What is Hubzilla?/en: Difference between revisions
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{{Cleanup |text=This article is too long and detailed for a beginners guide and "What is" page. Some of it should probably be moved to [[Hubzilla]].}} | |||
{{Infobox |title=Hubzilla |website=hubzilla.org |website2= |instance= |instance2= |mastohandle= |mastoinstance=}} | {{Infobox |title=Hubzilla |website=hubzilla.org |website2= |instance= |instance2= |mastohandle= |mastoinstance=}} | ||
Hubzilla is a very powerful "jack-of-all-trades" in the {{Internal | Hubzilla is a very powerful "jack-of-all-trades" in the {{Internal link |target=What is the Fediverse? |link-name=Fediverse}}, often described as a decentralised social content management system, but with social networking, microblogging and cloud features. | ||
It evolved from a Facebook alternative and still offers Facebook-like social networking. On top of that, it can be a replacement for services like Dropbox, Google Cloud Storage, Google Calendar, Google Contacts and many others. | It evolved from a Facebook alternative and still offers Facebook-like social networking. On top of that, it can be a replacement for services like Dropbox, Google Cloud Storage, Google Calendar, Google Contacts and many others. | ||
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With its immense wealth of features, Hubzilla is not exactly for Fediverse novices. It doesn't look or feel like any of the several microblogging projects in the Fediverse, nor does it mimic the look and feel of any one particular commercial platform. | With its immense wealth of features, Hubzilla is not exactly for Fediverse novices. It doesn't look or feel like any of the several microblogging projects in the Fediverse, nor does it mimic the look and feel of any one particular commercial platform. | ||
The most similar Fediverse project comes from {{Internal | The most similar Fediverse project comes from {{Internal link |target=What is (streams)? |link-name=the Streams repository}}, followed by {{Internal link |target=What is Friendica? |link-name=Friendica}}, also because Hubzilla was forked from a Friendica fork. None of them offers quite as many features as Hubzilla, though. | ||
Hubzilla's Web interface is extensively themeable, much like wholly different Web interfaces for {{Internal link |target=What is Mastodon? |link-name=Mastodon}}, but as of now, there is only one supported theme, Redbasic. It can be extensively configured, though. It also has a dark mode that can be activated manually or automatically. | |||
There is only one mobile app that works with Hubzilla: The third-party app Nomad is only available for Android and only from F-Droid or as an APK download. Also, it has not been maintained since October 2019. There is no Hubzilla app on the Google Play Store, and there is no Hubzilla app for iOS at all. See also under [[#External links|external links]]. | |||
{{Internal link |target=What is Mastodon? |link-name=Mastodon}} apps don't work with Hubzilla. | |||
=== Nomenclature === | === Nomenclature === | ||
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=== Accounts === | === Accounts === | ||
On Hubzilla, your account is neither your identity nor where your posts and other data are stored. For this, Hubzilla has {{Internal | On Hubzilla, your account is neither your identity nor where your posts and other data are stored. For this, Hubzilla has {{Internal link |target=What are channels on Hubzilla and (streams)? |link-name=channels}}. When you create a Hubzilla account, you're also asked to create a first channel. | ||
You can add more channels on the same account anytime. This way, you can have multiple fully separate identities with only one login for them all. Each channel acts like a fully separate account on most other projects. Connections, posts, uploaded files, everything is individual per channel. | You can add more channels on the same account anytime. This way, you can have multiple fully separate identities with only one login for them all. Each channel acts like a fully separate account on most other projects. Connections, posts, uploaded files, everything is individual per channel. | ||
On top of that, Hubzilla kept Friendica's multiple | On top of that, Hubzilla kept Friendica's multiple profiles per account and optionally offers multiple profiles per channel. You can assign specific profiles to your connections and show them different sides and aspects of your identity. | ||
A channel can have several roles. It can be your personal social networking identity and/or your personal cloud storage, it can be a soapbox, it can be a moderated public or private forum/discussion group etc. There are several pre-defined channel roles, and customising the channel role is possible, too. | A channel can have several roles. It can be your personal social networking identity and/or your personal cloud storage, it can be a soapbox, it can be a moderated public or private forum/discussion group etc. There are several pre-defined channel roles, and customising the channel role is possible, too. | ||
Also, channels aren't bound to one hub. They also make {{Internal | Also, channels aren't bound to one hub. They also make {{Internal link |target=What is nomadic identity? |link-name=nomadic identity}} possible: You can clone any of your channels across two or more hubs, and these clones always stay in sync. It basically gives you real-time backup. | ||
Channels can be exported in their entirety with an optional built-in "app", and they can be imported into accounts. This is not for moving channels which nomadic identity can handle much more easily and gracefully, but rather for local backups. | Channels can be exported in their entirety with an optional built-in "app", and they can be imported into accounts. This is not for moving channels which nomadic identity can handle much more easily and gracefully, but rather for local backups. | ||
