#Microsub

[chrisaldrich]

From Following Posts and Blogrolls (Following Pages) with OPML to Microsub Servers and Readers

I’m still tinkering away at pathways for following people (and websites) on the open web (in my case within WordPress). I’m doing it with an eye toward making some of the UI and infrastructure easier in light of the current fleet of Microsub servers and readers that will enable easier social reading without the centralized reliance on services like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Medium, LinkedIn, et al.

If you haven’t been following along, here are some relevant pieces for background:

The beginnings of a blogroll

A Following Page (aka some significant updates to my Blogroll)

OPML files for categories within WordPress’s Links Manager

Was WP Links the Perfect Blogroll All Along? by Ton Zijlstra

Generally I’ve been adding data into my Following Page (aka blogroll on steroids) using the old WordPress Links Manager pseudo-manually. (There’s also a way to bulk import to it via OPML, using the WordPress Tools Menu or via /wp-admin/import.php?import=opml). The old Links Manager functionality in WordPress had a bookmarklet to add links to it quickly, though it currently only seems to add a minimal set–typically just the URL and the page title. Perhaps someone with stronger JavaScript skills than I possess could improve on it or integrate/leverage some of David Shanske’s Parse This work into such a bookmark to pull more data out of pages (via Microformats, Schema.org, Open Graph Protocol, or Dublin Core meta) to pre-fill the Links Manager with more metadata including page feeds, which I now understand Parse This does in the past month or so. (If more than one feed is found, they could be added in comma separated form to the “Notes” section and the user could cut/paste the appropriate one into the feed section.) Since I spent some significant time trying to find/dig up that old bookmarklet, I’ll mention that it can be found in the Restore Lost Functionality plugin (along with many other goodies) and a related version also exists in the Link Library plugin, though on a small test I found it only pulled in the URL.

Since it wasn’t completely intuitive to find, I’ll include the JavaScript snippet for the Links Manager bookmarklet below, though note that the URL hard coded into it is for example.com, so change that part if you’re modifying for your own use. (I haven’t tested it, but it may require the Press This plugin which replaces some of the functionality that was taken out of WordPress core in version 4.9. It will certainly require one to enable using the Links Manager either via code or via plugin.)

javascript:void(linkmanpopup=window.open('https://exanple.com/wp-admin/link-add.php?action=popup&linkurl='+escape(location.href)+'&name='+escape(document.title),'LinkManager','scrollbars=yes,width=750,height=550,left=15,top=15,status=yes,resizable=yes'));linkmanpopup.focus();window.focus();linkmanpopup.focus();

Since I’ve been digging around a bit, I’ll note that Yannick Lefebvre’s Link Library plugin seems to have a similar sort of functionality to Links Manager and adds in the ability to add a variety of additional data fields including tags, which Ton Zijlstra mentions he would like (and I wouldn’t mind either). Unfortunately I’m not seeing any OPML functionality in the plugin, so it wins at doing display (with a huge variety of settings) for a stand-alone blogroll, but it may fail at the data portability for doing the additional OPML portion we’ve been looking at. Of course I’m happy to be corrected, but I don’t see anything in the documentation or a cursory glance at the code.

In the most ideal world, I’d love to be able to use the Post Kinds Plugin to create follow posts (see my examples). This plugin is already able to generally use bookmarklet functionality to pull in a variety of meta data using the Parse This code which is also built into Post Kinds.

It would be nice if these follow posts would also copy their data into the Links Manager (to keep things DRY), so that the blogroll and the OPML files are automatically updated all at once. (Barring Post Kinds transferring the data, it would be nice to have an improved bookmarklet for pulling data into the Links Manager piece directly.)

Naturally having the ability for these OPML files be readable/usable by Jack Jamieson’s forthcoming Yarns Microsub Server for WordPress (for use with social readers) would be phenomenal. (I believe there are already one or two OPML to h-feed converters for Microsub in the wild.) All of this would be a nice end -to-end solution for quickly and easily following people (or sites) with a variety of feeds and feed types (RSS, Atom, JSONfeed, h-feed).

