Files: ae972c06ea2dc5ba6fb1fb1d8543821cfc180ab3 / README.md
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alt="Patchwork icon"
src="https://github.com/ssbc/patchwork/blob/0465f406357cec9cdb8d821f68758d7ab8ef41cf/assets/icon.png"
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Patchwork
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A decentralized messaging and sharing app built on top of Secure Scuttlebutt (SSB).
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<details>
<summary>Table of Contents</summary>
<li><a href="#features">Features</a></li>
<li><a href="#pubs">Pubs</a></li>
<li><a href="#install">Install</a></li>
<li><a href="#docs">Docs</a></li>
</details>
Features
It's better than email because:
- Private messages are end-to-end encrypted, always.
- You have to follow somebody to get messages from them, so you won't get spammed.
- Your mail can be public broadcasts or private, and you'll only see replies by people you follow.
- The datastructure is a global mesh of append-only logs, which can support new types of data (not just "mail").
- Users are not bound to one server/host (what we call "pubs") and do not have to trust the servers.
- It's very easy to setup and maintain your own pub.
It's better than twitter and facebook because:
- Private messages are end-to-end encrypted, always.
- The software runs on your device, so there's nobody tracking your browsing.
- The application-code is FOSS, so you're free to fork or write new applications without a gatekeeper setting terms.
- Data is saved to your disk, and so the application works offline.
- You can sync directly with friends over the wifi.
Pubs
In order to gossip outside your local network, you'll need to connect to a Pub.
You can find an invite to an available pub at the Pub servers registry.
Get an invite, then in patchwork: click "+ Join Pub" and paste the invite code.
This will cause you to follow the Pub and vise versa. If you haven't synchronized to this social network yet, prepare to wait a few minutes while your local server synchronizes.
Install
Download installers for Windows, macOS and Linux from patchwork/releases
Or you can build from source with node and npm installed:
$ git clone https://github.com/ssbc/patchwork
$ cd patchwork
$ npm install
$ npm start
On linux you'll need some more dependencies for the spell-checker. On debian:
sudo apt-get install libxext-dev libxtst-dev libxkbfile-dev
Docs
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