Go to main content

Textpattern CMS support forum

You are not logged in. Register | Login | Help

#1 2022-02-09 16:22:37

Destry
Member
From: Haut-Rhin
Registered: 2004-08-04
Posts: 4,912
Website

scribe.rip

Scribe is a new ‘alternative frontend’ (AF) for Medium. Pretty much gives a Reader-like view of articles. In this case I think it uses Tufte CSS. Looks pretty good, regardless. (Learned about it from the creator, here.)

Most will know what these are, but for those who do not, Scribe is in the same vein as other such AF sites, like Nitter is for Twitter and Invidious (yewtu.be) is for YouTube. There might be others. The point of them is to reduce or eliminate tracking as much as possible, therefore the surveillance capitalism that big tech platforms chase after and rely on. Some of the AFs also will work with javascript off. Scribe does, apparently. I don’t know about the others off hand. I’ve seen people refer to these kinds of sites as ‘proxies’, but I don’t know if that’s a correct term.

You can set these up in your browser so any calls to the big tech platform links will redirect to the ‘proxie’ links instead.

Alternatively, you can do it manually: copy/paste the big tech URL from whatever source and swap out the domain part accordingly. In other words:

  • scribe.rip for ‘medium.com’ (example)
  • nitter.net for ‘twitter.com’ (example)
  • yewtu.be for ‘youtube.com’ (example)

They get easy to remember if you do it enough. I don’t visit anything Twitter, and don’t see a need for Medium either, which is mostly content marketing, celebrity-chasing, and agenda-oriented shite, but I’ve got yewtu.be down pat for my ‘maker’ interests. ;)

In the case of youtube links, and probably other platforms, the domain swapping includes replacing subdomain parts like ‘www.’ and ‘m.’ (for mobile; responsiveness is usually built into alternative frontends).

Offline

#2 2022-02-10 15:10:02

gaekwad
Server grease monkey
From: People's Republic of Cornwall
Registered: 2005-11-19
Posts: 4,263
GitHub

Re: scribe.rip

Destry wrote #332713:

Invidious (yewtu.be) is for YouTube.

Idly curious, how do YT content creators feel about this? Presumably they’re not able to monetise the views from outside the YT site or apps, right?

Offline

#3 2022-02-11 17:30:34

Destry
Member
From: Haut-Rhin
Registered: 2004-08-04
Posts: 4,912
Website

Re: scribe.rip

gaekwad wrote #332721:

Presumably they’re not able to monetise the views… ?

Michael raised that point once, come to think of it.

As I understand them, Google, etc, is not able to monetise from surveillance-capitalism-as-usual through these alternative UIs, which is the main point of them, and that’s okay with me.

Creators trying to earn off big tech capitalism are likely not earning here either, but that’s something they need to factor in their decisions to be a part of the surveillance game, as I see it.

This is subjective and sensitive, perhaps, but I think the only ethical way for information creators to earn of the internet anymore is the donation system. They put it up free and ask for donations without selling people out to advertisers and manipulative algos, and they do it with the lightest/fastest footprint possible and without the expectation to sit back and make a passive fortune. This also lends to creators producing better content, if they expect it to work at all.

YT is about 90% redundant shite burning up online energy, and that’s a conservative number, with few creators benefitting to any meaningful level, while helping google earn billions. Those that do benefit (uniquely at big scale) will likely not be impacted by a few rebels using alternative UIs.

Offline

#4 2022-02-13 09:29:02

Kjeld
Member
From: Tokyo, Japan
Registered: 2005-02-05
Posts: 453
Website

Re: scribe.rip

Destry wrote #332722:

This is subjective and sensitive, perhaps, but I think the only ethical way for information creators to earn of the internet anymore is the donation system. They put it up free and ask for donations without selling people out to advertisers and manipulative algos, and they do it with the lightest/fastest footprint possible and without the expectation to sit back and make a passive fortune. This also lends to creators producing better content, if they expect it to work at all.

THIS!

That is exactly why I went this route with Old Photos of Japan (support page). No ads, no tracking, no fire wall.

Not sure yet if it will work, though… I will be hungry, and sleepless, for a while 😅


Old Photos of Japan – Japan in the 1850s~1960s (100% txp)
MeijiShowa – Stock photos of Japan in the 1850s~1960s (100% txp)
JapaneseStreets.com – Japanese street fashion (mostly txp)

Offline

#5 2022-02-14 22:58:44

Destry
Member
From: Haut-Rhin
Registered: 2004-08-04
Posts: 4,912
Website

Re: scribe.rip

Kjeld wrote #332730:

That is exactly why I went this route with Old Photos of Japan (support page). No ads, no tracking, no fire wall.

There are many who have gone this route and successfully. There is one guy who has actually even measured his success vs. alternative approaches. It’s quite convincing. Unfortunately I can’t remember his name or his site, but if I can dig it up I’ll share the link.

I’ll be doing the same at some point soonish with an ‘Almanossary’ project I’ve talked about before. It is first and foremost for myself, which is my only motivation, but if it eventually pays for web hosting fees and later solar hosting gear to avoid said fees, that would be a bonus. :}

Last edited by Destry (2022-02-15 09:19:37)

Offline

#6 2022-02-15 14:31:40

Kjeld
Member
From: Tokyo, Japan
Registered: 2005-02-05
Posts: 453
Website

Re: scribe.rip

Destry wrote #332748:

There are many who have gone this route and successfully. There is one guy who has actually even measured his success vs. alternative approaches. It’s quite convincing. Unfortunately I can’t remember his name or his site, but if I can dig it up I’ll share the link.

I’ll be doing the same at some point soonish with an ‘Almanossary’ project I’ve talked about before. It is first and foremost for myself, which is my only motivation, but if it eventually pays for web hosting fees and later solar hosting gear to avoid said fees, that would be a bonus. :}

Do let me know when you find the link!


Old Photos of Japan – Japan in the 1850s~1960s (100% txp)
MeijiShowa – Stock photos of Japan in the 1850s~1960s (100% txp)
JapaneseStreets.com – Japanese street fashion (mostly txp)

Offline

Board footer

Powered by FluxBB