Hubzilla supports single sign-on via {{Internal | Hubzilla supports single sign-on via {{Internal link |target=What is OpenWebAuth? |link-name=OpenWebAuth}}. If you're logged in, other instances with OpenWebAuth can recognise you and, for example, give you special permissions. OpenWebAuth even takes into account which one of your channels is currently active. | ||
=== Connections === | === Connections === | ||
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Connections are generally either only out-going or mutual. There are no followers without following back. That's because all connections have to be confirmed, either automatically or manually, and when they're confirmed, they're also followed back. | Connections are generally either only out-going or mutual. There are no followers without following back. That's because all connections have to be confirmed, either automatically or manually, and when they're confirmed, they're also followed back. | ||
Each connection can be configured extensively. It can be assigned a contact role which is a customisable set of permissions. It can be added to one or several privacy groups which are similar to Friendica groups, {{Internal | Each connection can be configured extensively. It can be assigned a contact role which is a customisable set of permissions. It can be added to one or several privacy groups which are similar to Friendica groups, {{Internal link |target=What is diaspora*? |link-name=diaspora*}} aspects, Google+ circles or Mastodon groups. It can be assigned a profile if multiple profiles are activated. It can be blocked, ignored, hidden or archived, and so forth. | ||
Hubzilla itself is not based on ActivityPub. Support for ActivityPub is established through an "app" named ''Pubcrawl'' which is optional for both hubs and channels. At hub level, it is on by default. On channel level, however, it has to be manually activated ("installed") before connections to Mastodon & Co. can be created. | Hubzilla itself is not based on ActivityPub. Support for ActivityPub is established through an "app" named ''Pubcrawl'' which is optional for both hubs and channels. At hub level, it is on by default. On channel level, however, it has to be manually activated ("installed") before connections to Mastodon & Co. can be created. | ||
In addition, Hubzilla federates with diaspora*, the OStatus protocol and even e-mail. Channels can subscribe to RSS and Atom feeds, and they generate their own RSS feeds. Posts can be forwarded to WordPress and other blogs that use XMLRPC. Hubzilla also used to be fully federated with Twitter/X which is now reduced to an optional crosspost connector. | In addition, Hubzilla federates with diaspora*, the OStatus protocol and even e-mail. Channels can subscribe to RSS and Atom feeds, and they generate their own RSS feeds. Posts can be forwarded to WordPress and other blogs that use XMLRPC. Hubzilla also used to be fully federated with Twitter/X which is now reduced to an optional crosspost connector. | ||
=== Streams === | |||
Streams are Hubzilla's timelines. The equivalent to Mastodon's personal timeline is the channel stream. However, it is more flexible: Only direct messages, posts/comments marked with a star or posts/comments from the channel itself can be shown. Also, all posts/comments from a certain privacy group, all threads from a certain forum (amongst others, Hubzilla recognises Friendica discussion groups and {{Internal link |target=What is Lemmy? |link-name=Lemmy}} communities as such), all filed posts/comments from a certain category (similar to Mastodon's bookmarks, but with folders as categories) can be shown, and all posts/comments from a certain contact can be shown. | |||
Hubzilla does not have anything like Mastodon's local timeline. There is also the public stream, pubstream in short, which is the equivalent to Mastodon's federated timeline. It can be activated by the hub admin, it is off by default, and most hubs keep it off in order to stay out of trouble because it is unmoderated. | |||
All timelines have three sorting algorithms: threads by most recent post; threads by most recent comment; unthreaded single posts and comments. The sorting for the channel stream can be selected by the owner, the sorting for the pubstream can only be selected by the admin. | |||
=== Posts === | === Posts === | ||
Just like Friendica, (streams), | Just like Friendica, (streams), Lemmy and {{Internal link |target=What is Kbin? |link-name=/kbin}}, Hubzilla has a different thread structure than most of the rest of the Fediverse. Most Fediverse projects have threads like Twitter/X which consist of any number of technically identical posts. Friendica, Hubzilla and (streams) are more like Facebook, Tumblr, forums or comment sections on blogs or news sites: Their threads consist of exactly one post at the beginning, and everything that follows is not a post, but a comment. | ||
Posts and comments even have separate entry masks: The one for posts is at the top of your personal stream, the one for comments is below each post. | Posts and comments even have separate entry masks: The one for posts is at the top of your personal stream, the one for comments is below each post. | ||
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Hubzilla has very extensive text formatting capabilities. It uses BBcode as its internal markup language for posts and comments. Specific expansions of Hubzilla's BBcode implementation can even make a post or a comment appear differently, depending on the on-looker, especially in conjunction with OpenWebAuth. | Hubzilla has very extensive text formatting capabilities. It uses BBcode as its internal markup language for posts and comments. Specific expansions of Hubzilla's BBcode implementation can even make a post or a comment appear differently, depending on the on-looker, especially in conjunction with OpenWebAuth. | ||
