they are writing to.
English is my 2nd language, so I stand corrected!
What is important is to recognise when language is used, or has been used to entrap women into 2nd class citizenship.
Being feminist is not the same as being man-haters. Being feminist is the force that empowers women to achieve equality.
Grammar and language, when used appropriately, is an additional tool that can help women ascend to equality.
By the way, I am enjoying this conversation very much!
Your preferences are yours and you choose what you prefer. However, we live in a society where it is important to be aware where language can be detrimental to women.
The difference can be simply felt in how much you get paid compared to a man in the same role. Please search "gender pay gap" and you will find that in the legal industry, for example, men can earn as much as 59% more than a woman in the same role.
I left Facebook in October of 2024 precisely to avoid inaccessibility, clutter, and frustration of their main site. Now, I am feeling the same thing with regard to Friendica. I joined here because of the extremely long character limit, the many sites with which I can interact, and the fact that I can edit and delete posts, as well as post locally. Whenever I try to edit a post on the main site, I have problems. This has been true since day one. Now, I'm going to my posts, and instead of seeing the content, I'm only seeing my profile and the tags. I have to go through that same process of editing just to be able to read what the post is. Yes, I use TweeseCake most of the time and it works well, but I have no way of searching posts. So I must use Lukol or try to use Friendica itself to find them, which isn't easy either, unless I tagged them with something unique. On Facebook, I would type my name, a few words from the post, and it would show up. I also have no way of simply sorting comments on TweeseCake as I do, for example, on Luna for Reddit. So I have been missing people's replies to my posts, because I keep getting notifications and other things in my timelines that bury said replies. That may be my fault, as I have several people marked to show all posts. Still, their posts shouldn't show under Mentions if they're not tagging me or replying to my posts, and yet, they do.
I just want to find a site that is easy to use like the Basic Mobile version of Facebook used to be or like Dreamwidth still is, or a client like Luna for Reddit that makes Friendica truly accessible. TweeseCake is 98% there, but there are still a few things that I can't do on it. Perhaps, a dedicated Windows client would be best, and no, I don't mean some strange app that looks like the website.
I would try another instance, but I have a feeling that it will look similar, since it's based on the same software. If I am wrong, please tell me, and I will gladly switch!
#accessibility #blind #clients #Friendica #frustration #LunaForReddit #NVDA #TweeseCake #Windows
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It is possible that your instance has some problems due to the dramatic increase in subscribers in the last month. You could try the social.trom.tf instance, lovingly managed by @tio
If instead you want to try an English-speaking instance with mastodon Glitch Soc, then I recommend the infosec.exchange instance, lovingly managed by @jerry
Infosec Exchange
A Mastodon instance for info/cyber security-minded people.Mastodon hosted on infosec.exchange
𝔻𝕚𝕖𝕘𝕠 🦝🧑🏻💻🍕 likes this.
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What are the differences between Diaspora, Pleroma, Hubzilla, Hometown, and Glitch? How do they compare to Friendica as far as features? I've heard there are Mastodon instances that allow for longer posts, editing, and deletion. Do they also allow for extensive profiles with keywords, etc? Are there any other networks I should know about? Finally, will the interface of the page on Friendica change depending on my instance? Maybe, it's just a matter of changing that! If I changed to another network, I'm guessing I couldn't export my profile, followers, etc. there. Most importantly, I need something that is truly compatible with Mastodon, because that's technically what TweeseCake was designed for. Since Friendica is very compatible, I can use TweeseCake without any problems.
#accessibility #blind #clients #Diaspora #Fediverse #Friendica #Glitch #Hometown #Hubzilla #Mastodon #NVDA #Pleroma, #TweeseCake #Windows
Darrell Hilliker 👨🦯♾️📡 reshared this.
@Georgiana Brummell #GlitchSoc is a Mastodon fork with some additional functions (e.g. more poll options, markdown, easier change of the character limit).
There are various themes for #Friendica , the latest one can be seen here: anonsys.net/display/bf69967c-1…
You can find a comparison of functions here: Comparison between Mastodon, Friendica, Hubzilla and (streams)
Hallo Fedinauten hier auf anonsys.net,die Wartungsarbeiten heute Nachmittag wurden nicht nur für Systemwartung genutzt, sondern auch, um zwei neue Themes hier zu installieren 👉 Bookface light und Bookface dark.
Diese beiden Themes sind optisch sehr nah an die Oberfläche von Facebook angelegt. Wem diese also gefällt, der wird mit diesen vermutlich seine Freude haben. 😊
Danke möchte ich an @Matthias und @Kristi H. sagen, die diese Themes wirklich sehr schön umgesetzt haben. 👍
Und so schauen die beiden Themes aus:
Wie ihr die neuen Themes bei euch aktiviert, sehr ihr unten im Screenshot:
Anban Govender reshared this.
What are the differences between Diaspora, Pleroma, Hubzilla, Hometown, and Glitch? How do they compare to Friendica as far as features?
As for Hubzilla vs Friendica, I've made a series of tables that compare Mastodon, Friendica, Hubzilla and (streams). I've made them for those who are looking for a Facebook alternative in the Fediverse, but who only know Mastodon first-hand and Friendica from hearsay. But these tables are useless for blind or visually-impaired users, and I can't change that because it's in the nature of tables. Also, I don't have all data for Friendica yet. (In case someone sighted comes across this comment and wants to see the tables: Here they are).
So I'll try to do a Hubzilla vs Friendica comparison here. Hold on and take some time, for this will be very, very, very long. 42 lines of comparison with over 10,000 characters.
Friendica was created by Mike Macgirvin in 2010.
Hubzilla started out as a Friendica fork by Mike Macgirvin himself in 2012, originally named Red (from spanish la red = the network), then renamed Red Matrix. It was repositioned, reworked, massively extended beyond Friendica's features and renamed Hubzilla in 2015.
Friendica has native Android apps, a closed beta native iOS app and support for Mastodon apps, even though Mastodon apps only cover 20% of Friendica's features at most. Hubzilla doesn't have any mobile apps, at least none for iOS, none in the Google Play Store, none that could be installed on a new Android device and none with a fully native mobile user interface.
Hubzilla also also doesn't support Mastodon apps and never will. That's mainly because a Mastodon app can't cover over 90% of Hubzilla's features, including features which you need all the time such as file upload, image embedding, handling of connections and permission controls, simply because Mastodon doesn't have these features. Hubzilla would require its very own apps, and due to Hubzilla's immense complexity and wealth of features, a fully-featured, dedicated Hubzilla app would be absolutely gargantuan and just as complex as Hubzilla itself.
On Friendica, ActivityPub federation is available from the get-go. On Hubzilla, ActivityPub federation is optional, and on newly-created channels, it is off by default.
Friendica can integrate Bluesky and Tumblr accounts. Hubzilla can't.
On Friendica, your account is your identity. Your identity is firmly tied to your account. On hubzilla, your identity is independent from your account. It resides in a container called a "channel", of which you can have multiple, fully independent ones on the same account. This also allows you to switch back and forth between channels or identities without logging out and back in.
Friendica has limited capabilities of moving your identity to another instance. Hubzilla has nomadic identity. For one, this makes it possible to relocate an entire channel with all posts, all comments, all private messages, all connections, nearly all settings, all files in your file space etc. etc. to another instance. Besides, it makes it possible to clone a channel to one or multiple other instances. This gives you live, hot, real-time, bidirectional backups of your channel, and you can log into and use any of them. That way, your channel is much more resilient against instance shutdown.
If you delete a Hubzilla channel, you cannot create a channel with the same short name on the same Hubzilla hub unless the admin fully deletes your channel from the database.
If you delete a clone of a Hubzilla channel, you cannot clone the same channel back to the same hub unless the admin fully deletes your channel from the database.
Friendica has client-side support for OpenWebAuth magic single sign-on. Hubzilla has full support. This means that Friendica logins are recognised by instances with full OpenWebAuth support, but Friendica itself doesn't recognise logins elsewhere. Hubzilla logins are recognised the same, and Hubzilla does recognise logins elsewhere.
Friendica has some basic permission control. On Hubzilla, it is much more advanced and fine-grained.
On Friendica, you can set your profile to private. On Hubzilla, you can give permission to see your profile to anybody on the internet, anybody in the Fediverse, anybody on Hubzilla or (streams), anybody on your hub, unapproved and approved connections, approved connections, only those you specifically allow by contact role or only yourself.
On Friendica, you can set your list of connections to private. On Hubzilla, you can give permission to see your connections to anybody on the internet, anybody in the Fediverse, anybody on Hubzilla or (streams), anybody on your hub, unapproved and approved connections, approved connections, only those you specifically allow by contact role or only yourself.
On Friendica, you can set your timeline to private; as far as I know, this happens along with setting your profile to private. On Hubzilla, you can give permission to see your stream to anybody on the internet, anybody in the Fediverse, anybody on Hubzilla or (streams), anybody on your hub, unapproved and approved connections, approved connections, only those you specifically allow by contact role or only yourself.
I don't know if Friendica can give specific permissions to specific connections. Hubzilla has so-called "contact roles". Each contact has a contact role that grants or denies 17 different permissions. Permissions granted channel-wide from the channel role are inherited by all contact roles. Two of these permissions are for your contacts to send you their posts and for your contacts to send you private messages.
On Hubzilla, you can keep both everyone and specific contacts from sending you repeats/boosts/reposts/renotes with a line of filter syntax in a filter blacklist.
On Hubzilla, you can send any of your posts as public, only to yourself, to all members of a privacy group (which is similar to a circle on Friendica), to whoever is assigned a certain non-default profile, to one specific group/forum or to a custom selection of contacts. You can also define your default post audience, either one of your privacy groups, or your posts are public by default.
