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Welcome everyone! Today I'm joined by Daniel Supernault / @dansup, creator of Pixelfed and Loops, two very different bets on what ethical social platforms can be. You're invited to follow along, or participate directly, by using #Fediverse. Your questions and observations are part of the signal.
#fediverse @dansup

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mastodon - Link to source

π•―π–”π–”π–’π–˜π–ˆπ–—π–”π–‘π–‘β„’

Just a quick heads-up: our conversation with Dan is happening asynchronously. That means it won’t move at a steady pace the whole time. Questions and replies may come in waves, depending on what’s happening in our everyday lives: phone calls, meetings, coffee refills, or the occasional bathroom break. Think of it as a relaxed, come-and-go conversation rather than a live broadcast.

#Fediverse

#fediverse
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mastodon - Link to source

dansup

Hi, thanks for having me.

My name is Daniel Supernault, I'm a self-taught 36 year old full stack developer from Canada.

I came to Mastodon in late 2016, when it first started. I wasn't that active until I came back in early 2018, right before ActivityPub was finalized.

#Fediverse

#fediverse
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mastodon - Link to source

dansup

By 2016, the software was showing its age, and hard to maintain/update with its custom php backend.

I did start building an ActivityPub plugin for GNU/Social (rebranded from StatusNet) in 2018, but grew frustrated with the lack of participation from the maintainers who didn't want to seem to merge my PRs.

That's when I started Pixelfed, using a modern php framework, Laravel.

#Fediverse

#fediverse
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mastodon - Link to source

dansup

So Pixelfed is highly influenced and inspired by Instagram.

We did consider building Loops into Pixelfed, however, opted to build the vertical scrolling video feature into its own separate app, allowing us to keep Pixelfed algorithm free and maintain the photo first experience that users have come to expect from Pixelfed.

#Fediverse

#fediverse
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mastodon - Link to source

dansup

Most likely Pixelfed, because it has much more data and users, like Direct Messages for example.

A coordinated campaign against Loops and its For You algorithm could be a bigger long-term threat though.

#Fediverse

#fediverse
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dansup

Loops, it's much newer of a project and the ecosystem is evolving fast (federation, then mobile apps, then project website, then beacon.joinloops.org and now the push.loopsplatform.com service).

The moderation on Loops is also a bit different compared to Pixelfed, we see more reports for AI content than on Pixelfed and due to the way the FYP works, there is more urgency with reacting to Loops mod reports ASAP

#Fediverse

#fediverse
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mastodon - Link to source

π•―π–”π–”π–’π–˜π–ˆπ–—π–”π–‘π–‘β„’

That’s interesting, @dansup. I hadn't considered the resentment factor, but that makes sense.

I have more questions about the development, logistics, and philosophies of these apps and their place in the Fediverse, but first, who are a couple of users on Loops you currently enjoy and think people should follow? #fediverse

#fediverse @dansup
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dansup

Oh, its the variety of content for me. Rusty has experimented with trying to find the best presets for optimal resolution as we've continually improved the quality of the video, and its really cool to see.

Awet is the first politician on Loops, which is very exciting.

#Fediverse

#fediverse
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That IS very cool. I followed Awet.

This is repurposed content, but I got a kick out of this Loop:

loops.video/v/dEa779xfhe

What mistake did Pixelfed make early on that directly shaped how you're designing Loops? #fediverse

Kingu

2026-02-03 21:34:04

loops - Link to source

#Ano #Jpop #Idol #Music

#fediverse
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mastodon - Link to source

dansup

Over engineering the web frontend and admin dashboard, with dark mode support, internationalization and a complex snap scroll pagination feed with for you support.

Same with the 3rd generation Loops mobile app, it’s much more stable, faster/responsive and feature packed.

#Fediverse

#fediverse
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schwim

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while I have you here, since I've tried to use pixelfed and loops, pixelfed shows nothing but blurs and loops is just a login error. It's been this way since the apps were released.

Pixel 9

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