An additional refinement of the blogroll display portion would be to have that page display as an h-feed of h-entries each including properly marked up h-cards with appropriate microformats and discoverable RSS feeds to make it easier for other sites to find and use that data. (This may be a more IndieWeb-based method of displaying such a page compared with the OPML spec.) I’ll also note that the Links Manager uses v1 of the OPML spec and it would potentially be nice to have an update on that as well for newer discovery tools/methods like Dave Winer’s Share Your OPML Subscription list, which I’m noting seems to be down/not functioning at the moment.

[cappucosmic]

i feel like i’ve been doing too many sketches lately so i wanna do digital, but that’s not really a comfortable option for me until i have use of my 2nd monitor again. the updated version of my laptop i have now uses usb-c instead of microsub so i have to wait until my new adapter come in the mail lol

i have a few new things in the queue already, 2 new comics and then 1 little photoset thing of existing art. then i’ll try to do some proper digital things. some studies, but i also wanna try to do tua stuff too.

i also wanna do some The Boys fanart but idk what yet

[unoabraham]

pstuifzand/ekster: microsub server

https://github.com/pstuifzand/ekster

[californiacustomsounds]

What are we working on today? One of today’s projects is a big sound upgrade for this classic ride! The team at our West Carrollton store is installing a complete new system in this Chevrolet El Camino, including an Alpine receiver with built-in Bluetooth for hands-free calling and audio streaming, Alpine speakers, JL Audio speakers, a JL Audio amplifier, and a JL Audio Microsub+! 

[fluffy-critter]

As always I'm gonna beat the drum about the IndieWeb. Right now it's very developer-oriented, but it's slowly changing. Services like micro.blog exist, and you can get WordPress hosting and add an IndieWeb plugin to it.

Once upon a time, Tumblr itself seemed like it would be easy to interoperate with IndieWeb. It still feels like that could happen. Here's what that would take at a minimum:

Support Webmention (which is a protocol for doing notes in an interoperable way); mostly this means removing the href.li URL shortener on all outgoing links, and to add a Webmention endpoint

Allow subscribing/following external feeds via RSS and/or h-feed; Tumblr actually used to have this function (sort of) but they removed it

That's it. That's all there is to make Tumblr into an IndieWeb provider. Here's some bonus things they could do as well:

Support Micropub and Microsub, which are protocols which allow folks to use their own dashboards instead of the default Tumblr one

Add support for IndieAuth, which is a generalization/simplification of OAuth2 (the protocol used by apps) to allow folks to use their own websites to log in to Tumblr and vice-versa

Add optional per-post privacy settings, which can then be federated via TicketAuth and would make Tumblr (and the IndieWeb by extension!) way more compelling than Facebook

Once upon a time it felt like this would be impossible from a business standpoint, because the whole thing that makes social media sites compelling is that they force everyone to stick around and deal with whatever revenue model the site itself needs. But by making per-user revenue a thing, that means that they can position themselves as a service provider, not as a walled-garden social network that relies on network effects to remain competitive or viable.

I'd love to see Tumblr become one of many options for how to have a good, self-curated social experience online.

Remember how Twitter had their "blue sky" initiative which was just them pretending to care about going decentralized? IndieWeb has already been there for years, from a technology perspective. It just needs a big player to agree to it.

Tumblr feels like it's in a perfect position to be that player.

idk about yall but if tumblr gets shut down (which is a very reasonable concern to have) we literally don't have an alternative

[electronicdreamertyrant]

Independent Together Building and Maintaining Values in a Distributed web Infrastructure

Trucker Dating is the fastest way to meet truckers near you. Dating apps are a bit of a necessary evil, for those of you who struggle to find the time to meet someone IRL. I paint mostly outdoor scenes, so I'm always on the go trying to find my next subject. There are far more female accounts than males ones, so hopeful men can find their share of potential partners. I need to be able to show that other people are also able to read it and understand what to do, and then build functional software” (Interview with Aaron Parecki). And it turns out that it is working and it has actually helped the way I thought it would help, which is that each side of this picture can iterate faster and make more progress because they don’t have to build both sides of this thing. Let’s try to get people to build stuff now and see if this is actually working before we go any further with it. The editor of the Microsub spec explained that writing the spec, and even implementing it himself was only “half the story because just because I can build something based on the spec doesn’t mean it’s actually a good spec.