Hubzilla has three levels of reply control. At channel level, you can give permission to reply to your posts to anybody on the internet, anybody in the Fediverse, anybody on Hubzilla or (streams), anybody on your hub, unapproved and approved connections, approved connections, only those you specifically allow by contact role or only yourself. In addition, you can choose to let comments in from those who are not permitted to comment on your posts, preview them and then manually decide whether or not you accept each comment.
Reply control at per-contact level means that you can use contact roles to grant or deny permission to reply to your comments to certain connections.
Reply control at per-post level is optional and off by default. It lets you disallow comments on individual posts of yours entirely.
Likewise, there is quote-post control at channel level and at per-contact level.
On Friendica, you can report posts to the admin. On Hubzilla, you can't. This feature is currently being discussed.
I don't know about Friendica, but Hubzilla has a channel-wide filter with a whitelist and a blacklist, and optionally, it has an individual filter for each connection with a whitelist and a blacklist.
Hubzilla allows regular expressions in filter lines, but only for normal keywords, not in lines with filter syntax.
Hubzilla's filter syntax can recognise posts, comments and private messages. This is of very limited usefulness, however: If you want to whitelist certain keywords for posts, but let all comments and all private messages through, you'd have to use filter syntax in a whitelist. But in whitelists, keyword lines are connected with "or" whereas filter syntax lines are connected with "and" which means that you cannot combine keywords with filter syntax. There is also filter syntax for keywords, but these lines are connected with "and" in whitelists, too, and each line can only contain one keyword with no regular expression.
On Friendica, summaries or Mastodon-style content warnings are created with a pair of BBcode tags, either [abstract][/abstract] or [abstract=apub][/abstract]. This works for posts, comments and private messages. Hubzilla has a dedicated summary field for posts, but none for comments. In theory, it also has the BBcode tag pair [summary][/summary], but in practice, it is broken.
Friendica optionally offers Markdown for text formatting in addition to BBcode. Hubzilla only offers BBcode.
Friendica doesn't have or support polls. Hubzilla has full support for basically unlimited polls.
Friendica calls reposting "sharing" and quote-posting "quoted sharing". Hubzilla calls reposting "repeating" and quote-posting "sharing".
On Hubzilla, you can optionally be notified when a stranger mentions you out of the blue outside any conversation on your stream.
On Friendica, you can make a group restricted or private. On Hubzilla, you can give a group or a forum privacy, too, but by choosing the "Custom" channel role instead of the "Community forum" channel role, and you have to adjust the level of privacy by hand. The advantage is that you have fine-grained control over what exactly you want to be private in your group or forum.
Private Friendica groups can be joined by users on Friendica, Hubzilla, (streams) and probably also Forte. Private Hubzilla groups or forums can only be joined by users on Hubzilla, (streams) and maybe Forte.
Friendica has a central directory of users, groups etc., the Friendica Directory. Hubzilla doesn't have such a thing.
Friendica nodes have their own directories; I'm not sure if they only list Friendica accounts or accounts and channels of everything that uses ActivityPub, or if they even include diaspora* users. Hubzilla hubs have such directories, too, but they only list Hubzilla and (streams) channels because they can only list what uses the built-in and permanently activated Nomad protocol.
In your Hubzilla directory, you can hide channels that are flagged not safe for work.
Hubzilla has an option that gives those who are permitted to see a post the permission to also see any media embedded in the post, regardless of the permissions set for the respective media in your file space. This was introduced due to the wide-spread issue of people uploading images and setting them or the directores the images are in to private, then embedding them into public posts and the audience of the posts not seeing the images.
On Hubzilla, you can give guest access tokens to people whom you want to access certain files or directories in your file space.
The file space built into your Hubzilla channel can be accessed via WebDAV.
Hubzilla also has a built-in CalDAV calendar server which can use the event calendar as a simple frontend and an optional headless CardDAV addressbook server.
Hubzilla optionally has "articles", long-form text posts with the same full text formatting capabilities as normal posts, but which don't federate.
Hubzilla optionally has "cards", basically planning cards with the same features as articles plus a few extra features.
Hubzilla optionally has multiple wikis per channel with multiple pages per wiki. Wikis can be set up to use either BBcode or Markdown as their markup language with a few wiki-specific additions in both cases.
Hubzilla optionally has simple, static webpages which can be formatted with either BBcode, Markdown or plain HTML. Hubzilla's own official website hubzilla.org is a webpage on a Hubzilla channel.
I think that's about it.
As for diaspora*: Forget it. For one, it does not support ActivityPub, and it does not federate with most of the Fediverse. The diaspora* developers staunchly refuse to add any other protocols to diaspora*, especially ActivityPub. One has actually said that you don't implement ActivityPub, you implement Mastodon. And the diaspora* developers don't want to make themselves dependent on Mastodon.
Besides, diaspora* is withering away. Around December 29th, a number of major diaspora* pods shut down. According to one source, diaspora* lost over half its user accounts in three days. And the closure of diasp.org, one of the biggest pods, is scheduled for April 1st now.
Quote:
Are there any other networks I should know about?
End quote.
From the same creator as Friendica and Hubzilla, there is something he created in 2021 at the end of a long and somewhat complex line of forks. It is officially and intentionally nameless, brandless, not a project and released into the public domain. Colloquially, it is named (streams) in parentheses after the name of its code repository. You can find the latter with an extensive readme here. It is slimmed down in features from Hubzilla, and it doesn't offer nearly the connection and federation options of Friendica and Hubzilla. But it is easier to handle while still having a steeper learning curve than Friendica, and especially its permission system is both another bit powerful and significantly easier to use than Hubzilla's.
(streams) has no mobile apps and no compatibility with Mastodon apps either for the same reasons as why Hubzilla doesn't isn't compatible with Mastodon apps.
(streams) is included in my comparison tables, too. If you want me, I can rattle down another comparison with Friendica like the one with Hubzilla above.
In August, 2024, Mike made another fork based on (streams) named Forte. It's basically (streams), but with a name, with a brand identity, as a project, released under the MIT license and with no support for the Nomad protocol anymore. It does everything using only ActivityPub. This also means that it relies entirely on ActivityPub for nomadic identity. Since especially this is still highly experimental, Forte itself has not officially been released yet, it is not recommended as a reliable daily driver, nor does it have public, open-registration instances.
Quote:
Finally, will the interface of the page on Friendica change depending on my instance?
End quote.
As far as I know, different Friendica nodes have different default themes, especially now that the Facebook-like Bookface theme may be officially included into Friendica.
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #FediMeta #FediverseMeta #CWFediMeta #CWFediverseMeta #diaspora* #Friendica #Hubzilla #Streams #(streams) #Forte
streams
Consent based public domain federated communications server. Provides a feature rich ActivityPub and Nomad communication node.Codeberg.org
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Wow, what an in-depth article. Thank You for that, interested people will love this, the Masto-microblog-guys will hate you for this 😉 Thank you.
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This is ridiculous. I can't even find where I am with a phone using Pachli. It's absolutely nothing like TweeseCake. I can read posts and respond to them, but I have to keep scrolling and can't immediately go to the top or bottom of a list. So if I haven't used this since October 2024, I have to arrow to the posts from the present, which means literally thousands upon thousands of keystrokes. Even when I go to notifications, I'm not sure if I'm reading current things or older ones. I'm sure Tusky is the same, since Pachli is based on it. I can try racoon, but I'm guessing it won't have great keyboard support either. Not everyone wants to use a touchscreen! Fortunately, from what I know, the makers of Pachli really do care about accessibility, so perhaps, something can be done to increas the number of keyboard shortcuts.
#accessibility #Android #blind #Pachli #Talkback #TweeseCake #Windows
From the top right three-dot menu choose "Load newest posts" to jump to the top.
You can also change the behaviour when tapping a tab to do this, pachli.app/pachli/2024/09/30/2…
Content in timelines is generally shown with the newest items at the top. There is also an experimental control to change that, pachli.app/pachli/2024/08/30/2…
Pachli 2.8.0 released
Pachli 2.8.0 is now available. This release introduces experimental support for reading the timeline in reverse order and significantly improves notification reliability, as well as the usual bug fixes and other small improvements.Pachli
I haven't tried it, but if your device supports Talkback then support.google.com/accessibili… lists the keyboard shortcuts for navigating around the screen.
I have just tried with Talkback gesture navigation and that lets me navigate to the menu, open it, and choose "Load newest posts", so I expect the keyboard shortcuts to do the same thing should work.
As someone who is totally blind, the Fediverse is the only place where I have ever been able to follow people such as photographers, artists, or even those who post pictures of their cats or the food they ate. The reason is that most of them use alt text. They take the time to describe the images that my screen reader can't recognise. Some write the descriptions themselves, and others use tools such as altbot. Some worry that their descriptions aren't good enough, especially when they are new at this. Let me assure you, not only are they good enough, they are extremely appreciated! If the rest of the world thought as you did, it would be a much better place. Don't hesitate to ask if you're unsure of something, but never think that we don't notice your effort.
#appreciation #accessibility #altbot #alttext #blind #blindness #fediverse #gratitude #images #inclusivity #peoplewhocare #pictures #technology
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Here's something I posted before about an easy way to get more consistent at this... 🙂
mastodonapp.uk/@bytebro/113833…
bytebro (@bytebro@mastodonapp.uk)
@loren@flipping.rocks I've posted this before, but I'm pretty rubbish at remembering alt-txt, but since I followed @PleaseCaptionBot@hachyderm.Mastodon App UK
Thanks for posting this.
I've shared a screenshot of your post on Bluesky as well: bsky.app/profile/drsybren.bsky…
@sybren I will do the same if that’s okay with you Georgina. I can omit your name/avatar.
Bluesky actually has a settings option where you can only send your post after adding Alt Text, which I have activated.
@lydiaschoch I find that I will put extra information in the alt text. Joke that's not in the post itself, perhaps. Pointing out what's strange in the picture. Explaining the joke. Something like it's a SPOILER tag you're only going to get if you check the alt text.
If web comics can do it, why not everyone?
Besides, the character count on alt text is HUGE.
