Varis.Social is an in-development site that will be replacing varishangout.net (referred to as "the Pleroma" or "Pleroma" for the rest of this webpage).
If you are wondering why X/Y/Z isn't working, I can guarantee it's because I haven't gotten around to it yet. The site is still very early in development. If an existing feature isn't working properly, then please tell me so I can take a look and fix it
Why are you killing the pleroma?
I don't like it. Don't get me wrong, the software is fine if you're hosting your own thing, but for even something as small as Varis it's struggling
It's rather resource intensive, slow, and buggy.
Of course, these can be blamed on me misconfiguring, or the weird patches i've pulled, but it's been like that since the beginning, and if we're gonna be running something like that I'd rather it be something I made so I can at least fix it effectively
Along with those, it's really lacking in features needed for me to feel safe running it. The admin tools are really barebones and incredibly frustrating and slow to use, in fact for the longest time a part of it relating to user moderation was broken and nobody fixed it for whatever reason.
With the backend I've made I can develop the features I need, the features people want, and maintain it and fix it, without having to rely on outsiders.
This is only the beginning of me replacing our current software with in-house software.
What're some new features?
Off the top of my head currently planned or implemented
Those are the big ones I can remember. as development progresses more stuff can always be recommended for future versions, however these are the minimum needed for the release version of Varis.Social
When will it be ready?
Varis.Social will only reach 1.0 (Release) when it has matched pleromas feature set.
Will it still be varishangout.net?
Nope
Do I have to register again?
Yes.
Will my account carry over?
It depends on if you chose to move them, the current migration plan is as follows:
If the user has not taken part in earlier beta/alpha testing they will now have a 1 month period where users can migrate their accounts.
Users who're active during the testing periods will have a longer time to test this import feature
During this period the Pleroma will have federation disabled, and registration locked.
After you've created an account on Varis.Social you will have the ability to link it to your Pleroma account. Once the link has been created you will be given a list of options for data to import.
Currently we are planning on supporting Post, Following, and Follower importing.
At the end of the 1 month deadline, the Pleroma will be shut down and Varis.Social will go down for maintenance.
During this maintenance your posts and relations will be imported (if you chose to import them).
How will the migration work (Technically)?
As stated previously, if you wish to migrate your data, you will link your Varis.Social account to your Pleroma account.
Once linked, you can select which data you wish to move (Follows, Following, Posts, Likes, Bookmarks). Likes and Bookmarks will be patchy, as I will not be migrating federated posts, unless there is a big demand for that.
During the migration maintenance I will be using a script I'll have created to go through linked accounts, and copy the respective data into Varis.Social.
Will there be federation? Will I be able to follow X/Y/Z instance?
Yes, as this is a replacement for the pleroma I will also be implementing federation.
Can I delete my account?
Yes, your account and all posts associated with it can be deleted.
Note: Due to the nature of federation, any posts you have chosen to federate cannot be guaranteed to be deleted as instances can refuse delete requests.
Can I use X/Y/Z pleroma/mastodon app?
No. They will not work.
Will there be a mobile frontend?
Yes. As the site is currently very early in development, the current frontend has been made to fit a 1920x1080 screen.
Before release, and once most UI elements have been solidified I will be resizing it for the most common screen sizes.
Currently planned mobile sizes are
Will there be a mobile app?
Yes, after the release I will be looking into creating a mobile app for this site.
How can I support the site/you/Varis?
Using it. Makes the time, effort, and money put into Varis worth it.
If you want to support Varis monetarily we have a patreon
Once Varis.Social is launched I'll look into getting a company Stripe account and creating some sort of merchandise or in-site systems that can be monetized.
This will most likely be increased file upload sizes, and things along those lines. I have a sekrit idea in-mind that may draw some people but until I actually begin pre-development lets leave it at that ;)