@reddahlia
lol, I've never had a reddit account either. 🤷‍♂️ I am a #distrotootrefugee though.

Certainly, I enjoy making art for people.

Looks like @GLFC removed the #DistroTootRefugee hashtag from his bio.

@stoic Is that you from #DistroToot? #DistroTootRefugee

Back to normal me. You can follow Derek Taylor on Fosstodon at @distrotube. @splitshockvirus actually impersonated him last year since this instance looked like #DistroToot last year. #DistroTootRefugee

It’s official! I, Derek Taylor, have officially joined https://mstdn.starnix.network as my new home! I’m going to promote my latest video, this time using Invidious, a frontend to YouTube that respects your privacy. I will be using the instance by @dcc. Enjoy the video! The link is below:

https://inv.dembased.xyz/watch?v=EGQo7Luw2yU

#DistroTootRefugee

@david @splitshockvirus @james If only DT gave the keys to Graf...

#DistroToot #DistroTootRefugee

I guess I get to have fun on this account like on #DistroToot, in some form. #DistroTootRefugee

It's mainly me and @david who still remember and talk about #DistroToot to this day. #DistroTootRefugee

@david Seems like someone still didn't forget #DistroToot...

#DistroTootRefugee

Found this golden thread on FreeAtlantis:

https://freeatlantis.com/@coolbsd@distrotoot.com/107759146732979819

#DistroToot #DistroTootRefugee

cc @GLFC @charlie_root @kirby

Some old #DistroToot accounts, as well as one of tallship's old accounts (followed me on distrotoot.com) on this profile linked below. I followed this guy on DistroToot and transferred my follow list to Starnix. #DistroTootRefugee
https://qoto.org/@Diptchip

The old #DistroToot profile directory. Many of these users on this page eventually moved to #Starnix. I'm on there! #DistroTootRefugee
https://web.archive.org/web/20220120043802/https://distrotoot.com/explore

@enduser Yeah, Derek created #DistroToot mainly for himself after he got banned from mastodon.technology. He allowed others to join, but he didn’t actually do much because all he did was post links to videos on YouTube. No privacy frontends were even used, all he did was post his videos.

Despite the awesome community on that instance, it was poorly run, and we ended up going to Starnix afterwards. All because a YouTube mini-celeb couldn’t run a Mastodon instance properly.

And when he shut it down, he just moved to Fosstodon. @distrotube
#DistroTootRefugee

@gabriel This is actually a long story, as it also dates to my time on the fediverse as well.

I first wanted to try Linux as an alternative to Windows on my PC. Before than, I used to be a huge Windows fan, and somewhat of an Apple fan as I used an iPhone, iPad and had seen videos of Windows and Mac on YouTube.

In 2020, I was playing around with my Raspberry Pi and I tried installing Ubuntu Server 18.04 on it (before Ubuntu 20.04 came out). I was also playing with Windows Subsystem for Linux. Then one day my Windows computer had a shutdown glitch right before I had to go for vacation and I didn’t use it much afterwards.

In 2020, I had gotten a used desktop computer and ThinkPad for free that weren’t being used anymore. During the rest of the year, I had been researching Linux and BSD. This is how I learned about OpenBSD, back when 6.7 was the latest version. I think @charlie_root would like to hear that at the time, I actually liked OpenBSD! (This is before it started to see some recent popularity.)

In September that year, Windows XP’s source code leaked to the public. Mental Outlaw did videos on it, so I learned about his channel. I eventually learned about @distrotube and Luke Smith through the YouTube algorithm, and I liked the content they provided.

Near the end of 2020, I downloaded the ISO of Linux Mint 20 and burned it to a DVD. I used it to get photos off a laptop that was having problems with Windows Update. Then I installed it on my desktop I got that year.

When the year turned over to 2021, DT got banned from mastodon.technology and created #DistroToot. I also found out about Luke’s website and PeerTube channel, @luke. He made a video encouraging people to create their own websites, and encouraged users to join the fediverse via Pleroma, which is how I first learned about it.

I later installed Pop!_OS 20.04 on my ThinkPad, and I liked GNOME 3.36 and its provided applications. This is when I actually started to love Linux, and I got to use it on the go as well.

One day in June, I was doing a deep dive into the Gemini protocol, which I learned about from DistroTube. That’s how I learned about tilde pubnixes, I also learned about Sourcehut and Drew DeVault, as well as git send-email.