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@zy Some Mastodon sites offer to translate a post into the reader's language, which also translates the ALT text. As someone who likes to read posts in languages I'm not fluent with, it helps a lot to understand the pictures as well (e.g. memes or comic strips).
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You can also follow an alt text not that will remind you when you forget to add alt text. It just sends you a message requesting that you add alt text
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on desktop web browsers, there's a tag in the corner of an image - either ALT or just a scary red exclamation mark (indicating that there's no ALT text).
If a user drags the mouse pointer over the image, the alt text is visible to sighted users. I think most mobile apps show it on a click, but I don't really remember.
I'm sighted. I haven't tested with a screen reader, but when looking at a Fedi post from a Web browser, the alt text is in the IMG ALT tag. Mouse over, and it just displays the alt text.
Most other social networking platforms seem to put the alt text behind a "click the small ALT button and a popup will pop up" mechanism.
Sensitive content
I'm sighted and I often look at the alt text on Fediverse graphics!
It's great for things like "here's a person I don't recognise, are they famous, is it a clip from a show and what's the show and why is it relevant here". There are cultural references which would just whoosh over my head without the description.
Or sometimes there'll be one like "photo of woodland, with a squirrel" and I'll be like "oh yeah! there _is_ a squirrel in the corner there" 😀
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Are alt texts expected to be objective?
I post a lot of art and am curious if I should describe the subjective interpretation as well.
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Yes, good point. There is space for a little fun in there. When the subjective is the point of sharing the image, I think that's precisely what you should do.
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Well, there in lies the difficulty. I dislike instructing others in how they should see my work. Like in a gallery or museum, I like to keep the accompanying text relatively objective, as I feel all interpretations are valid. But that's not very helpful for those who cannot see it.
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Yes, I might be overthinking this a tad. Still, it's good to differentiate between intensions for descriptions. I've seen a museum boast about accessibility when the images only had a description from the artists, clearly intended for those able to view the work.
Yes, that's the problem. I see it as something that should match the intension but in the case of art, that can also be subjective. So in this case, if it's a work of art, I would be tempted to describe why this chair is beautiful to me.
Something like, "The soft lighting on the chair and the delicate carving evoke a sense of nostalgia in me."
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Of course, I don't pretend that my ALT descriptions are perfect or accurate, but they are an extension of my own expression, with my own flaws, mistakes, and way of describing things. And well, I'm a human, not a machine, so I guess that's part of the homemade charm. 😺
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@davidrevoy @nunesdennis also, at minimum, consider that the default is something like "image." So even the difference between "photo" and "screenshot" and "meme" at least provides handles on what they're missing.
Obviously enough detail to be included in the conversation is better & elaboration on what's notable or aesthetic is best. Someone could always ask a question if they were curious, but not if they have insufficient info.
I usually elaborate on why it's nice: see attached
@davidrevoy @nunesdennis good series of guides mastodon.social/@mcc/113897045…
Oh, one other alt-text rule I follow. Sometimes an image contains no additional information at all. When this is the case, I actually say so, as briefly as possible. If the post already describes the image fully, I just caption "As described". If multiple photos contain the same thing, I just say "ibid." (or maybe "a burning dumpster", "same dumpster from another angle", "ibid.", "ibid."). If I *say* there's no useful information, a screen reader user won't have to *wonder* why it's blank.
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How well do very general descriptions of popular media references tend to work for members of your community? For example:
Scene from The Empire Strikes Back, Lando Calrissian muttering to himself "This deal's getting worse all the time..."
I'd hope major hits like Star Wars have been made as accessible as possible over the years, but still worry such minimal scene-setting might perpetuate a "you had to be there" feeling of exclusion.
Einige schreiben die Beschreibungen selbst, andere verwenden Tools wie altbot. Manche machen sich Sorgen, dass ihre Beschreibungen nicht gut genug sind, vor allem, wenn sie neu auf diesem Gebiet sind. Ich kann Ihnen versichern, dass sie nicht nur gut genug sind, sondern auch sehr geschätzt werden! Wenn der Rest der Welt so denken würde wie Sie, wäre es ein viel besserer Ort. …
Übersetzt mit DeepL.com (kostenlose Version)
I admit that sometimes I struggle with alt tags. Understanding what there is to see in a picture is one thing, but providing info within the context of the overall post seems like it can come in handy
Curious to know if you tried Bluesky. I ask bc I thought Bluesky has a way to caption images.
As BSKY is just a walled off version of the the rest of the fediverse, it does - the same capability as most servers.
For the people who worry that their alt text isn't good enough - just keep practicing.
And consider how long it takes to read the ALT text. Was this a throw-away decorative image? Something brief should be fine. Was this image the thing you wanted to share? Time to be more descriptive.
Thank you so much for posting this! I always include alt-text, but started doing so consistently mostly because self-appointed alt-text cops kept needling me anytime I left it out. This is the first time an alt-text user has actually said something nice about it (that I've seen in my feed, anyway).
Very kind of you to take a moment and say you appreciate it. I will continue to include it.
Hi - I need to learn - how should we go about captioning video?
Thanks!
@SamanthaJaneSmith
I alt it the same way I do an image.
Physical description, then meanings/subtleties that are not as obvious, and if there is one the script
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In so many different kinds of art - it depends!
I would describe what strikes me.
So, "Portrait of a person standing next to a window but entirely made up of straight brushstrokes no single one shorter than the length of the face."
Or, "Bold black lines intersect across a white canvas with a single square of yellow towards the upper right corner."
Honestly, if you don't know how on something specific - reach out and ask. If I'm around I'm happy to give it a go, but there's also the hashtag ALT4Me which will summon a figurative army to help you out 😁
What a great post, so helpful and encouraging.
I have a deaf/blind follower who mentioned my alt/text to me early on and I've tried to make a point of it ever since.
Describing colors is important, and all the things that make photos interesting. I figure if people don't want to read the whole thing, no one has to!
But I also try to make it funny, if I can, like dog_rates always does, so there's a point to reading it for everyone. I'm sure I rarely succeed. 😀
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clacke: exhausted pixie dream boy 🇸🇪🇭🇰💙💛 likes this.
So it's inconvenient, he leaves a comment under the post. I need to copy it and edit the post.
Inconvenient? ...
Well, actually, check this answer from Georgiana:
friendica.world/display/84b6ef…
@Xanathon That would be truly wonderful! But honestly, even just using AltBot normally is fine, since the descriptions usually appear as a post right after the original.
So what? She says it would be nice Alt text in the photo, but if this is difficult, then alt text in the form of a post from an altbot is enough. This proves my point about inconvenience. It would be convenient if the image was recognized and the text was inserted at the stage of writing the post!
I have already raised this issue with the developer of Tusky. I love this app and hope the developer will implement this feature.
@My best life 🎒 This is actually what I mean when I say altbot. It's very easy to use, and the instructions are on the page.
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I read every Alt Text, despite not using a screen reader. I think you might find that quite a few people do!
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@Memere I've seen posts that say something like "Can you believe this nonsense?"
And the image didn't make said nonsense obvious.
But the alt-text did. Sometimes, explaining the joke works for everyone.
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@Nat Oleander It's just a pity that if you post about an obscure enough niche topic like I do, it's the more difficult to make image posts perfectly accessible to everyone, the more obscure the topic is. For the more obscure the topic is, the more you have to describe, and the more you have to explain. (Caution: Never put explanations into alt-text! They must go where everyone can access them.)
I currently write the longest image descriptions in the whole Fediverse by a wide margin. But they may not actually be accessible enough, even though I describe all my original images twice.
The short descriptions in the alt-text don't always contain text transcripts, especially not all of them, and being only short descriptions, they aren't full, detailed visual descriptions either. The long descriptions for the same images in the post regularly end up with a five-digit character count. They may not be accessible because they're way too long. But sometimes they're the only place where all text transcripts can be found. And they are the only place where explanations can be found.
So the consequence should be that I quit posting my original images because they're impossible to make perfectly accessible to everyone, at least as long as there is no rock-solid definition for what's actually required in image descriptions in my obscure edge-case. But there isn't even any consensus on whether text that's illegible or that's so tiny that it's basically invisible must be transcribed if it can be sourced.
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #AltText #AltTextMeta #CWAltTextMeta #ImageDescription #ImageDescriptions #ImageDescriptionMeta #CWImageDescriptionMeta
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@Georgiana Brummell I'd say not everyone would consider almost 1,000 characters of image description in a 1,500-character alt-text accessible. And even fewer people would consider a long image description in the post itself that's tens of thousands of characters long accessible if your screen reader spends an hour or several rambling it down.
My most extreme case is a post with only one image. That one image is described twice like all my halfway recent original images. The short description in the alt-text is a bit over 1,400 characters long which barely leaves any room for the note that there is also a long description in the post itself. That long description is over 60,000 characters long. I'm not kidding. It took me two full days from getting up to going to bed to research for it and write it.
Now, there are a few dozen bits and pieces of text all over the image. At the resolution at which I've posted the image, two of them are ever so barely legible for sighted people. They're on a large logo on a building. Four more, two of them on that logo, too, two more on a sign on an easel, are illegible, but still visible. At least more on signs inside the building are visible, but they can't easily be identified as text. All the others are so tiny that they're invisible. It takes the long image description to even know where they are, for example, on the control panels of teleporters.
And yet, they are all within the borders of the image. And I can transcribe them. I can't read them in the image, but I can go to the place shown in the image and take closer looks.
Unfortunately, the rule or guideline that any and all text in an image must be transcribed verbatim does not take into consideration text that can't be read in the image, but that can be sourced and thus transcribed by whoever posts the image. No confirmation, no exception. And so I have to assume that I have to transcribe illegible text as well. And so I do transcribe them all.
But there's no way for me to put all these text transcripts into the alt-text, not if I want to keep Mastodon, Misskey and their forks from chopping it off at the 1,500-character mark. I'd also have to explain where all these pieces of text are, after all. And so the text transcripts are only available in the 60,000-character monster of a long image description.
