Quick PSA about https://frequency.app:

1. It's not actually the unique platform it tries to make itself look like. It's a Mastodon fork.
2. *In violation of Mastodon's AGPLv3 license*, Frequency is proprietary, or at the very least does not provide any link to the source code.
3. They paywall signups.

This isn't anything particularly new and interesting. It's just yet another corporate leech on the fediverse...

#Fediverse #ActivityPub #Frequency #FrequencyApp

@hexaheximal@mastodon.social Frequency is not a "corporate leech", are you kidding me.

It's literally a project run by one individual, @jesseplusplus@mastodon.social, who wanted to fork Mastodon to increase privacy.

There's a Decentered podcast episode about it, I would recommend you listen to it before you make accusations like this.

S1E9: Finding Frequency with Jesse Karmani - We Distribute

For this week's episode, we sit down with a developer who wants to build a social experience for small audiences: pictures with your friends.

We Distribute (wedistribute.org)

@hexaheximal@mastodon.social Also the pricing page ranges from $2-6/mo. If that's "corporate leeching" to you, I don't even know what to say.

cc @beaware@social.beaware.live

@julian @hexaheximal I have the links to the fork’s code when you’re signed in, but yes you’re right, they need to be on the home page as well. Frequency builds a custom native client app with many hopefully unique features, and offers a server with extra features for privacy and grouping; it’s not simply a mastodon fork. The beauty of the fediverse is diverse servers and clients. I’m sorry if you feel I shouldn’t be paid for that work.

@jesseplusplus @julian The problem isn't with making money to sustain a project, the problem here is that the upstream code is being used with the obligation of giving it back to people using the website and then that gets entirely ignored. Regardless of how you monetize your project (or even if you don't), it's still an AGPLv3 violation, and it's still unethical.

@jesseplusplus @julian Please don't make snarky replies though - that doesn't solve any problems.

I do recognize now though that it's much smaller-scale than I initially thought, and not actually "corporate leeching" per se. I've updated the original post to reflect this oversight.

@jesseplusplus @julian Additionally, about the podcast part earlier in this thread: I didn't know it existed here until it was pointed out. In fact, while I've read articles from the We Distribute website before, I never even knew they had a podcast. Not everyone is going to know that things like that exist.

There isn't much information on the internet about Frequency at all too, so when I did a web search for it initially I couldn't find any info, let alone a podcast episode about it.

@hexaheximal@mastodon.social thank you for updating the original post.

@julian In hindsight, I probably should've posted asking for information rather than jumping to conclusions, I will admit.

The main reason reason I saw it and jumped to that conclusion is because, especially after all of the things that have happened lately with Threads, I'm just getting tired of seeing corporations try and take advantage of the fediverse. This isn't really the same as that, however.

@hexaheximal@mastodon.social that's fair. I also feel a certain responsibility to protect and defend the fediverse from bad actors, so I get being on guard.

I've also seen what happens when fedi brings out the pitchforks, though