cross-posted from: https://lemmings.world/post/21143141
TL;DR: Loops is doomed because Daniel Supernault doesn’t actually want to develop it or release the source code properly.
I’ll try to provide evidence where I can, but a lot of evidence was destroyed via bans from the Discord, so I can’t retrieve my messages, and All I have are files I saved on my hard drive and mastodon links.
How I Got Involved I got into Loops because of the TikTok ban scare and wanted to help develop a non-corporate fediverse alternative to TikTok and YouTube Shorts. I signed up, made two accounts (wasn’t sure why I couldn’t log in), and got approved after two days.
Once I had an account, I downloaded the Android APK and joined the Discord. I introduced myself as someone who wanted to help and mentioned that I had tried (and failed) to make a Fediverse app before. I was interested in seeing where Loops would go. For about 12 days, I made videos for Loops, making sure there was consistent content so the platform didn’t go 10 minutes without something new. I also helped in Discord, answering questions about account activations and discussing how Loops could become a major part of the Fediverse (which, as of 2/16/2025, it still isn’t). I thought if Loops could launch before the next TikTok scare, it had a real shot.
I Start Asking Questions After 12 days of making content and being active in Discord, I was getting bored. I wanted to figure out why there weren’t any real developments. I knew Daniel had promised on Discord that Loops would be open-source “by the weekend” (this was 12 days ago). To me, that meant publishing the source code. So, I made a video calling him out (archived here: dalek.zone/w/jUUYe11xDvjz15ZRAxQuy7) and posted it on Discord. A few minutes later, Daniel deleted the link and removed the video from Loops. His only response was, “Misinformation is not appreciated”—with no further context.
To me, this reaction was suspicious. He didn’t explain why he hadn’t released the source code. He didn’t ignore it either, which I interpreted him as being guarded.
Getting Banned from the Discord After Daniel’s reaction, I started wondering if Loops was a waste of my time. Was anything actually happening? I tried decompiling the Android APK to see what was inside but couldn’t get it to recompile. I thought about forking the Loops GitHub with the decompiled source and posting it in GitHub as a fork—but I didn’t even need to. Instead, I asked why Loops wasn’t just a PeerTube instance, since PeerTube already worked on short formed video content with a tik Tok like interface. I even made another video about it: dalek.zone/w/fVW4GbW79bBpiyLrDGJBBa. The last thing that happened before my ban was me asking if anyone was actually doing work on Loops. Instead of answering, they flipped the question back on me. I replied, “Yes, I am decompiling the source code so we can do work.” after, Discord glitched, the Loops server disappeared, and I was locked out. My Loops account was also deleted. This made it clear: Daniel didn’t want me questioning loops or suggesting that PeerTube could do the job better.
Calling Him Out on Mastodon After my ban on discord, I did more research on Daniel and kept calling him out on Mastodon as a warning to others. Eventually, he did publish a “source code” for Loops. Just to spite him, I thanked Michael Downey (mastodon.social/@Cattail/113932221184535082) for pushing him to release it by asking him a question. But two hours later, I pointed out that the APK and the published source code didn’t match: (mastodon.social/@Cattail/113932308245134257).
Conclusion I’m glad I did what I did because it saved me from wasting more time on Loops. Instead, I built a bot that announces when Fediverse streamers go live on Mastodon, which actually helps the community. Daniel is asking for money that would be better spent on PeerTube development or maintaining existing Fediverse instances. Daniel is deceiving people, pretending Loops is making progress when it’s really just a rehash of Pixelfed. His Kickstarter has no deadline and only vague updates. If you still want to support him, that’s on you. I’ve seen enough.
Links & Receipts Official “source code”: github.com/joinloops/loops-app Loops development mention from 2020: mastodon.social/@pixelfed/104618452882003745?utm_source=perplexity Kickstarter: kickstarter.com/projects/pixelfed/pixelfed-foundation-2024-real-ethical-social-networks/comments
Links & Receipts Official “source code”: GitHub Loops development mention from 2020: Mastodon Kickstarter: Pixelfed Foundation 2024
Hey heads up to anyone, but I’d highly recommend going to that other thread they made and checking the comments. They are remarkably defensive for someone who insists they are in the right. They also refuse to address such points as:
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You joined the server to help out, knowing it was volunteer based.
