Cassidy James :rr: :gg: :fh:

https://mastodon.blaede.family/@cassidy

Building open communities and useful, usable tech for good.

:roost: [@roost](https://hachyderm.io/@roost ) OSS Community Manager
:gnome: GNOME (npub1dug…kxeq) Foundation Director
:flathub: Flathub (npub1wfe…w0av) contributor

Previously: partners & community Endless Access (npub16ew…urp9), co-founder & CXO at elementary (npub16nm…cc46); UX & web at System76 :popos: :ubuntu: (npub1mjj…a2m6).

Still an emo kid at heart 🖤

Website, blog, links: https://cassidyjames.com
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Colorado, USA

Public Key

npub1lvcsqmwtf0nedyct3pau5r4kyxfyvf5sp8d3u7xr5k7ypvh7xn5q7qcedh

NIP-05 Address

cassidy_at_mastodon.blaede.family@momostr.pink

Profile Code

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Publishing to

nostr.mom

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1lvcsqmwtf0nedyct3pau5r4kyxfyvf5sp8d3u7xr5k7ypvh7xn5q7qcedh

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Published at

2026-04-08T03:18:46Z

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0 Metadata

Event JSON

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Last Notes

2026-01-24 20:44:50 UTC

Friendly reminder that Signal—while maybe not perfect—is a much better choice for communication than RCS, especially if you are communicating anything sensitive. Doubly true if you are on iOS or communicating with anyone who is, as Apple still does not even use end-to-end encryption like Google does on Android.
https://signal.org/download/

2025-09-23 18:34:17 UTC

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I was literally just looking for this blog post! I read it last week or so but couldn’t find it by googling for the life of me. I finally found it in my browser history and then saw you shared it again here when I came onto Mastodon. 😁
This is SUCH a spot on analysis and really explains iPhone Air (and modern Apple) so well to me. Especially pulling straight from their own words. Excellent work, it deserves more visibility.

2025-08-06 23:35:21 UTC

If you’re on Linux, there’s a good chance you use GNOME: it’s the default experience across Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora Workstation, Endless OS, and more. If you’re on another desktop, you still likely use components developed by GNOME contributors—or maybe you get apps from Flathub.
Want to become more than just a user? How about… a friend? 🥺 Become a Friend of GNOME to support GNOME, Flathub, and the work we do!
https://donate.gnome.org/
#GNOME #Flathub #Linux #OpenSource

2025-07-23 19:41:55 UTC

I’m noticing an annoying trend when searching the Internet for how to do certain things with software. (This is probably not new, but just happens to be more common with what I’ve been looking for lately.)
Some SaaS company will have a “helpful” blog post that sounds like it’s just what you’re looking for; say, “How to build a calendar view in a spreadsheet.” You start reading it and think, “Wow, this sounds complicated, do I really want to take the time?”

2025-07-15 03:51:52 UTC

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I'll do you one better: https://gitlab.gnome.org/Teams/Websites/welcome.gnome.org/-/merge_requests/45

2025-07-07 17:04:25 UTC

There’s a GNOME hacker currently in an unsafe living situation. Unfortunately I can’t commit to hosting someone at my place, but can any of my friends out there provide a safe temporary living situation within the continental US?
Please contact @npub1y6d…m6cl (or reply privately here and I can connect you).
https://fantastic.earth/@deobald/114801963915517129

2025-06-11 23:02:10 UTC

I find myself once again looking for a good solution to a common problem: as an open source project, hosting documentation/text-based resources as Markdown files in a git repository makes a lot of sense. Buuuut as a collaborative project that wants to invite explicitly less-technical people into the fold, using git and Markdown has a fairly high gatekeeping factor.
How is this not a solved problem? :(
#OpenSource #documentation

2025-06-09 15:38:47 UTC

Those self-hosting Mattermost for open source community: how is that working out—especially cost-wise?
Paying Mattermost directly seems to be cost-prohibitive for a large open source community ($10/user/seat??), but it’s not clear to me what the actual infra costs of self-hosting could be. But free solutions like Slack and Discord are no-goes due to certain policies and a lack of safety protections we need.
Boosts welcome for exposure! 🙏
#SelfHosting #mattermost #OpenSource #community

2025-02-25 17:15:01 UTC

I randomly came across this short, very well-produced little explainer of open source and I really like it! It makes me want to have all the time and resources in the world to produce stuff like this… that’s also openly licensed itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEttd0Qkqnc
#OpenSource #FOSS #FLOSS

2025-02-21 19:17:05 UTC

US income tax withholdings are wild. You use one calculator and it’s like, “deduct nothing, you must pay all of your money to the government!” and you use another and it’s like “lol deduct thousands of dollars, you’re all good.”
This whole system is frustratingly confusing.