I received comments from a few IndieWeb contributors encouraging me to consider adapting Yarns into a Microsub server. The first day began with a series of keynote talks, including several comments about readers. שירותי ליווי Around the same time as I had been working on Yarns, others in the IndieWeb community had been developing a different approach to readers called Microsub. A Microsub client connects to that API, making requests for specific pieces of content (such as a list of feeds, or an array of feed content). When user responds to a feed item, the response should be published to their website as a post. However, at the time I began working on yarns, WhisperFollow did not include features for replying to or liking posts, except for “reblogging,” which posts a copy of a post to one’s blog (equivalent to retweeting).12 Another IndieWeb reader software I looked into was Woodwind (Mahan 2017). This software includes several functions not available in WhisperFollow, such as the ability to reply to one’s feed with likes and replies, as well as a better interface for subscribing to feeds.

Because WhisperFollow is a WordPress plugin that includes many features I wanted to include in Yarns, it was possible to copy and adapt its code, rather than starting from scratch. I had experience building WordPress themes14 in the past, but Yarns required me to learn several features with which I was unfamiliar. Empathy and acceptance can go a long way toward building trust and intimacy. Mature dating doesn’t need to feel like a chore, it can be easy to give up on love but with our help you don’t need to alone. Doesn’t hurt to brush up on the difference between flu and COVID-19 before your next date. It doesn’t necessarily mean establishing a government-run National Dating Service or taking Tinder under state control. Despite the simplicity and clarity of the interface, the service has lots of great features to surprise you. Two readers that had previously been built by members of IndieWeb’s community offered some of the features I wanted. Some free features of this secured site are browsing profiles of other widowed singles in your area and sending free messages to those around you. Area 1 includes test units that fell inside Structure 1-S and its associated midden (Nonstructure 4-N); test units in Nonstructure 1-N, a large, flat, open area, part of which is likely associated with an unexcavated kiva to the north; and test units in Structure 9-S, which was discovered in the course of testing Nonstructure 1-N. The information presented in this chapter for Area 1 thus derives from our sampling of all three kiva suites in the west half of the canyon bottom.

You must be open to receiving reflective and constructive feedback. The uranium content of the sample must be known; this can be determined by placing a plastic film over the polished slice and bombarding it with slow neutrons - neutrons with low kinetic energy. In terms of what people expect, they expect a mobile client, they expect a client that they can interact with, that they can quickly favourite or like or retweet posts. I perceived that knowledge requirements as a barrier for people who are not professional or hobbyist developers. The last thing you want to do is start matching with people online, get to talking, and realize you have no idea what you're looking for out of a partner or a relationship. In 2020, Match launched Vibe Check, a social distancing-era video call feature that aims to give matches the closest thing to a first date. When a search engine sends out its spider to index the Web page content, it adds the new indexing date. I enjoy eating out as I am a real restaurant buff. No rush. Often when adults get acquainted in real life they hurry too much and end up disappointed by each other when it is too late to change anything.

[ethonaudio]

$205.5 Only! ~ JL AUDIO ACP108LG-W3V3 SINGLE 8" POWERED SUBWOOFER ENCLOSURE MICROSUB+ 250 WATT BUY HERE! #CarAudioSubwoofers, #competitionSubwooferCarAudio, #carAudioSubwooferPackages, #bestCarAudioSubwoofer, #poweredSubwoofersCarAudio, #carSubwoofersForSale

[caraudiozzz]

^*+ New!! JL Audio CP110LG-TW1-2 10” Microsub Slot-Ported Subwoofer https://ift.tt/3j392td

[chrisaldrich]

