GNU social is a free and open-source software project under the GNU project. Its roots can be traced back to the codebase of the GNU FM project, with Matt Lee, Donald Robertson, and Deborah Nicholson as its founders. The software underwent several name changes, starting as Laconia and transitioning to StatusNet in its 0.8.1 version, before finally settling on GNU social to reflect its affiliation with the GNU project. It’s important to note that the platform added support for OStatus with its 0.9.0 version and merged with StatusNet and Free Social in 2013. Identi.ca is one of the notable services that utilized GNU social. This platform has been extensively documented in various sources, providing a rich history of its development. Additionally, its connection with other social networking services and platforms, such as Mastodon, underscores its significance in the realm of distributed social networking.
GNU social (previously known as StatusNet and Laconica) is a free and open source microblogging server written in PHP that implemented the OStatus and ActivityPub standard for interoperability between installations. While offering functionality similar to Twitter, GNU social seeks to provide the potential for open and distributed communications between microblogging communities. Enterprises and individuals can install and control their own services and data.
Other names | StatusNet Laconica |
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Original author(s) | Evan Prodromou et al. |
Developer(s) | Diogo Cordeiro and GNU social Developers |
Final release | |
Preview release | |
Repository | |
Written in | PHP |
Operating system | Cross-platform |
Available in | More than 25 languages. |
Type | Web application framework |
License | AGPL-3.0-or-later |
Website | gnusocial |
At its peak, GNU social had been deployed on hundreds of interoperating servers, however has since fallen into disuse as competing platforms like Mastodon have taken its position as the most popular federated microblogging server.
Later on in its lifespan, the project split into two separate branches, v2 and v3. As of August 15, 2022, there had been no new commits to the repository for the v2 branch, while the v3 branch stopped receiving commits not long after, in November 25, 2022, making the project essentially defunct.