It isn't really accessible to expect blind users to have their screen readers ramble and ramble and ramble for hours, just to get information that should actually belong into the alt-text which, in turn, shouldn't be longer than 200 characters.
On the other hand, it doesn't really seem accessible to me if I expect people to ask me to describe things in the image for them. It rather feels sloppy, if not out-right ableist to not describe everything that someone could possibly want to know right away.
The problem with my images is that they're renderings from very obscure 3-D virtual worlds. This means that nobody knows what anything in these images looks like unless they can see these images. This, in turn, means that I cannot expect anyone to know what something in my images looks like anyway. They don't.
At the same time, I can't expect everyone to not care about my images. In fact, I expect the very topic of 3-D virtual worlds that actually exist to make people curious. At this point, it doesn't matter what's important in my images within the context of the post. Sighted people will go explore the new and unknown world by taking closer looks at all the big and small details in the image.
But blind or visually-impaired people may be just as curious. They may want the same chance to explore this new world by experiencing what's in that one image. Denying them the same chances as sighted people is ableist. But giving them this chance requires an absolutely titanic image description.
Sure, I describe lots of details which a sighted person can't possibly recognise when looking at the image, especially not at the resolution of the image as I've posted it. But I simply can't keep telling blind or visually-impaired people that certain things in the image can't be recognised due to the image resolution. It feels lazy, like weaseling out. I mean, I can see all these details. Not in the image, but where the image was made, simply by walking closer to them or moving the camera closer to them.
If there are two dark objects inside a building that may or may not be plants, but that can't be identified as plants by looking at the image, why shouldn't I describe them as follows: "On the sides of the teleport panel, there are two identical açaí palms in square terracotta pots with wide rims. Like the other potted plants, these mostly dark green plants with long pointy leaves are kept at an indoor-compatible size, namely about three and a half metres or eleven and a half feet tall. Also, like the other potted plants, they are made of only four flat surfaces with partially transparent pictures of the plant on them, arranged in angles of 45 degrees to one another."
If there's room for improvement in my image descriptions, I improve my future image descriptions and declare my past image descriptions outdated. In fact, the 60,000-character-long description is outdated because it's bad style to describe dimension using measures. Instead, dimensions should be described by comparing them with something everyone is familiar with like body parts.
Right now, by the way, I'm upping my game at describing avatars, using rules and guidelines for describing people which I've discovered over the last few months. The last time I've described an avatar, I've done so in about 7,000 characters, but according to my new discoveries, I may have missed something.
However, I can't go into so much detail while still making my image descriptions short enough that a screen reader can read through them in under a minute.
CC: @Nat Oleander
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #Metaverse #VirtualWorlds #AltText #AltTextMeta #CWAltTextMeta #ImageDescription #ImageDescriptions #ImageDescriptionMeta #CWImageDescriptionMeta
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
@Georgiana Brummell @Nat Oleander Well, technically speaking, the long description isn't alt-text.
What went into the actual alt-text of the image were 1,402 characters of visual description + 97 characters of notice that there's a long description in the post. The over 60,000 characters went into the post text body, right below the image itself.
I could have put the long description into the alt-text. But it would have been a nightmare for blind or visually-impaired people because screen readers can't navigate alt-text. Also, Mastodon, Glitch, Hometown, Misskey, Calckey, Firefish, Iceshrimp, CherryPick, Sharkey, Catodon and the other Mastodon and Misskey forks chop long alt-texts from outside off at the 1,500-character mark. Mastodon would simply have deleted almost 59,000 characters from my image description on their side, had I put it into the alt-text.
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #AltText #AltTextMeta #CWAltTextMeta #ImageDescription #ImageDescriptions #ImageDescriptionMeta #CWImageDescriptionMeta
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
I had never written alt text before joining the fediverse, but I’ve come to appreciate the opportunity it gives me to think about why I posted the image and what’s worth knowing about it. I still do worry, but I feel more relaxed thanks to your post.
: thank you!
I often spend more time writing alt text than the text in the toot itself - not just to keep the toot itself as short as possible.
Writing alt text, even if using energy, is useful for myself as well. In particular in the case of photo's, it makes me look better. Often I notice details that I missed before.
What I like about Mastodon is the enormous variety in people, from all over the world, one can meet here and discuss with. Even if I'm not an "easy person", it enriches my life.
Thank you again, and my pleasure!
like this
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I often spend more time writing alt text than the text in the toot itself - not just to keep the toot itself as short as possible.
I always spend more time describing my images than writing the post that they go into.
For my meme posts, that's because I have to explain the picture and find the appropriate links to external explanations (KnowYourMeme etc.) to shorten my explanation block if possible.
For my original images, it's because I have to describe them twice. There's always an alt-text which, as of late, fills the 1,500-character limit imposed by Mastodon, Misskey etc. to the brim. But that alt-text is only a shortened and slightly adapted version of an extremely long long description which goes into the post text body and which also includes transcripts of any and all text in the image, readable or not, as well as all explanations which I deem necessary for outsiders to understand the image. Since the images are about an extremely obscure niche topic, this means I have to explain a lot.
A while ago, I spent two full days, morning to evening, researching for and describing and explaining one single image. The result was probably the longest image description ever posted in the Fediverse. And I actually had to limit myself, otherwise the description would have been even vastly longer and taken over a month to complete. Good thing I don't have any character limit to worry about. The only exception is that Mastodon may reject posts from outside with over 100,000 characters.
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #FediMeta #FediverseMeta #CWFediMeta #CWFediverseMeta #AltText #AltTextMeta #CWAltTextMeta #ImageDescription #ImageDescriptions #ImageDescriptionMeta #CWImageDescriptionMeta
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
A while back, I built an exhibit I thought people would find interesting.
The first place I took it, I was thanked for having an exhibit which was accessible for the visually-impaired (I'm not certain about totally blind). I hadn't even thought of it that way!
You can read my write-up here. Unfortunately, the "caption" property on the images kind of conflicts with the "alt text" property, and I don't know which one you'll get.
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
Just out of curiosity, if you have no vision impairment - why does your avi have glasses on?
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
How do I make posts more accessible to blind people on Mastodon and the Fediverse?
fedi.tips/how-do-i-make-posts-…
h/t @FediTips
If there’s no #Alt4Me tag on the undescribed image, it’s still worth being polite as no one wants bad feelings generated around the topic of descriptions. You might want to just reply with a description and #Alt4You tag, and if they’re abled they will hopefully get the message that descriptions are preferred.
How do I make posts more accessible to blind people on Mastodon and the Fediverse? | Fedi.Tips – An Unofficial Guide to Mastodon and the Fediverse
An unofficial guide to using Mastodon and the Fediversefedi.tips
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
A friendly suggestion to all the people who follow me here: put alt text on your images. It makes a difference!
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Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail. I've tried using the Alt-for-me tag, but nobody responded.
If you don't mind my asking - as a comic artist, I usually post full comic pages. There isn't enough alt text room to fully transcribe the page, so usually l will write something like "Page X of the comic Love and Hex. Full transcript: (link to an external page with both the comic image and a complete transcript)" followed by a broader description of what's going on without much detail.
Does that sort of thing suffice, or is there a preferred approach?
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
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Georgiana Brummell likes this.
Are there things your screen reader has trouble with or that make listening more tedious?
I remember from years ago there was a sequence preference for some things. For example, with lists, I think the preference was word first, then tick box or radio button.
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Georgiana Brummell likes this.
Don't hesitate to ask if you're unsure of something, but never think that we don't notice your effort.
I do have a few questions, specifically because my image posts have gone unnoticed by blind or visually-impaired users so far.
Judging and assuming from the information I've gathered so far, my original images require very extensive and detailed descriptions. A full description is too long for alt-text, so what I do is write a full description with all text transcripts and all necessary explanations, put it into the post text body and then condense a shorter, but still long alt-text from it. What's your stance on this method of describing the same image twice over?
Also, where would you personally prefer a long description? In the post itself? Or in an external document that's linked into the post? If you're on a phone app, remember that the external document will inevitably open your Web browser.
Do you prefer images described, based on what a sighted person can see in the image as it is posted? Or do you prefer a description that is not limited by the restriction of the image itself, for example, assuming an infinite image resolution and an infinite zoom factor that would let sighted people theoretically see even tiniest details?
If I mention something in my image description of which you don't know what it looks like, do you need a detailed visual description?
Concerning text transcripts: Let's assume a bit of text in an image is too small to be legible for sighted people, but I can read it at the original source, so I can transcribe it nonetheless. Shall I transcribe it? What about if said text is too small to be recognisable as text or so tiny that's it's practically invisible? I mean, after all, the concept of image resolution should not matter to totally blind people, so writing that a piece of text can't be read because the resolution of the image is too low ought to sound like a lame excuse for skimping a transcript.
If there's a building in one of my images, I can safely assume that you don't know what that one specific building looks like, so I guess I can also assume that you need it described. If I could, I would do so using architectural terms and then explaining all these architectural terms right after using them. Would you say that's the correct way? Because that's why I avoid having realistic buildings in my images.
If there's an image in my image, do you need it described? At a level that I can source right where the image is without moving away too far, or at a level that I can only source by moving farther away to the place shown in the image? What about an image in an image in my image? (I'm serious. I've actually described images within images within my image, but I've stopped when this was about to go out of hand due to there being too many to describe.)
I'm currently working on a series of posts with images showing a virtual-world avatar in various but similar outfits; in fact, I have been since last year. I may have questions later regarding at what level of detail I have to describe that avatar.
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #AltText #AltTextMeta #CWAltTextMeta #ImageDescription #ImageDescriptions #ImageDescriptionMeta #CWImageDescriptionMeta
Thank you.
And - everyone sighted, please, let us worry a bit about our descriptions. It's a good thing to worry about.