On #FeedReaderFriday I’m adding some of my favorite Mastodon accounts to my microsub account on Aperture so I can easily read and follow them in the social readers I use like Monocle. To me this is the purest form of social media interaction. #IndieWeb

[downess]

I’ve become inextricably ensnared by the wealth of awesome Microsub feed readers out there. However, one small piece of UI keeps rearing its ugly head as I move variably from one to another either to move from mobile to desktop or just to enjoy the variety of user interfaces available. via Pocket

[sound-fast-peru-blog]

RBC-1 Control remoto de bajos para ciertos amplificadores de audio JL El RBC-1 controla de forma remota el nivel de graves de los siguientes amplificadores de audio JL: Serie JX: JX250 / 1, JX250 / 1D, JX500 / 1, JX500 / 1D, JX1000 / 1D  Serie HX: HX300 / 1 en modo de paso bajo (Nota: M-RBC-1 también está disponible)  Serie MHX: MHX300 / 1 en modo paso bajo (Nota: M-RBC-1 también está disponible)  Serie MX: MX300 / 1, MX500 / 1 en modo paso bajo (Nota: M-RBC-1 también está disponible)  Serie RD: RD500 / 1, RD1000 / 1, RD1500 / 1, RD900 / 5 Cuando el RBC-1 está conectado a los amplificadores anteriores, actúa como un atenuador en la ganancia de entrada del amplificador y se usa para ajustar el nivel general del amplificador desde la parte delantera del vehículo. El RBC-1 controla de forma remota el nivel de graves de los siguientes sistemas de subwoofer JL Audio: PowerWedge +: Todos los modelos  MicroSub +: Todos los modelos Cuando el RBC-1 está conectado a los sistemas de subwoofer anteriores, actúa como un atenuador en la ganancia de entrada del amplificador y se usa para ajustar el nivel general del amplificador desde la parte delantera del vehículo. El RBC-1 controla de forma remota la función de refuerzo del ecualizador de graves de los siguientes amplificadores de audio JL: Serie Slash v3: 600 / 1v3, 1200 / 1v3  Slash v2 Serie: 250 / 1v2, 500 / 1v2, 1000 / 1v2, 450 / 4v2  Slash original Serie: 500/1, 1000/1, 450/4, 500/5  Serie G: Todos los modelos  Serie A: Todos los modelos  Serie e: Todos los modelos (incluidas las versiones marítimas)  Serie M: M1400, M1700, M2150, M2250, M4300, M4500, M6450, M6600 Cuando el RBC-1 está conectado a los amplificadores anteriores, el control "Boost" incorporado del amplificador se anula y el RBC-1 se convierte en el controlador activo. El kit RBC-1 incluye el control giratorio con un botón negro de ABS, accesorios de montaje y un cable de 18 pies (5,5 m). (en La Punta, Callao, Peru) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByRZaECFbcC/?igshid=1l5n0bcssi4tk

[jgmac1106]

<p>Disabled my crosspost to Twitter as I try to figure out how to add the microsub endpoint in Known.</p>

[californiacustomsounds]

What are we working on today? We’re giving a Scion FR-S a big JL Audio sound upgrade, including this MicroSub and XD amplifier! When this project is complete, it’s going to sound amazing!

[fluffy-critter]

Aaron responded to my ramble:

One of the main reasons to use h-feed and h-entry is that RSS/Atom really only can represent blog posts and podcasts. For those purposes, they’re fine formats, but the reality is there are many more kinds of content on the social web today, such as replies like this one which can’t really be represented in RSS.

That’s absolutely fair! I’ve found RSS/Atom to be Good Enough for everything I’ve wanted to support in it, but in a lot of the use cases it’s definitely on the end of “Hey I have new content, come to my site to consume it properly.” I haven’t really seen any example of h-feed handling those better, though. Do you have some examples that I could look at?

What features are you finding that Microsub doesn’t support? Like most of the IndieWeb protocols, Microsub is supposed to be an evolving protocol based on the needs and implementations of people using it. I don’t expect that we will ever say “Microsub is done!” the way that some specs put a stick in the ground, since the reality is that things change and need to adapt to new use cases to remain relevant.

