#+OPTIONS: html-postamble:nil html-preamble:nil
#+AUTHOR:
#+TITLE: tinmop
* Introduction
Tinmop is an opinionated client for
[[https://pleroma.social/][Pleroma]] (using the mastodon API) and
[[https://gemini.circumlunar.space/][gemini protocol]]. It offer a
distraction free terminal interface.
The name is a recursive acronym: "Tinmop Is Not Mutt or Pine". The
older of us can remember that, in turn, Pine is sometimes considered
an acronym as well: "Pine Is Not Elm" and, finally, Elm means
(according to Wikipedia): "Electronic Mail".
* Peculiar Features
- tree structure of messages;
- subscriptions of hashtag;
- programmable and extensible;
- encrypted direct message (but see [[FAQ]]);
- no mentions notification, no knowledge of when or who favourited
your status;
- No blocking or muting, the client can be configured to ignore
a list of accounts.
** Important note
This is alpha quality software, many things are broken, some
feature are missing some works with unintended/unexpected side
effects; this software is for testing only and remember that there
is [[NO WARRANTY][NO WARRANTY]].
* Dependency
** Programs
+ to build the package:
xgettext;
a C compiler.
+ to install the package, including running the script to install
lisp libraries (~quick_quicklisp.sh~):
- GNU AWK (Gawk);
- BASH shell.
+ to run the program:
- SBCL compiler;
- xdg-open;
- your favourite editor (default: nano).
All the dependencies above should be available using the package
manager of your distribution (~apt~, ~yum~ etc).
** Lisp Libraries
- alexandria;
- cl-ppcre;
- tooter;
- croatoan;
- osicat;
- cl-spark;
- access;
- sqlite;
- sxql;
- sxql-composer;
- marshal;
- bordeaux-threads;
- log4cl;
- local-time;
- cl-colors2;
- cl-i18n;
- clunit2;
- esrap;
- ieee-floats;
- parse-number;
- cl-html5-parser;
- unix-opts;
- crypto-shortcuts;
- drakma.
All these libraries will be downloaded, compiled and installed by
the script ~quick_quicklisp.sh~, see below.
** Foreign (C language) library
- libssl (TLS socket)
- linidn2 (i18n domain name aka idna)
The C library should be installed with their header (~*.h~)
files. On Debian or derived system this means installing the
library package with the ~-dev~ suffix as shown below:
#+BEGIN_SRC sh
# apt-get install libssl-dev libidn2-dev
#+END_SRC
* Install
1. optional step needed only if you have not already the configure script,
you will need ~autotools~ for that.
#+BEGIN_SRC sh
$ autoreconf -fiv
#+END_SRC
2. run ~configure~ and resolve the missing dependencies (if any)
#+BEGIN_SRC sh
$ ./configure
#+END_SRC
3. the script ~quick-quicklisp.sh~ will download and install the library manager and the
library on your home dir.
#+BEGIN_SRC sh
$ ./quick_quicklisp.sh
#+END_SRC
This step is optional if you have already installed quicklisp, in
this case just load the [[Dependency][dependencies]]
using the client installed on your computer.
4. clone in ~$HOME/quicklisp/local-projects/~ the latest version of
croatoan, a library to wrap the ncurses TUI library.
This step is temporary as this version will get into quicklisp eventually.
#+BEGIN_SRC sh
$ cd $HOME/quicklisp/local-projects/
$ git clone https://github.com/McParen/croatoan.git
#+END_SRC
5. build the executable:
#+BEGIN_SRC sh
$ make
#+END_SRC
6. install on your system:
#+BEGIN_SRC sh
# make install
#+END_SRC
7. take a look the manpage:
#+BEGIN_SRC sh
$ man tinmop
#+END_SRC
8. run the software!
#+BEGIN_SRC sh
$ tinmop
#+END_SRC
9. An error will be printed about a missing file
place a simple configuration file in one of the directory the software indicated.
See [[FAQ][the FAQ below]].