That is, many of our worries are about things that are completely out of our hands. Alt texts are something we can act on. We can think about what we see in a picture, what's important to us, what we want to convey, what we should describe. We can talk about it with each other, try things out, and get better at it.
Katharina Debus likes this.
thanks!
I've shared this post of you because more people need to know that Alt Text and Image Descriptions are not only good but are appreciated by those that rely on them!
- The strenght of the Fediverse is based upon it's diversity, and that must include accessibility!
After all it's easy for sighted people to dismiss it when in reality it doesn't take away anything from them if they just write a sentence or two per image.
- Thabks for letting us know!
#AltText #ImageDescription #Accessibility #Fediverse #blind #inclusion #thanks
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
I do my best with this. It's extra writing, and I love the sound of my own voice even in text, so I actually find it fun and not a chore.
Still, Fedi really taught me how important it is and how to do it well, and I'm thankful for that. I've been on the periphery of web dev since before it was called "web dev" so I knew what alt text was. But I'll confess to never doing it particularly well before I came here.
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
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Georgiana Brummell likes this.
Will do as soon and as good as I can. I promise. Sorry for ignoring this until now 🥹
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
“Whom does not see, yet has thousands of eyes writing for them?”
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
@zy @shred
@dandylover1
When I get a message in German, the alt text is also in German (for example). It makes it easy to copy and paste into an internet translator.
I have found it helpful when the words are embedded in the picture too. Just go to the alt text and cut and paste.
I'm so happy that it helps people with vision problems.
(I had no idea German would be so important in 2025, but here we are.)
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
Things I have no interestt in seeing:
Politics, posts in foreign languages that I don't understand, posts with obscenities, bickering over who joins what network, posts about what leaders of various networks do, vegan activism/ promotion, images without descriptions, world affairs (non-Western), posts about mental health, etc.
Things I am Constantly Seeing
Politics, posts in foreign languages that I don't understand, more politics, posts with obscenities, bickering over who joins what network, posts about what leaders of various networks do, yet more politics, vegan activism/ promotion, images without descriptions (very rare here, thankfully), still more politics, world affairs and wars (non-Western), posts about mental health, and you guessed it, even more politics! At least I don't see all of the inspirational/love yourself, or religious posts. Those are just as annoying.
Posts I Would Like to See:
Animals (especially cats and birds), plants, insects, high culture (theatre, classical music, fine dining, literature, fashion, etc.), cooking/recipes, history, science for non-scientists, technology (not just how to write websites or who's doing what in the Fediverse), audio games, good news, interesting discussions, people's daily lives (yes, I know this is not Dreamwidth), etc.
@Meg I would absolutely love to know how to block specific words and phrases! I have looked all over the Friendica.world site and I couldn't find any way to do this. I also couldn't find anything in TweeseCake itself. @Fedi.Tips Can you please help? Is this possible? I had to unfollow several otherwise wonderful people over this.
#blind #blocking #Friendica #moderation #Tweesecake #TweeseCake
Has everyone except Dreamwidth and the makers of TweeseCake forgotten how to make an edit page/option that is actually easy to use? It's an absolute mess on the Friendica page itself, so that it could take me up to ten minutes just to be able to edit a post, and Enafore, which is supposed to be an improvement on Semafore has an edit page that is completely inaccessible with NVDA. It just says "Dialogue". Whatever happened to choosing "edit" and having a normal page open, with edit boxes, combo boxes, and a "save" button? See Dreamwidth's page for a perfect example of this, both for creating and editing posts.
TweeseCake also works wonderfully, but it only allows you to go back so far in your own posts. There is no way to enter a link and have TweeseCake open it.
#accessibility #annoying #blind #Dreamwidth #editing #editingposts #Enafore #friendica #frustrating #NVDA #posting #Semafore #technology #TweeseCake #Tweesecake #Windows
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
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Here we go again, with the same old questions that were never answered or resolved.
I have an old post of mine that I want to edit on Friendica. I can go to the site and see it. I can even click on "edit". Then, no matter what I do, I am unable to change anything. I am put in a text edit box, and when I leave it, I am sent back to the page, as if I never hit "edit" at all. In the past, I have, with extreme patience and a lot of wasted time, been able to edit posts from the main site, but this time, it's not working. I'm not sure if it's simply a lack of screen reader accessibility or if there is a time limit to edit posts. This one that I specifically put on my profile for people to read. If posts expire or if I can't properly edit them, I will need to delete this repost it, then readd it to my profile. Even Tweesecake can't help, since the post is beyond its time range! Can anyone please help me? I don't know why certain things on Friendica are so difficult to do with screen readers.
#accessibility #blind #Friendica #NVDA #posting #screenreaders #technology #Tweesecake #TweeseCake #Windows
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I am vaguely aware of something called Lemmy, which is similar to Reddit, including the inability to delete posts. Why, I don't know. Anyway, I read that it can interact with Friendica. But I'm confused regarding finding forums, joining them, and posting to them. Usually, I go to a website, enter friendica.world, am taken to my homepage, and then authorise the connection. But this seems different. Can anyone help me? Also, I primarily use Tweesecake, not the main site, so I have no idea what the bit about widgets means.
wiki.friendi.ca/docs/post_to_l…
#blind #fediverse #forums #Friendica #Lemmy #posting #Tweesecake
Sunshine likes this.
@dandylover1 I've been on Lemmy until a few weeks ago. It does allow deleting posts, as I deleted mine. However, there are some caveats:
- There's no batch deletion mechanism like Mastodon has, so the user needs to manually delete every single post and comment.
- The interface won't hide the "post/comment space", it will just replace the previous contents with "deleted by creator" (I guess this is what you meant with "Lemmy doesn't allow deleting posts")
However, it's not like platforms such as Wikipedia and Stack Exchange (Stack Overflow) where content, once accepted and established, can't really get deleted.
Sunshine likes this.
@Georgiana Brummell I think you can delete your content from there too. Yes, Lemmy is like a federated version of Reddit (just like Friendica is to Facebook).
Forum
The language in the documentation is a bit old, now the forums have been renamed to groups, but they're the same thing.
Disregarding the language used, you can go to lemmyverse.net/ and then to the communities tab. From there, click or copy the address for any community that you're looking for - the one starting with an exclamation mark - and paste it in the search bar. Once you find it, follow it like you would follow any other person.
To post in a group, simply create a normal post and tag the group with either ! or @.
Keep in mind that for Lemmy you have to add a title to your post, otherwise it will use the first 200 characters in the first line of it as the title and it might look off.
Btw, we also have some groups in Friendica. They're less active than the Lemmy communities, but they're there. And you don't have to add a title to any post to them.
Sunshine likes this.
@Georgiana Brummell I described it in a little more detail here: 🚀 A little guide on how to communicate with #Lemmy from #Mastodon #Friendica #Hubzilla #Sharkey etc
It's not only for Friendica, it also works from Mastodon, Sharkey etc. With Friendica you can also use ! instead of @ to tag the community, then the post only goes to the group and not directly to the timelines of your contacts.
🚀 A little guide on how to communicate with #Lemmy from #Mastodon #Friendica #Hubzilla #Sharkey etc(this is the English translation of this German post: anonsys.net/display/bf69967c-1… If something is linguistically incorrect or incomprehensible, please let me know)
Lemmy is a kind of forum software in the #Fediverse: You can subscribe to forums (called ‘communities’ in Lemmy), share links and participate in discussions. @Tealk and I have described it in more detail (in German) here.
On the one hand, you can follow #Lemmy accounts, in which case the posts will appear in your timeline and you can reply to them, share them, etc.
On the other hand, you can also create posts in Lemmy communities from Mastodon etc.Follow a community:
The easiest way is to type the account name in full into the search or copy the URL into the search field. This applies to communities (e.g. [ät]fediversede@feddit.de) and Lemmy accounts (e.g. @caos is my Lemmy account) as well as to individual posts in Lemmy (e.g. feddit.org/post/201081 is a post in Lemmy).Creating posts in communities:
You can create posts in Lemmy communities by tagging the community account
(It should be a public post)
If the community account is tagged with @, it will share the post and the post will also appear in the forum.
For example, this is a post I created from Mastodon in feddit's #Tischtennis forum: metalhead.club/@caos/112749905… ... and this is how it is displayed in Lemmy: feddit.org/post/556495The only thing to note from Mastodon and Akkoma etc. is: The beginning of the post/the first paragraph becomes the title of the forum post, as Mastodon does not have a heading field. (see also: Instructions Creating a post from Mastodon)
So it is best to start the post like this (see image 1):
This is my headline (as descriptive a title as possible)
@community@lemmy-instance
This is the further text, link etc.
if necessary a picture (only in the initial post a picture is transferred from Mastodon to Lemmy, between Lemmy and Friendica all images in answers are transferred in the meantime)Send post to multiple communities / groups at the same time
The post can only be sent to one Lemmy community at a time. If several community accounts are tagged, the post will only appear in the last one mentioned. If several different group accounts are tagged in a post, the Lemmy account should come first. According to my tests, it works in the following order: 1. lemmy community 2. friendica forum 3. a.gup.pe group . Then all groups share the post, otherwise it doesn't work with all of them so far.Search for communities
You can search for interesting forums/communities either on an instance page or here in the ‘Lemmy Explorer’ (see image 2).
If you are interested, enter the URL in the search field and follow the account.If you have found an interesting community, you can copy its URL into the search field to follow the community account (see image 3) or enter the handle of the account in the form @communityname@lemmy-instance (in Friendica etc. also with !).
The past posts are then often not displayed, but those that come in the future will appear in your timeline.
What is not possible from Mastodon etc. is to create your own community. This requires a Lemmy or kbin account. Otherwise almost everything works (except for pictures in replies, which are not federated, see in detail (in German) here).If you follow many or very active communities, it can get a bit confusing, especially in Mastodon. A clearer view is available if you view it on the page of the community itself, i.e. open it externally in the browser.