2025-02-03 21:59:49 UTC

Happy birthday to me! My family knows and loves me. 🥰
#plushtodon #PlayStationPortal
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonblaedefamily/media_attachments/files/113/942/195/218/694/640/original/6092d7abf42626f7.jpg

2025-01-15 18:22:09 UTC

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that’s a space I’d love to see more of in the Fediverse: opinionated *clients* that don’t have to be their own service.
I feel like you could do something similar for photo-sharing where it’s more like an OG-Instagram design and only shows posts with certain attributes like 1+ photo attachments and maybe a default (configurable) set of hashtags. Then it could even auto-include those hashtags when posting from that app.
Boom, you have Pixelfed without requiring another account.

2025-01-07 16:54:58 UTC

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What ended up happening is that we kept the unique model names but still used the categories, which was better than before (they had an “UltraPro” laptop when I started! 😅). I think at best we narrowed down to something like:
• Gazelle 15" or 17"
• Galago Pro 14"
• Serval WS 15" or 17"
But at times we also had the Lemur (which is now Lemur Pro?), Pangolin, Bonobo WS, Darter, Oryx Pro, Adder WS… all of which I couldn’t even tell you why you would buy one over another in the same category.

2025-01-07 16:37:05 UTC

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Within each category you differentiate by size (which used to be entirely different products). It never really panned out the way I’d have liked with just one mainstream, Pro, and WS model w/different sizes. Part of that is due to working with a supplier that designed drastically different looks for e.g. a 14" and 17" model, but the biggest recurring barrier was a lack of focus with the product lineup. Sales people wanted to offer like 12 barely-differentiated models to hit all the price points.

2025-01-07 16:32:25 UTC

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For reference, I pushed for the mainstream, Pro, and Workstation monikers at System76. The idea was that you would have:
• Mainstream: no moniker; great product; entry level
• Pro: for people who use their computer for work (or want the nicest option); best combination of power and form factor
• WS: beefiest option for the highest end; trades portability for raw power; for the ML, automotive, 3D animation, science-y stuff
You still see some remnants of this scheme, but it’s not as clear cut.

2024-12-04 16:36:05 UTC

Question for my game developer friends out there (please also feel free to boost/share widely!): why do indie games still tend to be closed source, especially compared to indie app ecosystems where there are thriving open source communities?
That’s obviously a super broad question, but I’m open to broad perspectives. :) I’m especially interested in hearing from folks who have been actively involved in video game design, development, publishing, etc.
#GameDev #OpenSource #Godot #GodotEngine

2024-08-27 16:37:43 UTC

I have never understood writing the contraction of “until” as “till” in the first place—it should be “’til” in my opinion—but I especially don’t understand using the contraction at all in user-facing UI copy. Like… it’s a single character less than “until.” Just use that!

2024-08-23 18:03:44 UTC

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I’m bummed by the timing resulting in the Pixel 9 series missing out on the integrated magnets, but the nice thing about my family leaning into Qi2 around the car/house/etc. is that it works with our friends' iPhones and Android phones with MagSafe cases today—and will continue to work with Qi2 as it becomes more widespread.

2024-08-23 18:02:57 UTC

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yeah I have a magnetic Qi charger in the car and really like being able to use MagSafe. So I’m leaning towards the ring…
If you’re gonna do wireless charging, magnetic Qi2 is the way to go IMHO because the magnets ensure the best alignment, it’s a standard, and it’s compatible across both iPhone (MagSafe) and upcoming Android phones.