* Usage
See the command line options:
#+BEGIN_SRC sh
$ tinmop -h
#+END_SRC
To get instruction about configuration:
#+BEGIN_SRC sh
$ man tinmop
#+END_SRC
* BUGS
Please file bug reports on the
[[https://notabug.org/cage/tinmop/][notabug repository]].
* Translations
Only Italian translation is regularly updated.
* License
This program is released under GNU General Public license version 3
or later (see COPYING file).
The program use data and code from other sources, please see
LICENSES.org for credits.
Although any efforts has been put to make the list of credits
exhaustive, errors are always possible. Please send correction to
cage-dev at twistfold dot it.
* Privacy
The author of this software collects no user data information with
this software.
But this software is a client to connect and interact to one or more
remote computer. So potentially it could share a lot of information
with other actors but just after the user allowed it to do so.
It is the user responsibility to checks the privacy conditions of the
instance this software connect to.
Moreover launching ~quick_quicklisp.sh~ will contact
[[https://www.quicklisp.org/]], check the
[[https://beta.quicklisp.org/quicklisp.lisp][quicklisp sources]] for
details.
By default, pressing "!" will contact the remote service located at:
"gemini://houston.coder.town/search".
* Contributing
Any help is appreciated. If you intend to contribute please point
your browser to the
[[https://notabug.org/cage/tinmop/issues][issue tracker]] or file a
[[https://notabug.org/cage/tinmop/pulls][pull request]].
But, please take a minute to read the file [[./CONTRIBUTING.org]]
* FAQ
- I just tried to start the program for the first time but it give
me a weird error, what's wrong?
Did you wrote a configuration file before starting?
Tinmop expects a configuration file in your config directory
(usually ~$HOME/.config/tinmop/~). This file must contains at
least the username and the name of the instance you want to
connect.
Example :
#+BEGIN_SRC text
# a line starting with a '#' is a comment
# a file can be included in another with this directive:
# use "shared.conf"
# The server instance name
server = server address
# your username
username = username
#+END_SRC
If this file does not exists or is invalid tinmop will
refuse to start.
Please check the man page (tinmop(1)) for more information.
- The ~quick_quicklisp.sh~ script failed and refuse to start again,
what can I do?
If tinmop is the first Common lisp program you have ever installed
installed, try to rename the directory ~$/HOME/quicklisp~ and,
then, restart the script.
If problem persists [[BUGS][contact me]].
- Is tinmop compatible with mastodon servers?
Unfortunately no, the way some API endpoint provide the toots is
not suitable for this client, for more information please go
[[https://github.com/tootsuite/mastodon/issues/13817][here]].
I hope this will change in the future but this depends entirely
from the people are developing the server.
- OK the program is running but how can i use it?
Press the key ~?~ to get a list of the available keys available.
- Tinmop crashed! Where can i report that?
The issue tracker is here:
[[https://notabug.org/tinmop/issues/]]
Please also, if possible, send the backtrace of the process. To
print a backtrace just write ~backtrace~ when the debugger has
been invoked.
*Important note*
The backtrace can contains sensitive and personal information,
please always *carefully checks* the backtrace contents before
making this information public!
- Are the encrypted messages secure?
*No*. First only a symmetric encryption scheme is implemented (so
there is a problem of secure key exchanging). Moreover i am not a
crypto expert and probably i made something wrong. Note that i am
not claiming that the algorithm (AES256) or the implementation of
such encrypting algorithm is flawed but that, likely, is flawed
the code i wrote to use the crypto library in this software.
So, please do not consider the encrypted message secure at all.
* NO WARRANTY
tinmop: an humble mastodon client
Copyright (C) 2020 cage
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program.
If not, see [[http://www.gnu.org/licenses/][http://www.gnu.org/licenses/]].
* Acknowledgment
My deep thanks to the folks that provided us with wonderful SBCL and
Common lisp libraries.
In particular i want to thanks the authors of the libraries Croatoan
and Tooter for their help when I started to develop this program.
There are more people i borrowed code and data from, they are
mentioned in the file LINCENSES.org
This program is was born also with the help of CCCP: "Collettivo
Computer Club Palermo".
Also thanks to "barbar" for testing of the installation scripts.