(the original URL of posts is sometimes hidden behind the #Fediverse logo)There are also other public groups in the #Fediverse, e.g. Friendica-Forums and kbin-Magazines, which work in a similar way.
After a bit of research, I learned that TWBlue is open source, and that, while the current version is only for 64-bit machines, there is a 32-bit version. There is also a 32-bit version specifically designed to work with Windows 7. Whether that's the same as the regular one, I don't know, but it does exist. However, since it has some extremely important features that TWBlue lacks, such as editing posts and profiles, etc. I prefer TweeseCake. However, it seems that there is only a 64-bit version. Am I wrong? Is it closed source? I would love to be able to work strictly from my Windows XP or 7 virtual machines, but this is the one program I must use in 11, and I ultimately find myself using 11 for everything, which I don't wish to do. I don't know of any other truly accessible clients for Friendica, other than these two.
#32-bit #64-bit #accessibility #blind #clients #Friendica #TwBlue #TweeseCake #Tweesecake #Windows7 #WindowsXP
GitHub - skibidivxiiduu/skibidivxiiduu
Contribute to skibidivxiiduu/skibidivxiiduu development by creating an account on GitHub.GitHub
I solved the filtering problem I wrote about yesterday by changing the channel and notifications settings in Friendica. I explained more n a reply to said post. Now, my timeline is filled with all sorts of lovely things. Since that post was so negative, I would like to thank those who write such wonderful and positive things. You are why I am remaining in the Fediverse. Your posts make me smile and/or think, and now I will be seeing more of them!
#friends #Friendica #posting #timeline #Tweesecake #TweeseCake
I just learned that Friendica, itself, has at least three different types of filters. These are content, advanced content, and language. The first two would allow me to block certain words, topics, etc. from my home timeline, while the third would allow me to collapse or delete things that aren't in languages that I understand. Unfortunately, it seems that Friendica.world has not implemented these, so I've been forced to block many people so that I don't see these things. I do undersatnd that only one or two people run this instance, but would it be possible to give users these abilities? I would rather not switch instances. Alternatively, I don't see such options available in TweeseCake. Maybe, sinceI just heard they're rewriting it, they will include such features in the new version.
#Fediverse #filters #Friendica #friendica.world #posting #Tweesecake #TweeseCake
Is there any way I can stop an entire conversation from appearing in my timeline? I see several in which I have no interest, and they are taking up time and space. Remember, screen reader users can't simply scan things quickly, see a word and move on, as sighted people can.
Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺 reshared this.
I have written about this before, and it just happened again. I somehow managed to hide the TweeseCake window. I know that there is a way to unhide it, and also to show all commands. However, not every keyboard can handle the alt+Windows+shift+letter commands. Right now, I'm using a Toughpad, and the only access I have to it is via such a keyboard. I had to go into my application data folder, delete the TweeseCake folder (why it's not a true portable app, I don't know), then log into TweeseCake, then reauthorise Friendica to use it, then reset a few settings. I am going to save said folder so that, if this happens again, I can delete it from my computer and readd it from my thumb drive, but please, can anyone tell me if there is a way to disable this invisible windows mode, or whatever it's called? If not, can someone write a script to do it? This is beyond annoying, and it's really the only thing I don't like about this program, which is perfect otherwise!
Georgiana Brummell likes this.
Since this post is about fashion, let me start by answering the question that I am sure will be on your mind upon seeing my name. No, I am not related to The Beau. However, I love dandyism as a whole, and I took this name in tribute. I am also working to have his book, Male and Female Costume, published online freely, but that's for another post and time. At any rate, I am forty-one and am passionate about antique menswear, Regency as a scholarly pursuit, and Edwardian for daily wear. Naturally, I am constantly researching and trying to expand upon my knowledge. I am totally blind, so I must rely on descriptions rather than images.
I am the type who would like to wear a three-piece suit and accessories everywhere I go. I've decided that for my first one, I should get a lounge suit, since I can wear it almost anywhere during the day, provided it's not a formal occasion. I will eventually have morning wear, white tie, black tie, and informal evening wear, but that's for later. I have found some sites which create reproductions of men's Edwardian suits, but most use synthetic materials and/or zippers, which I refuse to wear, and none uses fabrics of the proper thickness. I found sites that make women's suits with men's specifications (no ridiculous enhancements of breasts, butt, shallow pockets, soft colours, buttons on the wrong sides of shirts, etc.) but they only make modern clothing. Ebay and Etsy occasionally have some authentic pieces, but most are too formal for daily use, even by Edwardian standards! I am also having difficulty with finding some accessories, such as proper ties and socks without elastic. My other option is to have a suit commissioned, but for that, I need to find a good tailor. The best in the world, in my opinion, is Zack Pinsent, but he's in England and I'm in America (New Jersey).
I am seeking those who share my interest in antique menswear, and perhaps some advice as to where I can find such clothing and/or accessories.
For those who are interested in my journey so far, here is my dreamwidth post containing all sorts of links related to Regency and Edwardian menswear.
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/210…
#accessories #antiquemenswear #bespoke #clothing #dandyism #daywear #dressing #Edwardian #eveningwear #fashion #formal #historicalclothing #informal #loungesuit #masculinewomen #mensfashion #menswear #morningwear #offtherack #Regency #suits #tailors
I wish to begin this by saying that nothing can replace the wonderful consideration of people adding alt text to their images. It is very much appreciated, and I thank you for doing it. But for those images without said descriptions, I found something truly useful. It's called AltBot, and it adds alt text to posts without descriptions. I just followed it a few hours ago. On TweeseCake, at least, you'll hear something like "image with no description", and when you go to the next post, you'll hear the bot's explanation of the image. If you wish to folow Altbot, it can be found at altbot@fuzzies.wtf. I don't know who created it, but I sincerely thank whoever did. If only such a lovely bot could work on all sites.
#accessibility #altbot #alttext #blind #blindness #descriptions #Fediverse #Friendica #helpful #images #kindness #tools #TweeseCake
toptechtidbits.com/239.html I say the instructions may be out of date only because they suggest that it is still part of the early adopter program. If you don't want to use the Jaws feature, github.com/SigmaNight/basilisk… or, for NVDA, github.com/aaclause/nvda-OpenA… both work well though cost a few pennies for each description. Alternatively, Be My Eyes offers free descriptions from one LLM model.
How To Access the New Picture Smart AI in JAWS and Fusion - Top Tech Tidbits - A Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd. Publication
Explore the Picture Smart AI feature in JAWS and Fusion, offering enhanced accessibility with AI-powered visual descriptions. Learn about its easy activation, new keystrokes for image analysis, and the Early Adopter Program.Top Tech Tidbits - A Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd. Publication
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I remarked earlier today that, since joining Friendica, I've seen more posts about programming than I have in my entire life. This made me laugh, because it's funny, and I've enjoyed hearing about people's different experiences. But I also keep seeing posts and conversations about things such as veganism, anti-capitalism, whites and racism, American politics, mental health, etc. It's beyond annoying. I didn't join the Fediverse to have my newsfeed blasted with radical politics, people's medical issues, and so on. Even on Facebook, there were the constant reminders to love and stand up for yourself and so on, which I never understood, always having loved myself and never tolerating nonsense from anyone. But there, at least, I could filter it out by either not adding such people as friends or simply defriending them. Here, I see conversations that I have no interest in, just because my friends are involved in them, or some page that I otherwise like posted about them. I can't believe there is no way to filter out things on Friendica and/or with TweeseCake. As side note, Dreamwidth is also full of people who write about all sorts of medical and mental health issues. But that least, that's a journalling site, so it makes more sense.
#Dreamwidth #Facebook #Fediverse #Friendica #politics #posting #TweeseCake
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I am seeking assistance with singing and learning music theory. This could be in the form of teaching, giving advice, or just listening to me and sharing your opinion of my progress. This is not for a career, just for my own enrichment, though after the correct amount of time has passed, I may decide to take it further and sing publicly in some form or other, perhaps in a choir or a radio play. However, my requirements are quite specific, and I do realise this will be a long process.
Requirements
1. I have no interest in modern singers, musicians, or their techniques. I am using the book You Can Sing, by Clara Novello Davies, as a basis for everything, especially my physical and vocal exercises. I am interested in the techniques of her time and that of her son, Ivor Novello, with a focus on operetta, and perhaps, choral singing.
- The above also holds for music theory. I am aligning my knowledge and methodology with what was taught during Ivor's time. A list of all the books I am using, as well as an explanation of the knowledge I have attained so far can be found here. This includes the differences between modern and older singers.
friendica.world/display/84b6ef…
- Please be aware that I am totally blind. I cannot use images, graphical charts, tables, musical notation, etc. Braille music does exist, but I don't know how to read it, and would need to have appropriate texts transcribed, in any case. I do, however, have perfect pitch, an excellent sense of rhythm, and a very good musical memory, so perhaps, we can work on modifications that don't truly cross the boundaries into modernity but that are still accessible.
- If you do more than just give occasional advice, I'm sure you will want to be compensated for your work, as that's only right. Please be aware that I can only pay $25 per hour at the most, via Paypal. In that case, I can only work with you for about four hours per month, due to financial constraints, but of course, I will also study on my own. I may be able to do more, but not as a normal practice.
- If you are a descendant of anyone who knew Clara Novello Davies , her students, or Ivor Novello, even if you yourself know nothing about singing, I would still love to hear from you if you have stories to share!
#blind #choir #choralsinging #ClaraNovelloDavies #music #musictheory #singing #theatre #theater #teacher #tutor #vocalinstruction
This is something I wrote on Dreamwidth in September. I think some of you may find it interesting. I myself am beginning to study all of this, as I am fascinated by the singing methods and knowledge of the time. It is a bit difficult doing it being blind and unable to read music, but fortunately, there are ways around that. My perfect pitch and good memory for lyrics also helps.Below, you will find various links related to theory, harmony and counterpoint, and a comparison of older and modern methods of teaching and singing. While this relates to choirs and opera, it also relates to the theatre, particularly operettas and such.
