protocol VS aether

We have already have a clear stack. there's Gitcoin Passport for sybil resistance, git (and wrappers like Radicle) for version control, Lit PKPs & Gelato for account abstraction, Farcaster/Orbis/Lens for social architecture, OpenStreetMaps for geographic markets, OPStack, etc.

These services exist outside of the protocol and depend on a few centralized and trusted authorities.

Another solution that is arguably more resistant to capture and censorship would be to use a blockchain to manage user name aliases - like Farcaster is doing with fnames.[1]

[1] https://github.com/farcasterxyz/protocol#22-farcaster-names

one XMPP server gets big and usernames get squatted and dealt with at the discretion of the server admin.

Only solution is something like how Farcaster does it

https://github.com/farcasterxyz/protocol#3-identity

That's sad to hear, but it makes total sense to shut down the server given its sensitive data, rather than hand it off to another person.

Mastodon/ActivityPub is a poor fit for a social network IMHO.

- Accounts should not be tied a single server and their continued maintenance.

- Private data and DMs should be end-to-end encrypted rather than entrusted with a single administrator.

- People don't want to self-host.

The core problem of a lot of social networks comes down to name aliasing, and who controls the name registry. In the case of nostr[1] this is not a problem because everything is using public keys. Another protocol is Farcaster[2] which plans to use a smart contract to maintain a name registry without requiring a single controller.

[1] https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nostr

[2] https://github.com/farcasterxyz/protocol

Is this compatible with aether? What are the differences?

https://getaether.net/

Aether

Aether: getaether.net A decentralized, open-source platform for community discussions with strong privacy features.

Sorry, but you don't need to code. You can install the software from any web hosting C-Panels. Or use a company that doesn't treat you this way. There are other alternatives as well, including some that are decentralized. Nothing Reddit does is unique, or hard to find in any of their competitors. For instance: https://getaether.net/ I highly doubt they are not getting paid.

Aether sounds like what you want though. It's a reddit-style app that is in the pure decentralization model.

there's a sub on Aether called LinuxGaming as well

Aether App https://getaether.net/ And the moderation model is super based.