2024-08-23 17:56:28 UTC

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which is why I am honestly leaning towards just going caseless with a magnet ring, and getting a cheap TPU case to slap on for those rare occasions I feel like I need a little protection…

2024-08-23 17:55:13 UTC

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yeah there aren't a lot of options I like… especially because one of my main things I am looking for is THIN. Because phones are too big. The last thing I want to do is add bulk; I mostly want to prevent minor dings, nicks, and scratches but don’t need like 360° super turbo military grade throw-it-at-concrete-from-1000ft-high protection.

2024-08-23 17:14:41 UTC

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I don’t usually like using a case on my phone, but I do like having the option if I know I’m going somewhere where it’s more likely to be dropped: walking around a lot of concrete, wearing shorts/pants with more loose pockets, or travel in general. If I’m gonna use a case, I want it to be as thin as possible to not affect the size of the (already universally too big!) phone.
I also like being able to use my phone with Qi2/MagSafe chargers, which is why I got a Mous case last time…

2024-08-23 17:14:06 UTC

Do I get a phone case I like the look of and throw a third-party magnet ring on the back, get a boring-looking case with magnets, or just put a magnet ring on the phone itself?
Specifically looking for the Pixel 9 Pro (non-XL). The bright red Mous one I really wanted is only available for the XL. 😭
#Pixel9 #Pixel9Pro #TeamPixel #MadeByGoogle #Android

2024-08-21 18:59:14 UTC

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I don’t love how cluttered the entries on the left of the more modern style can get, and I’m probably using too much color here. I’m sort of experimenting to see how far I can push the platform and HIG. :D

2024-08-21 18:58:10 UTC

Maybe?
#GNOME #OpenSource #GNOMEdesign #Flatpak #Flathub
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonblaedefamily/media_attachments/files/113/001/541/583/854/403/original/27f59456750d7f95.png
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonblaedefamily/media_attachments/files/113/001/541/601/301/120/original/4159532cbfb9df1b.png
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonblaedefamily/media_attachments/files/113/001/541/583/459/092/original/fe3d05b00d1b4a28.png
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonblaedefamily/media_attachments/files/113/001/541/642/625/955/original/351ca83bd1a55044.png

2024-08-16 19:22:02 UTC

Third-party GNOME/Adwaita app developers: if there was a simple way to opt into some more expressive kind of user-chosen theming (think: more like Material You with Adwaita and less like whole GTK stylesheets), would you be interested in opting your app into it?
Why or why not?
#GNOME #GNOMEdesign #Linux #OpenSource

2024-08-05 20:56:24 UTC

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and are the releases there in sync with the freedesktop-sdk releases? Like, I could use the number of updates between the last two freedesktop-sdk 23.08 releases?

2024-08-05 19:10:52 UTC

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was it like org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.default?

2024-08-05 19:10:04 UTC

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I'm once again trying to count this number, but the original post seems to be missing. Do you remember what specific runtime I should be looking at to estimate active users?

2024-08-05 16:19:14 UTC

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Metrics! By which I mean scientifically-privacy-guaranteed ways to help us understand how our platforms and technologies are used, released as open data sets. Let's stop pretending we know how people use GNOME or KDE or this app or that feature—let's find out, ethically.
The FOSS world used to be at the forefront of globally-distributed online-first tech (version control! realtime chat!). There's no reason we should tie our hands behind our back when it comes to making our software better.

2024-08-05 16:15:17 UTC

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“AI” features, which actually means local, private ML features we’ve fallen behind on like autocorrect, grammar checking, camera quality, noise canceling… basically, ML features your phone has been able to do for 5+ years that we’ve fallen behind on.
I hate “AI,” and the current generative-AI landscape is a speculative bubble—BUT there are real features and improvements that wouldn't have been called AI before; fundraise based on the hype, implement based on actual useful local improvements.

2024-08-05 16:10:36 UTC

I maintain that we need a "fall guy" group in the Linux desktop space to fund, develop, and openly release stuff that would get the Internet mad at existing players, so they typically avoid doing them.
Keeping in mind the intent is to push things forward while not caring about peoples' gut reactions (because technology is more nuanced than a gut reaction!), this could include…
#Linux #OpenSource #FreeDesktop #GNOME #FDo #KDE