Studying Music: Part I
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/205…My one criterion was that the methods and books used had to be from the time of Ivor Novello, preferably from his youth (born 1893). If I were to start in the early nineteenth century, which is where most of my preferred non-musical educational material is from, I would miss extremely important developments in classical music. Starting at the birth of his mother, Clara Novello Davies, in 1861, would be fine. However, since her own book, which I am using as my main text and guide, was written in 1928, I went with that of her son. In the following sections, you will find the books I am using. One thing I have not included, though it was a huge influence in Ivor's own writing style, was theatrical music, such as that found in operettas and Edwardian musical comedies. That is such a large topic for discussion that I feel it deserves its own separate post, as does Ivor's music, since it's an interesting blend of all of the above. But this is well outside the scope of traditional musical study.
In the next entry, we will delve into vocal training and why the singers of Novello's time sound so wonderful.
Studying Music: Part II
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/205…Finally, since I mentioned the exercises, here they are, for anyone who wants to try them. Note that these are the Preliminaries and Breathlock Physicals, not the vocal exercises. But I have provided the link to her book as well, for those who may wish to go further.
Clara's Exercises
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/205…
#books #choir #ClaraNovelloDavies #counterpoint #exercises #harmony #history #IvorNovello #music #musictheory #opera #operetta #singing #studying #vocaltraining #voicetraining #theater #theatre
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today, I heard of pinned posts. Apparently, they work in the Fediverse as they do on Dreamwidth, keeping a post at the top of you profile. Do these exist on Friendica? If so, how are they enabled, and can you pin more than one post? Can this be done via TweeseCake?
#Fediverse #Friendica #pinnedposts #posting #profile #TweeseCake
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Is there a way to turn off the ability to hide the window in TweeseCake? I've done it a few times now, and it is incredibly annoying! Plus, one of my keyboards can't handle certain key combinations, including ctrl+shift+w or h.
*Updated.*
Hello. I joined Friendica in October of 2024, after Facebook closed their Basic Mobile site (not app). I live in New Jersey and am forty-one years old. Some of my interests include studying dandyism, nineteenth-century grammar, Upper Received Pronunciation, British history, and the Regency. I like coffee, tea, wine, nasal snuff, cooking, hot baths, reading British literature, watching nature and historical documentaries, gardening, hot weather, and playing cards and dice. I also love cats. In classical music, I enjoy Baroque through a bit of early Romantic, while in popular, I usually prefer 1950's through 1970's. I love theatre (especially English and Viennese operettas, Edwardian musical comedies), and some Regency/Georgian plays. I prefer antique menswear and accessories. It's my dream to either buy a genuine Edwardian suit or have one commissioned. I love wit, wordplay, and dry humour without vulgarity. My parents are lesbians, and I am a huge gay rights supporter, but I stop short of using singular they and promoting the idea of more than two sexes, though you can certainly lean more towards one while being the other (as I do being a masculine woman), or change from one to the other via hormones, surgery etc. I have been totally blind since I was two months old, due to Retinopathy of Prematurity.
I am happily childfree and am not religious. I hardly ever write about politics. I tend to get along better with people older than I, but I will accept friends twenty-one and over. I have no understanding of chronic illness, anxiety, depression, loneliness, etc. I enjoy hearing about cats, cooking or gardening adventures, antiques, and interesting life stories.
This is my journal. Anyone can read or comment, whether or not he is a member.
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org
#antipolitics #antiquemensware #antiques #BBC #blind #blindness #books #British #Britishliterature #BeauBrummell #cards #cats #childfree #coffee #cooking #classicalmusic #crafts #dandies #dandyism #ClaraNovelloDavies #dice #dinnerparties #documentaries #Dreamwidth #Edwardian #England #English #Eton #Facebook #fashion #food #Friendica #friends #friendship #gayrights #gardening #grammar #highculture #humor #humour #introduction #LordAlvanley #men #MS-DOS #nasalsnuff #nature #NewJersey #NewYork #IvorNovello #oldermen #omnivores #operettas #reading #ReceivedPronunciation #Regency #relationships #seniors #silverfork #singing #singles #tea #theater #theatre #UnitedKingdom #Wales #Windows #writing
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Friendica seriously needs to do something about their accessibility. I was able to edit one post directly on the site, but it was apparently a lucky click. I keep trying, but though there is an "edit" option,, when I hit it, it never sends me to an edit page. There is some kind of dialogue and I can never get into it. Even the homepage doesn't have normal links. It's some kind of menu bar, and if I go to profile, for example, it reads as a link, but I had to tab through everything else to get out of it. Why can't people just make normal links! This is why I use TweeseCake.
#accessibility #blind #blindness #friendica #html #menus #NVDA #technology #TweeseCake #websites
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Is there a way for me to filter out certain posts, such as vegan, politics, non-English, etc? I really have no interest in them, and in the last case, I can't understand them, and they're clogging up my timeline.
(Update. I can't hit return to go down a line and add tags, links, etc. in TWBlue, either! It looks like I'll strictly use them for reading favourites.)
TweeseCake and TWBlue have many things in common. The one thing that TWBlue lacks is the ability to edit my posts. This is why I can't use it as my permanent client. Does anyone know if they intend to resolve this issue in the future? It also doesn't have the conversation thread option, but I'm not quite sure how that works. Seriously, though, why wouldn't such a basic thing as editing one's own posts not be included in a client that is supposed to be accessible to the blind? I am not sure I can edit my profile here, either, which I can do on TweeseCake. But I can't view my favourites there! They keep disappearing!
#accessibility #editing #editingposts #Friendica #profiles #TWBlue #TweeseCake
My favourites list just disappeared from TweeseCake. I was viewing it, then it stopped reading them and said "list" with numbers (6 of 210) as an example. Now, the list is completely empty! How do I view them on Friendica, or is there a way that I can get them back in TweeseCake?
#accessibility #favorites #favourites #Friendica #TweeseCake
Update!. I found the post, and it still doesn't show the proper links, even when I go to edit! Now, I have to open Accessible Youtube Downloader, search for the videos, copy the links, then paste them in! This is ridiculous! Oh, and while I'm at it, there should be a way to view only original posts that I write, not boosts or replies. But this is similar to seeing things out of context in my timeline and not as normal posts with comments only after I click on them. This holds for both Friendica and Tweesecake, as well as any other clients I may use.
I am extremely annoyed. I wanted to copy a post of mine from here to Dreamwidth. Normally, this would just involve a simple copy/paste. I went to Friendica, searched for a tag that I know isn't used often but that I used for the entry, and began copying. But instead of finding the Youtube link that I posted, I found a shortened version that didn't even work when i tried it! Now, I must go back to Tweesecake, go through all of my posts for the last week, find the one in question, and go to "edit" to get the real link! That, or go to Youtube and search for the items. This isn't right. What I post should be what is seen. There should also be an easier way to search for posts, both on Friendica and on Tweesecake. If there is a way to search for a post via quotes and/or date, and I simply don't know it, I apologise.
#annoying #Dreamwidth #friendica #posting #reallinks #shortlinks #Tweesecake #Youtube
I've been seeing a lot about lists, ordering timelines, etc. But this is all from the perspective of Mastodon. Does Friendica have such features? If so, can they be accessed via Tweesecake? I know there are friends and circles, etc. I never really researched it. But it would be great, for example, to put all of the posts from Caturday in a list, so I don't miss them. I might also add those who post a lot, in general, to a list, so that I can still follow them and also see posts from other people or pages.
There really must be a way to filter posts and ignore conversations here and/or via Tweesecake. I honestly don't care who uses what platform. If Mastodon, Blue Sky, Twitter, Facebook, Friendica, or some yet unknown service works for you, use it. Why should it even matter, other than to help new users who are transitioning to these sorts of sites? I certainly received wonderful help when I first came to Friendica last month from Facebook. But I wouldn't put anyone down for using some other site. It's just great that those of us in the Fediverse can all communicate with each other. AT least, those on Friendica can do so across many platforms. I'm not sure how it works with the others. In my case, I moved from Facebook due to their eliminating their Basic Mobile site (not app), and I found some lovely people here.
#BlueSky #Facebook #filteringposts #Friendica #friends #Mastodon #needlessarguments #Tweesecake #Twitter
Someone just told me that she didn't wished to be tagged in a discussion. I edited my replies in which I had (automatically) tagged her. I hope that solves the problem. If not, how do I remove someone from a discussion? And while we're at it, why am I seeing posts from two weeks ago near the top of my feed?
I can't believe I didn't post this earlier! Anyway, here is a Dreamwidth entry of mine containing all sorts of links related to dandyism, including an entire section on Beau Brummell. As you can tell, this is another one of my great passions.
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/181…
In case you missed it, this one is devoted to fashion itself.
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/210…
#antiquemensware #BeauBrummell #books #British #clothing #dandies #dandyism #dandyism.net #Dreamwidth #Edwardian #fashion #history #mensware #Regency #suits #Victorian
(This is a companion piece to my dating post, but here, I am strictly seeking friends. Therefore, the beginning will look similar.)
Hello. I live in New Jersey and am forty years old. Some of my interests include studying dandyism, nineteenth-century grammar, Received Pronunciation, and the Regency. I like coffees, teas, and nasal snuffs, and enjoy cooking, reading British literature, watching nature and historical documentaries, gardening, crafts, and playing cards and dice. I like Baroque through Classical and a bit of early Romantic music. I love theatre (especially Regency plays, English and Viennese operettas, and Edwardian musical comedies). I prefer antique menswear and accessories (no feminine clothing). I love wit, wordplay, and dry humour without vulgarity. I am happily childfree and am not religious. I respect those who are, as long as they don't try to convert me or base their lives around it. I also have no time for mind games, drama, or political correctness/sugar coating. I have been totally blind since I was two months old, due to Retinopathy of Prematurity.
