late.sh is an internet pub. A place to hang out, chat, and mess around. Importantly, it achieves at bringing together a number of interesting people in to a space where they can socialize over the internet. I find that this is rare. It is very difficult to cultivate a community of good people. Or perhaps, it is difficult to access these groups. late.sh makes this kind of group accessible through simple ssh.
> ssh late.shCommunities on the Internet
I think there are two kinds of regular communities on the internet. The first, most popular kind is social medias like Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram Reels. I like to think of these as a Few -> Many relationship. A few popular creators create content, and the vast majority of users consume this content.
The second kind would be like Discord Guilds, IRC chats, and smaller forums. Following my previous idea, I like to imagine these as a Few --> Few relationship. In these communities, interaction is less one sided. Contributing to the community by talking and engaging in conversations is the main form of interaction.
I think in many cases, this second form of community is a better way to form community. I think it promotes a healthier relationship by requiring interaction, and this interaction is directly between individuals. It resembles a friend group that communicates online.
However, this kind of community does have an issue. It is more difficult to find, especially smaller, interesting communities. That's why I'm highlighting late.sh!
A Playful Internet
One thing I particularly like about late.sh is that it embodies the idea of a playful internet. This is the idea that one of the bread and butter's of the internet is fun, personal, and interesting things.
Relatedly, I also think personal websites fall into this idea of a playful internet, but that's an idea for another time :)
late.sh has channels, similar to Discord or IRC, where people can chat about different topics. Many of these are technology themed like #arch or #compiler-and-pld, however, there also exist channels like #the-kitchen and #movies.
On top of the text channels, there's also a ton of fun additional features. There's a ton of small games and a bonsai tree among other things. But, my favorite is the music radio that everyone shares. I like listening to the lofi on it.
Maybe I've convinced you to go give it a try :) Go visit late.sh.