 A few annoying problems with the #Fediverse could be solved if there were a new URI scheme with the right semantics. I notice that Bluesky has already provisionally-registered the "at:" URI scheme for similar purposes. So, I sketched out a design for what a "fedi:" URI scheme might look like and how it’d work: https://github.com/timbray/fedi-uri 13 comments
@timbray Glad to see this, but a thought, as I've been thinking about the same thing. Is there any good solution to opening different mediums in different apps - I.E. open images in pixelfed and posts in Mastodon, Ice Cubes etc. Could you do fedi://image:ash@example.com/123456789 or fedi://image:ash@example.com/123456789:image or fedi:image://:ash@example.com/123456789. @timbray It also feels like maybe the original site would be good, so if you have an account on threads, a threads link could opens in threads, while a pixelfed/mastodon post could open in their native apps. Like a native preferred option. I wouldn't want to open any Fedi link in my Mastodon app by default but choosing each time may not be ideal either.  @timbray I do like that idea - although I wonder if `ap://` might be be more in keeping with what users expect? But I think the big blocker is what happens if you *don't* have an ActivityPub client installed?  @timbray Yeah, but can’t it be solved by software? I use https://github.com/rugk/mastodon-simplified-federation/ that is far from perfect, but I think Fediverse clients can apply some magic to do the right thing™ when a HTTP URL link to an instance is supplied. At least this URL is resolvable by non-Fediverse clients. @timbray Alternately: there's no reason you can't dereference the HTTP URL and understand that it's a Fediverse object, as long as the RDF-style metadata is there. If we're already discussing adding features to the browser, that approach would degrade better. @codesmith I don’t know much in this area. How possible/impossible is it to actually get something like this implemented by all the necessary parties?  @timbray But as far as I know, some people consider even not ActivityPub projects a part of the Fediverse. I'd suggest to stick to "ap" or "activitypub" schema unless you're planning to propose something as universal as "magnet" which could work for BitTorrent and other protocols at the same time. @timbray have you seen https://socialhub.activitypub.rocks/t/fep-07d7-a-custom-url-scheme-and-web-based-protocol-handlers-for-linking-to-activitypub-resources/3588/, and the proposal it links to? There's a bunch of other discussions there along similar lines, eg https://socialhub.activitypub.rocks/t/possible-fep-proposal-cross-android-app-way-to-open-object/2985/14  @timbray Would be nice to enumerate the problems and related problems to see whether this is the right "slice" of them to solve together. |
Gregory's Server
@timbray Yes, please.