I am seeking friends, either online or off, though offline would be ideal, so we can meet and do things together. I don't care about your sex or sexual orientation, but I would prefer friends no younger than twenty-one. I tend to get along with those who are older than I, since we usually have more in common, but it's not a requirement. I am blind, but it's not the focal point of my life. Still, it does mean that I can't drive. I really don't have any understanding of chronic illness, anxiety, depression, loneliness, etc. so if you need someone who could help you through that on a personal level, I'm not the one you're seeking. I also have no children and tend to avoid them, though I am polite when meeting them. I love cats, so if you have any, I would love to meet them or hear about them. I also enjoy hearing about cooking or gardening adventures, antiques, etc. and I love learning about interesting lives. If we do meet, I need to get to know you a bit first.
For those who would like to know more about me, this is my journal. Anyone can read or comment, whether or not he is a member.
#friendship #friends #fun #men #NewJersey #women
I wanted to add tags such as cards, classical music, fashion, gardening, Regency, theatre, etc. but I don't want to abuse them, because while I am seeking a man who likes these things, my post isn't really about them. Perhaps, a veteran Friendica or Fediverse user could instruct me in this.
Hello. I live in New Jersey and am forty-one years old. I am seeking a man over sixty who is well-dressed, well-spoken, confident, and witty. You can be either straight or bisexual. You should enjoy the finer things in life, but you need not be rich. I have no interest in bdsm, role-playing, etc. I simply adore the voices and bodies of older men. That said, I do love it soft down there and enjoy bedroom fun. I would prefer you to either live in or near New Jersey, or to be able to visit me frequently. No one-night stands, parents or men who want children, caregivers, workaholics, or recreational drug users. I am open to both fun with no strings attached, and a committed relationship, but I must get to know you first.
Some of my interests include studying dandyism, nineteenth-century grammar, Upper Received Pronunciation, British history, and the Regency. I like coffee, tea, wine, nasal snuff, cooking, hot baths, reading British literature, watching nature and historical documentaries, gardening, hot weather, and playing cards and dice. I also love cats. In classical music, I enjoy Baroque through a bit of early Romantic, while in popular, I usually prefer 1950's through 1970's. I love theatre (especially English and Viennese operettas, Edwardian musical comedies), and some Regency/Georgian plays. I prefer antique menswear and accessories (no feminine clothing). It's my dream to either buy a genuine Edwardian suit or have one commissioned. I love wit, wordplay, and dry humour without vulgarity. I am happily childfree, am not religious, and speak my mind. I have been totally blind since I was two months old, due to Retinopathy of Prematurity.
How do I turn off the political posts in my Home timeline? Is there a way for me to hide them, or at least, certain conversations so that I don't have to see them?
I followed the Social Media feed from Newsmast. Now, I wish to unfollow them, but I can't figure out how to do it. I tried "Unfollow" on Tweesecake and also went to the page of the feed, but I keep seeing posts from them on my Home timeline (not the Federated one). I usually don't mind seeing such things in my timeline. I love the Food and Wine one, for example. It's just that this one is going a bit mad at the moment. I may follow it again at some point, or even check it.
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I really love Tweesecake. The more I use it, the more wonderful things I learn about it. I am now able to view my Local Friendica.world timeline, Home (which is basically the people whom I follow), the Federated Timeline, my Favourites/Likes, my mentions (when people Mention me), etc. all in one place! Everything is customisable, too! I only wish they made a 32-bit version, so that I could use it on all of my machines, both physical and virtual. Still, as long as I can use it on one, it's good, since I can just use NVDA Remote to access it with another. Oh, and it doesn't try to insert nonsense when I write tags! I hate when I write in text fields and receive suggestions.
#accessibility #blind #blindness #friendica #NVDA #Tweesecake #Windows
Yay!!! I got Tweesecake to work! I couldn't understand, for the life of me, what was going on! I thought the folder was corrupted, so I redownloaded it, and whenever I started it, it kept saying "Welcome to Tweesecake", and then "Config". Then, when I tried to navigate through the window, it completely disappeared. So I thought, maybe, they had discontinued their service, but that was not the case. It turned out that this is not a fully portable app. Unlike the ones at portableapps.com, and like both Serpent UXP and IceDove UXP, it stores information in a separate folder and not just the main one. I may change this behaviour in the future. For now, I deleted the separate Tweesecake folder (in App Data), and restarted the program. And now I have a perfectly functioning Windows client, including the ability to edit my posts!
#accessibility #blind #happy #portableapp #Tweesecake #Windows
This is truly ridiculous. In order to post here, I have to use Semaphore, TWBlue or Pachli, because I can't figure out how to do it on the main site. I know I did it a few times, but it's very difficult to find and is not available as and immediate edit box. In order to read my own posts, I have to go to the main site or Pachli, because I can't do it on Semaphore or TWBlue. (Note. I figured out how to red them but can't reply on Semaphore, since there is no edit box.) So I basically have to use several sites plus an app (I almost never use apps for any websites) just to be able to use Friendica. I specifically left Facebook due to inaccessibility! Even with this mess, it's still not as horrible as there, but It would be nice to have one site where I could do it all, like on Dreamwidth, or at least one Windows client that would allow me to do everything, without having to resort to using my phone! Tweesecake was nice the few times it worked, but now, no matter what I do, I can't even get it to load. It says something about configuring and then disappears! Enafore is supposed to allow me to edit my posts, but I have no idea how to do that since there is no normal edit link or button, and half the time, when I go to my page, the edit box for me to type in isn't even there! Semaphore inserts rubbish when I'm trying to write tags, so that I have to write everything in Notepad and paste it in.
#accessibility #Android #apps #blind #clients #Dreamwidth #Facebook #friendica #twblue #Tweesecake #Windows
It seems that I am unable to edit posts on the main Friendica page. No matter what I do, the edit link, or whatever it is, does nothing. Fortunately, I am able to do so on Pachli. However, there is no keyboard shortcut available for this, which forces me to use the touchscreen. Likewise, there are no hotkeys to easily navigate posts etc. I wouldn't mind it if I could easily navigate my timeline, etc, as I can on the website, by using headings and so on. But at least, I can now edit my posts with something other than Tweesecake..
#Accesssibility, #Android, #blind #Friendica, #keyboard #keyboardaccessibility #navigation #NVDA #Pachli #posting, #Talkback #Tweesecake
Those who love antique fashions will enjoy this. It is a compilation of links related to Regency and Edwardian mensware. If you have any to add or wish to make any suggestions, please do so.
How Fashionable!
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/210…
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/210…
#antiquemensware #clothing #dapper #Edwardian #fashion #history #Regency #suits
Below is a conversation I've had with Perplexity. I am not including the links given, just to make this shorter. I am hoping that someone here could offer advice. I really love Friendica, but this drives me mad. I also use Semaphore, but it does the same thing. By the way, I don't "reach out" to people. I'm not a member of the four Tops. I write to them, contact them, speak with them, etc. I hate modern slang.
Me. "What is thread mode in Tweesecake? Does it link posts together as in GMail with e-mails? One major problem I'm finding with Friendica is that, when I read my timeline, regardless of whether I'm using the main site, Tweesecake, Pachli, or Tusky, I see posts out of context. Instead of seeing five separate posts, clicking on one, and seeing its contents, I see parts of conversations scattered throughout my timeline, and I have no choice as to which posts I want to read, because they're all there at once. I am blind and use NVDA and Talkback. This is very confusing."
Perplexity. "I apologize, but I don't have specific information about a "thread mode" in Tweesecake or how it might link posts together. However, I can address your concerns about the timeline experience in Friendica and provide some general information that may be helpful.
The issue you're describing with scattered conversation parts in your timeline is a common challenge in many social media platforms, including Friendica. This type of display is often referred to as a "flat" timeline, where posts and replies are shown in chronological order regardless of their relationship to each other.
To address your specific concerns:
Timeline Organization
Friendica's default timeline behavior shows posts and replies in chronological order, which can indeed lead to fragmented conversations appearing throughout your feedFriendica timelines are compelling - Col·lapse / Colapso. This can be particularly challenging for users relying on screen readers like NVDA or Talkback, as it may be difficult to follow the context of conversations.
Filtering Options
While Friendica doesn't offer a built-in "thread mode" as you've described, there are some filtering and organization options that might help:
1. Hashtag Filtering: Friendica has hashtag filters that can hide posts containing specific tags, though they don't remove them completely from the timelineEnable the filtering and hiding of hashtags in the timelines "New ....
2. Content Filtering: There's an addon called "advancedcontentfilter" that allows for expression-based content filtering, which might help in organizing your timelineFriendica Addons.
3. Collapse Features: Addons like "showmore" and "showmore_dyn" can collapse posts at a user-defined character length or dynamically limit the height of posts, potentially making it easier to navigate through your timelineFriendica Addons.
Potential Improvements
It's worth noting that there have been discussions and feature requests related to improving the timeline experience in Friendica:
1. A feature request has been made to completely hide blocked content rather than just collapsing itHide blocked content completely · Issue #14505 · friendica ... - GitHub. This could potentially help in decluttering your timeline.
2. Some users have expressed interest in having "exception groups" or "negative groups" for more granular control over what appears in their timelineDisplay - Motley.
Accessibility Considerations
As a blind user relying on screen readers, the current timeline structure in Friendica and its various clients may indeed pose challenges. It might be helpful to reach out to the Friendica development community or the developers of the specific clients you're using (Tweesecake, Pachli, Tusky) to express your accessibility concerns and see if there are any plans or possibilities for improving the experience for screen reader users.
While not a perfect solution, you might find it helpful to use the "Network" or "Community" views in Friendica, which sometimes offer a more structured way of viewing conversations, though this may vary depending on the client you're using."
#accessibility #blind #Friendica #Mastodon #organisation #Pachli #posting #Semafore #timeline #Tweesecake
the esoteric programmer
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Georgiana Brummell
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