Server updates

Published 2020-05-28

Jetforce v0.3 beta release

This server is finally running the new beta version of jetforce (v0.3.0b5) while I shake out the remaining bugs. Considering that I'm now five beta releases in, plenty of bugs have already been discovered. In retrospect, having a test suite really would have helped me in this regard. I don't know... writing tests just feels like such a big commitment right now. Maybe someday.

Astrobotany

Since astrobotany is technically running behind the same jetforce server as mozz.us, there have also been some necessary changes made there. One of those changes is that astrobotany will now accept self-signed certificates. It's not documented anywhere yet, but you can hit any of the astrobotany endpoints with a random client certificate, and it will auto-generate a new user account for you. The only requirement is that the CN field can't be blank. I've been testing this with solderpunk's AV-98. I really like the interface that AV-98 provides for generating ad-hoc certificates within the client application.

=>https://tildegit.org/solderpunk/AV-98

The existing CA-signed certificate method still works too. I put a check in the code to see if the client certificate was verified by my custom CA. If so, it continues to use the serial number as the userID like before. Otherwise, it will use the fingerprint hash. I think I will continue to support both authentication methods and see which one gains more traction. I already did the work to support verified certificates, and there's no reason to be hasty in ripping it out.

GemiNaut

=>https://www.marmaladefoo.com/pages/geminaut

GeminiNaut is seriously cool. I love all the little details like the fabric background and the optional link bar at the top. This is probably the first gemini client that I've tried that makes browsing gemini feel like a "unique" experience compared to browsing gopher or the web. I hope all of these little UI/UX experiments continue with this client and others.