The main features that feel like they’re missing are organizational facets, like what we were discussing earlier today. Having some mechanism to more easily recategorize feeds, or entries within feeds, or whatever. I know that most of that probably falls on the endpoint itself and shouldn’t be part of the Microsub protocol though. It’s hard to know where to draw the line.

Another thing that feels like it’s missing is a user story. It’s just confusing to get started with. I set up various endpoints (adding a token endpoint and a microsub endpoint to my main page, which doesn’t feel like it should be necessary to use an external piece of software that has nothing to do with my site), and then when I did get things going, I found that the UX of the readers was… underwhelming, I guess. And it isn’t clear to me how much of that is on the readers and how much is on Microsub itself. It sort of feels like there’s two parts to the experience which each keep on saying that no, it’s the other part’s responsibility to do things.

Most of the UX I see emerging is based on doing something Twitter/Tweetdeck-esque and I want something more like an email inbox with folders/filters. (Thus the issues I opened earlier today, and thanks for your comments on #40 in particular!)

It’s definitely an evolving spec and I appreciate that about it, but it just feels really difficult for me to even get started with it right now because I don’t feel like the goals that the various folks implementing the tools are aligned with the goals I have in using a feed reader right now.

I do appreciate the idea of it being built in the form of building blocks with interoperability, but the way that the blocks are currently connected just feels confusing and overwhelming and doesn’t feel like it’s particularly advantageous to having a single reader-with-subscriptions.

I guess, mostly, as a user I feel lost, and as a developer I feel like it’s overly-abstracted.

I’d love to see the ability to do some sort of scriptable hook into a feed where I run my own filter that does things the way I want them. One of the things I tangentially got at in issue #40 is I’d love to have a way of registering a webhook that gets a notification when an item comes in, and then says where to put the item. Like, give me a JSON blob that gives all of the parsed semantics and let me return a disposition of which channel (or group or whatever) it should go in. And make sure it provides all the data in some easily-processed form.

That probably belongs in the configuration UI of the Microsub endpoint, though, rather than needing to be a core feature of Microsub itself. But I’m not seeing any endpoints that are trying to implement stuff like that. Not that I’ve looked very hard, though, because there’s just a huge collection of things to look at and none of them really tell me why I should look at them vs. any other endpoint implementation. And meanwhile I feel like there’s a missing link for actually being able to transport data between them. I couldn’t find any working (or documented-enough for me to use) examples of an OPML importer or exporter, for example, which made me skittish about even trying any endpoint out enough to see if it would really work for me.

I’d love to see a concept of nested channels, too. So I can have a channel for all art stuff, and subcategories for drawings vs. photography or whatever. Or being able to have subchannels for each of the separate comics I follow, all grouped together under “comics,” which would handle the use case of wanting to do an archive binge on a single series vs. wanting to catch up on what’s new in the last day. Even with a flat channel structure it’d be nice to be able to just, like, focus on one feed sometimes, without having to always focus on only that feed. And then having something where I can see all my subscription content, but not the “follow” content, per the distinction I raised the other day, so just having a “show all” view isn’t quite what I’m looking for.

Also it took me a while to understand what’s meant by the channel order; I was looking for a means of giving the sort order of the items within a channel (oldest-first, newest-first, latest-arriving first) rather than just how to organize one’s sidebar in their reader. Which also feels like it’s tied to a specific UX concept, rather than something intended as a building-block for a more general reader experience.

At this point I feel like I’m talking in circles or something. I’m looking forward to trying to get on the same page this coming weekend. :)

comments

(via busybee)

[murderofcro-ws]

Favorite tweets: New side project! Baffle lets you use Microsub reader apps with traditional feed readers like @NewsBlur and @Feedly. https://t.co/wXTvxUGxg7— Ryan Barrett (@schnarfed) July 16, 2018

http://twitter.com/schnarfed