In August I installed Arch Linux on my desktop, and I watched the guide from LearnLinuxTV to do it. I chose KDE as my desktop, since it was used on SteamOS, which chose Arch Linux for version 3.0 for the Steam Deck. Once I had it installed, I was very proud of myself and I had ascended to the next level!

Later that month, I set up my website, https://jamespearson.xyz, and then I eventually got email working on it. I was able to finally try git send-email!

In November, I signed up for DistroToot. Root BSD, now @charlie_root, was my first follower, among many others.

At the turn of 2022, I created my own Pleroma instance, pleroma.jamesp.org. My account there, @james@pleroma.jamesp.org is still active, but not as much as Starnix. At the time, I didn’t have much of a use for it.

In February 2022, DistroToot shut down, so I immediately switched to my own instance as I finally had a use for it. Then #Starnix launched and I made this instance my new Mastodon account, since I liked Mastodon from DistroToot. DistroToot shut down since, but I’m still here to this day. #DistroTootRefugee

Despite the tangent into my fediverse adventure, that’s how I got into FOSS and self-hosting, as well as the fediverse, since that all ties back to FOSS.

Maybe this response deserves a blog post. I’ll work on it when I get home.

So if #Starnix wasn't a successor to #DistroToot, why was it created by DistroToot refugees after the announcement of DistroToot shutting down to have a long-term home for DistroToot refugees?

Yes, we are unaffiliated with DT, but why didn't we say in the description that we were created by DistroToot refugees?

Was this a long-term strategy, as having an instance based on DT shutting his down wasn't sustainable, when really we're a tech-based instance?

At first people figured out this was a DT-based successor. After that, many of the new users did not have prior experience with DistroToot and the flow of Starnix went in a different direction.

I say this as a #DistroTootRefugee. Yes, DT wasn't a good admin. Who wants to associate with someone like that?

I have TJCTheMan's #DistroToot account archived on my Pleroma instance. Here are the details of the account with slight modifications:

I'm just a guy who happens to love gaming, and has recently gotten back into Linux, namely Arch Linux running KDEPlasma. I’m also kind of a variety streamer/YouTuber, although I’m not too active (and I definitely don’t have a scheduled upload/stream time) in that sense. So drop by, check it out, etc. FOSS homies stay winning!!!

YouTube: https://inv.dembased.xyz/channel/UC5kNw6EsR5lGTisnS7ha2rw
OS: Arch/Windows, but mostly Arch
Window Manager: Plasma

@TJCTheMan You forgot to add these details into your Fosstodon account and your Starnix account, so I'm just letting you know what I have archived. #DistroTootRefugee

@10leej I did realize that. I actually recognize a lot more accounts that have been on #DistroToot, but even those people have moved on from the old instance. #Starnix existing as DistroToot successor would only really work for a short time.

And of course having an instance existing as a de facto successor would not be sustainable long-term. That's why Starnix broke away from DistroToot and instead promoted fediverse adoption. The only time DistroToot was referenced was on April Fools, when the DistroToot branding was used once again for a short time before being reverted to Starnix.

Even I posted on @james@pleroma.jamesp.org about how the real DistroToot 2.0 was federated, as I happened to host my own instance and I realized that not everyone would join Starnix.
https://pleroma.jamesp.org/notice/AGSxzlNPbWEyGy9arY

The only reason I miss it the most is because I wasn't really there for long, and especially near the end is when I had the most fun (during the 11 days that were lost in the rollback). #DistroTootRefugee

Should we remember #DistroToot's shutdown next year? #DistroTootRefugee

@GLFC @sam At least we got a fresh start on Starnix. I also happened to have my own instance, @james@pleroma.jamesp.org that got left unused for a month until #DistroToot shut down. I'm glad that with Starnix, we were able to build an instance to help DistroToot refugees find a home together. But it would've been nice if DistroToot:
- was transferred to @splitshockvirus and mathstew92
- stayed alive for a month or so to comply with the Mastodon covenant
- the backup from 2/4 was restored and fixed to allow us to archive our data
- honestly, didn't even shut down at all...

...but it did. And nothing from that instance is coming back apart from our personal archives as well as what other instances happened to save. Other than that, we just had to move on. #DistroTootRefugee

@sam @james *shrug* it's his money and he at least gave some notice. Would've been nice if he'd cooperated with the folks that wanted to take over, though. #DistroToot #DistroTube #distrotootrefugee