The handling of images and other media is a lot different from Mastodon and other micro-blogging projects. They aren't uploaded and attached to posts. Instead, they're first uploaded to the managed file space which is part of each channel. Then they are embedded into posts or, with a trick, comments as links to the uploaded files. {{Internal | The handling of images and other media is a lot different from Mastodon and other micro-blogging projects. They aren't uploaded and attached to posts. Instead, they're first uploaded to the managed file space which is part of each channel. Then they are embedded into posts or, with a trick, comments as links to the uploaded files. {{Internal link |target=How to add alt-text to images on Hubzilla and (streams) |link-name=Alt-text is added by editing the BBcode}} and theoretically unlimited in length, too. | ||
The number of images and other media that can be added to posts is practically unlimited again. Also, they can be placed anywhere in a post. However, Mastodon will convert only the last four to file attachments, move them from within the post to below it, reverse their order and completely discard the others if there are more than four. | The number of images and other media that can be added to posts is practically unlimited again. Also, they can be placed anywhere in a post. However, Mastodon will convert only the last four to file attachments, move them from within the post to below it, reverse their order and completely discard the others if there are more than four. | ||
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A feature like "retweeting" on Twitter/X, "reblogging" on Tumblr or "boosting" on Mastodon, i.e. forwarding posts as they are, is not available on Hubzilla. | A feature like "retweeting" on Twitter/X, "reblogging" on Tumblr or "boosting" on Mastodon, i.e. forwarding posts as they are, is not available on Hubzilla. | ||
Instead, posts and comments can be "shared" by referencing them in a new post or comment. For those who receive the post or comment, the reference is expanded to the whole shared post or comment, mentioning the author and giving a link to the original. | Instead, posts and comments can be "shared" by referencing them in a new post or comment. It's basically the same as a "quote-tweet", but without copying the original post into the editor. For those who receive the post or comment, the reference is expanded to the whole shared post or comment, mentioning the author and giving a link to the original. | ||
It is possible to share multiple posts/comments in one new post/comment. | It is possible to share multiple posts/comments in one new post/comment. | ||
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=== What are some limitations/drawbacks in comparison with Mastodon? === | === What are some limitations/drawbacks in comparison with Mastodon? === | ||
* No mobile apps available | * No official mobile app named "Hubzilla" | ||
* No iOS apps available, no alternative to the Web interface on iPhone and iPad | |||
* The only working Android app, Nomad, is abandoned and hasn't been maintained in years | |||
* Incompatible with Mastodon apps | |||
* Cumbersome, maze-like default Web UI that hasn't changed much since 2012 | * Cumbersome, maze-like default Web UI that hasn't changed much since 2012 | ||
* Much more difficult to use | * Much more difficult to use | ||
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* No built-in translator | * No built-in translator | ||
* No "Mastodon-style" content warnings for comments | * No "Mastodon-style" content warnings for comments | ||
* No boosts; only does quote-tweet-style "shares" instead | |||
* Existing content warnings aren't automatically taken over when replying | * Existing content warnings aren't automatically taken over when replying | ||
* No automatic mentions when replying (unnecessary for Friendica, Hubzilla and (streams), but mandatory for Mastodon & Co.) | * No automatic mentions when replying (unnecessary for Friendica, Hubzilla and (streams), but mandatory for Mastodon & Co.) | ||
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* Nomadic identity makes your content resilient against instance shutdown and moving even easier (Friendica was the reason why nomadic identity was invented) | * Nomadic identity makes your content resilient against instance shutdown and moving even easier (Friendica was the reason why nomadic identity was invented) | ||
* More advanced permission settings | * More advanced permission settings | ||
* Dedicated summary field | |||
* Polls which have been completely removed from Friendica | * Polls which have been completely removed from Friendica | ||
* WebDAV for the file space | * WebDAV for the file space | ||
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== Further reading == | == Further reading == | ||
* {{Internal link |target=Hubzilla |link-name=Main article on Hubzilla}} | |||
{{Internal | {{Getting started links}} | ||
{{ | |||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
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* [https://framagit.org/hubzilla/addons Hubzilla add-ons Git repository] (includes the ActivityPub connector Pubcrawl) | * [https://framagit.org/hubzilla/addons Hubzilla add-ons Git repository] (includes the ActivityPub connector Pubcrawl) | ||
* [https://gnulinux.ch/serie-fediverse-dienste-hubzilla Hubzilla - die mächtige ungeschminkte Königin des Fediverse] | * [https://gnulinux.ch/serie-fediverse-dienste-hubzilla Hubzilla - die mächtige ungeschminkte Königin des Fediverse] | ||
* [https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.dfa.hubzilla_android/ Nomad - Hubzilla for Android (on F-Droid)] | |||
* [https://framagit.org/disroot/AndHub Source code repository of Nomad (on Framagit)] | |||
{{Navbar/Hubzilla}} | {{Navbar/Hubzilla}} | ||