Modal Collective

New independent collective building emancipatory software for an uncertain world

Website: https://modal.cx
Blog: https://modal.cx/blog

Last Notes

2026-05-11 10:37:16 UTC

When considering building a local-first app it's important to know which parts the stack "just work", and which are still experimental.
In this post on the @npub1y8k…05lv blog we give an overview of the various moving parts, using Reflection as an example: https://www.prototypefund.de/en/blog/the-road-to-a-local-first-app-ecosystem

2026-04-29 11:07:30 UTC

The next #BoilingTheOcean is happening on May 14-15, ahead of Linux App Summit in Berlin the following weekend!
More details soon :)
#berlin #gnome #linuxmobile #localfirst #linuxappsummit
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2026-04-22 21:40:40 UTC

We have a new blog post on the state of Reflection, our local-first collaborative note taking app 🪴✍️
https://modal.cx/blog/reflection-spring-update
A few highlights 🧵

2026-03-29 00:29:47 UTC

Lots of fun stuff at Boiling The Ocean 10 today, including
- Fairphone 5 audio hacking
- Reflection newcomer session
- Fixed document sorting by editing date in Reflection
- Fixed multi-window zooming bug in Reflection
- Reflection on macOS
- GNOME Maps UX
- Bazaar app version pinning UX
- GNOME 50 celebration
- Talk: "Readability, Legibility, Usability" by @npub1p9p…yeyg
- and more!
#gnome #linuxmobile #postmarketos #gtk #localfirst #berlin
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2026-03-28 08:50:00 UTC

#BoilingTheOcean 10 is *today*! Come join us at Cultivation Space from 11:00 onwards for hacking and discussions on mobile Linux, GNOME UX, local-first, and more!
More details here: https://pad.gnome.org/szr80MP4QKuT3tpNHUb1rg
#linuxmobile #localfirst #gnome #berlin
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2026-03-09 16:52:44 UTC

Our second Reflection Developer Labs session is next Tuesday, March 17, at 15:00 UTC!
If you're interested in adding local-first sync to your GTK app, this is for you :)
Sign up here: https://pad.gnome.org/4uGYejbVSxO8LUPQRQZW-w
#ReflectionDeveloperLabs #gnome #gtk #p2panda #localfirst
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2026-03-06 17:06:19 UTC

Spring is approaching, and so is the next #BoilingTheOcean 🌿
When? Saturday, March 28
Where? Cultivation Space (Berlin)
It will be a single-day hacking event, focused on all the usual topics: mobile, local-first, platform, UX, and more. There will also be lightning talk slots in the evening.
More details and link to signup pad to follow!
#berlin #gnome #linuxmobile #postmarketOS #localfirst #gtk
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodondesign/media_attachments/files/116/182/467/507/935/744/original/63492a4cd22a636f.png

2026-02-26 13:43:12 UTC

New blog post: Why "digital sovereignty" requires a free software alternative to Android and iOS, and how we're building towards that 🏗️
https://modal.cx/blog/sovereign-mobile-stack

2026-02-05 23:23:32 UTC

#BoilingTheOcean 9 is next weekend (Feb 13-15)! This time our main topic is identity in peer-to-peer systems. How can we prevent impersonation? What about large groups? What are defenses against physical attacks?
On Friday night we'll have a talk and discussion on these questions at @npub1ajs…40ga. Over the weekend we're at Cultivation Space to work through some of these questions (and hack on our other usual topics like mobile, GNOME UX, and more!)
Sign up here: https://pad.gnome.org/G2dIYp3-Tl2bVC7Ii1HaCA
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2026-01-29 10:39:54 UTC

Hello FOSDEM! The Modal team is in Brussels in full force this week.
Many of us are attending the GNOME OS hackfest, and @npub17p7…npt6 and @npub1dkc…3gke have a talk in the Local First room on Sunday: https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/MCVBNK-p2panda-modal-reflection
Let us know if you want to meet up :)
#gnome #localfirst #fosdem #reflection

2026-01-16 10:43:12 UTC

Calling all GTK app developers!
As part of the Reflection project we want to lay the groundwork for an ecosystem of native GTK apps with local-first sync/collaboration features. To do this in the most effective way possible we're asking for your input!
#gtk #gnome #localfirst #p2panda #berlin
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2025-12-27 17:41:25 UTC

If you're at #39c3, join us for the install party for Reflection, a local-first collaborative note taking app.
Day 2, 11.30am, in the Hall 1 Balcony Foyer (next to the Nap Lab).
More info: https://events.ccc.de/congress/2025/hub/en/event/detail/install-party-reflection-local-first-collaborative
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2025-12-24 15:35:16 UTC

Happy holidays everyone! We have a special gift for you: A first preview release of Reflection, our local-first collaborative note taking app 🥳🎁
It's on Flathub Beta for now because it's still early days, but if you're feeling adventurous you can grab it today and give it a spin :)
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub-beta https://flathub.org/beta-repo/flathub-beta.flatpakrepo
flatpak install flathub-beta cx.modal.Reflection
More details in the blog post: https://modal.cx/blog/reflection-winter-update
#localfirst #p2panda #gnome
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2025-12-21 16:13:18 UTC

Since there's CCC and FOSDEM coming up, the next #BoilingTheOcean is happening in February!
The weekend of February 14-15th we'll be hacking as usual, but on the 13th we'll also have an evening of talks and discussions on identity in peer-to-peer systems, with @npub15vw…85hw and @npub1amy…qnrw ✨
More details TBA :)
#gnome #localfirst #p2panda #postmarketos #berlin
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodondesign/media_attachments/files/115/758/393/955/266/451/original/7f3ee121c5f7f21c.png

2025-12-05 14:12:06 UTC

Hello world! We are Modal, a new collective born out of the local Berlin community around Linux infrastructure. We're involved in projects like GNOME, postmarketOS, p2panda, and systemd.
We organize the #BoilingTheOcean events, and work upstream on a number of difficult problems in emancipatory computing, including local-first networking, mainline Linux on phones, and platform security.
Our long-term goal: A free software platform that's competitive with the iPhone 🌈
https://modal.cx/blog/what-is-modal