mastodon - Link to source

Re: last boost (dragonscave.space/@TheQuinbox/…) about Fedra, @TheQuinbox's new Mastodon client, what makes this project notable to me is that it's written in Rust and uses wxDragon, a project to provide Rust bindings for wxWidgets. The result is a desktop application with top-tier accessibility for screen reader users, in a self-contained executable that's quite small by modern standards (~10 MB for Fedra). I hope this project will become a reference for future applications by and for blind people.

Quin

2026-02-01 05:11:37

mastodon - Link to source

Fedra is now open source, and there is no longer any time limit on it! Enjoy! github.com/trypsynth/fedra


GitHub - trypsynth/fedra: An open-source, accessible, blazing fast Mastodon client

An open-source, accessible, blazing fast Mastodon client - trypsynth/fedra
GitHub
@Quin

reshared this

in reply to Matt Campbell

mastodon - Link to source

Matt Campbell

This is also a resounding success story for Cargo, Rust's build system. I just pulled Quin's repo, updated my Rust stable toolchain, then ran "cargo build --release". That was it. Out popped a stand-alone executable. On Windows! "Fused silicon", to use @glyph's old metaphor (blog.glyph.im/2006/04/fused-si…), has never been easier. Granted, this is my dev box, so I already had a recent Visual Studio installed, but I don't recall having to do much if any futzing with it.

Deciphering Glyph :: Fused Silicon and Free Software

Deciphering Glyph, the blog of Glyph Lefkowitz.
blog.glyph.im
@Glyph
in reply to Matt Campbell

mastodon - Link to source

Matt Campbell

I do realize, that as @glyph pointed out much more recently, a stand-alone executable isn't the whole story, especially on non-Windows platforms. blog.glyph.im/2023/03/no-exe-i… We need packaging, digital signing, notarization on macOS, etc. But there's work happening on that stuff in the Rust ecosystem as well. For example (and I haven't yet seriously looked at this): github.com/crabnebula-dev/carg…

Deciphering Glyph :: No Executable Is An Island

Deciphering Glyph, the blog of Glyph Lefkowitz.
blog.glyph.im
@Glyph
in reply to Matt Campbell

mastodon - Link to source

Glyph

thanks for all the promotion of my writing here :). I cracked open 'fused silicon' and was both relieved and sad

relieved, because as something I wrote at 26, wow does it hold up _way_ better than I thought it would; the changes I'd make today are really minor

sad, because … the changes I'd make today are really minor. it seems the freedesktop community has not learned this lesson at all :(

in reply to Jason J.G. White

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

Peter Vágner

@Jason J.G. White @Matt Campbell I am afraid wx accessibility on linux is not sufficient to be able to make this enjoyable. For example #audacity is wx based runs on linux and as compared with the windows build radio buttons, tree views, tables, spin buttons and perhaps other controls have accessibility and keyboard navigation issues.
#Audacity @Matt Campbell @Jason J.G. White
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