Gab: Open Source Social Network Software Based on Mastodon
Those who are usually enthusiastic or passionate users of the Free Software, Open Source and GNU / Linux, they also tend to opt for the use programs, services or platforms that guarantee in one way or another, more freedom, privacy, anonymity and security. And in that sense, there are well-known platforms such as Mastodon or less known as "Gab".
"Gab" or "Gab Social" is a Open Source Social Network Software and fully decentralized powered by the Gab Platform. Which is also based on the project Mastodon, and is licensed under the terms and conditions of PLFA-3.0.
Mastodon: A Free, Open and Modern Alternative to Twitter
For those interested in exploring our previous Mastodon related posts, you can click on the following links, after finishing reading this present publication. So that they can delve more deeply about Mastodon, which is one of many alternatives free, open and / or decentralized available to avoid or supplement Twitter:
"Follow your friends and discover new ones from more than 4,4 million people. Post everything you want: links, photos, text, video. All on a platform that is community-owned and ad-free. Similar to how blogging is the act of posting updates to a website, microblogging is the act of posting small updates in a stream of updates to your profile. You can publish text posts and optionally attach media such as images, audio, video, or surveys. Mastodon lets you follow your friends and discover new ones". Join Mastodon
Gab: Software for federated social media networks
What is Gab?
Focusing on computing, that is, "Gab" as Open Source Development, this project is described as follows by its own developers:
"At Gab, we believe that the future of online publishing is decentralized and open. We believe that social media users should be able to control their social media experience on their own terms, rather than the terms set by Big Tech. Gab Social is a new version of one of the most popular applications on the internet: social networks. Gab's codebase, originally forked from the Mastodon project, is free and open source, licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 (AGPL3)."
They also add from "Gab" following:
"Each user has the following options to use Gab Social: You can have an account at Gab.com, or if you don't like what we are doing at Gab.com or just want to manage your own experience, you can create your own Gab Social server that you control, which allows you to communicate with millions of users on your own federated servers around the world, including users on Gab. By offering decentralization and federation, Gab further demonstrates the lack of interest in ownership of its users' data."
Features
Since it is a Mastodon fork and seeks to resemble Twitter, said Software Social Network and Online microblogging platform has the following current characteristics:
- It features a very Twitter-like user interface, with a dashboard in the middle of the page with trending content on the left and menus on the right.
- It uses a scoring system, which allows users with more than 250 points to vote negatively on posts, but users must "spend points" in order to do so.
- Allows posts with a character limit of 300.
- Among its objectives are to defend freedom of expression, individual freedom and the free flow of information online.
Pros, Cons and Alternatives
Above all existing software, platform or website, free or not, open or not, we can find many pros and cons. "Gab" has in favor that each user / group can create their own self-managed community, very much in the style Mastodon. Against, it has bad references associated with political and ideological issues in certain countries like USA, which we recommend reading and analyzing before evaluating, testing and using it.
And as alternatives, in addition to Mastodon:
"We have Discord, of which we have already spoken on other occasions, in a publication called: "Disroot: A free, private and secure platform for online services". We can also mention PeerTube u open tube to replace YouTube, a Diaspora, friendica o scuttlebutt to replace Facebook, in addition to pixelfed y piconic to replace Instagram."
Finally, another interesting alternative to "Gab" can be "Utopia".
Summary
In summary, "Gab" It is an interesting open source software that among other things, allows as Mastodon, create your own online server for a group of users.
We hope that this publication will be very useful for the entire «Comunidad de Software Libre y Código Abierto» and of great contribution to the improvement, growth and diffusion of the ecosystem of applications available for «GNU/Linux». And do not stop sharing it with others, on your favorite websites, channels, groups or communities of social networks or messaging systems. Finally, visit our home page at «DesdeLinux» to explore more news, and join our official channel Telegram from DesdeLinux.
GAB is from NAZIS
That when they were expelled from MASTODON for being it (bigotry in English) they set up their alternative because the code is free.
Greetings, Miguel. Thank you for your comment and contribution. In the link located in the phrase "Against, you have bad references associated with political issues in certain countries." There is a bit more information pertaining to that observation from some.
The vast majority of Mastodon nodes have blocked GAB for allowing hateful content and the danger they pose. If you go to Gab, you miss the fediverso.
Greetings, Aurochs. Thank you for your comment and clarification. Which is excellent so that users who decide to try it and use it take it into account.
I understand that Gab is software created by and for Nazis.
Greetings, T3rr0z0n3. Thank you for your comment and clarification. As far as the relevant Wikipedia link was investigated and left within the article, said platform has had such political claims in North America. The issue of Gab was addressed, as it is a fork of Mastodon that, as the article says, anyone can self-host and manage.
As far as I know Gab has his niche of users on the far right.
Greetings, Ox Moss. Thank you for your comment and clarification. As far as the relevant Wikipedia link was investigated and left within the article, said platform has had such political claims in North America. The issue of Gab was addressed, as it is a fork of Mastodon that, as the article says, anyone can self-host and manage.