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You were frustrated after 12 days despite development of anything often being on a scale longer than it. Instead of asking questions in a conversation, you made call out videos that got people feeling defensive
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You say you were making new videos for 12 days so the platform doesn’t go without content but then later you say you’re decompiling, without ever making any earlier mention to working on it in that regard? (I’m not watching your videos so if it says that in there then whatever but that should kinda be in the text)
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What exactly was your plan to help? Did you ask how you could help? Did they let you know how you could? Did you do what they asked or something else?
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He didn’t explain it but he didn’t ignore it? What?
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You failed to produce a viable Fediverse product but are insisting that people run it the way you see fit?
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You make ANOTHER call out video and question the entire nature/purpose of the project in a backhanded way that throws shade on Daniel
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You complain that Dan didn’t answer your questions but when I posed questions of you, you said you didn’t have to answer them either. So is Dan’s behavior a problem or is it only okay when you do it?
They deserved everything they got. I have no idea whether Loops will be successful or not but you don’t need to know a single thing about it to recognize the fact that this person overstepped their bounds and tried to take charge/control of a project that did not want or need their “help” and found it, at best, deconstructive to the process at hand.
Oh yeah, and there’s the fact that they straight up admitted to causing problems. You call that sarcasm but I call that a confession when the evidence does indeed point to that conclusion.
Cool that I got what I deserved. I got what I wanted and I got it fast. Why are you so invested in loops anyway?
And now none of you need to go to the other thread! Perfect demonstration of defensiveness. I criticize their behavior so clearly I am on the side of Loops.
Republican ass behavior.
They were 100% in the wrong lmfao
Btw I asked why this guy cares so much about loops because he doesn’t an hour attacking me
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Your expectations of other people are unreasonable. Sometimes people intend to do something and they get behind, or maybe they change their mind. In any case, nobody on this project owes you anything, even if you put in… [checks post text] less than two weeks of effort.
Hanging out for twelve days, then posting videos “calling people out” is a dick move, and you earned your ban. It seems like you were looking for reasons to cause drama, but I’ll leave your intentions for you to decide. Spend some time reflecting and trying to see things from their perspective.
I’d actually say very reasonable I didn’t expect dan to make any progress on the app or release the source code. And he did. Apparently he tried to paywall the source code via a Kickstarter goal
I’m not sure. Are you basing all of this on one number in the version string? Or have you tried compiling the app, and see if it’s complete, works, and is roughly what’s pushed to the app stores? I mean all the Github repos are there. They contain a license. And whether you like the version number, or the exact development process, doesn’t really make it closed-source…
Apparently the login screen logo picture is different in the GitHub and APK. Also I did look at the decompile of the APK (ironically you can use WinRAR to decompile but I also used two other app) and the size is completely different sizes like the APK has way more folders. I’d have to look into it again to go through the differences but I’m pretty sure if you compiled the GitHub code you wouldn’t get loops apk
Yeah, it doesn’t work that way. You can’t use WinRar and for whatever imaginary reason you’re right… There’s only one way to find out: You need to install react-native, clone the repo and build the app. And then see how it actually runs and if actual features differ. One picture or word can be different. And unless you had a look at the code, you can’t tell whether that’s even the file that gets used. And you said the open source version number is different from the previously published one… Maybe there’s a reason why a picture is different…
Win rar actually worked and gave me pretty much all the pngs at the minimum. I’m sure installed native react but I couldn’t get it to recompile. Believe it or not I decided I was putting too much effort into decompiling and went the easier route a ask the discord why this isn’t a peertube base project and I figured out no one in that discord knew what was going on
Do you know what decompiling and compiling is? Apk files are just an archive format. You can extract the files of each apk file and it’ll give you the assets, (machine) code etc. But you need the proper framework to recompile it. Or even decompile it. And since you didn’t even try building it (which is far easier), I’d say you don’t even have the proper tools on your computer to properly look at the files or recompile them. I mean I don’t want to sound insulting or anything… But there are a gazillion technical reasons for assets like pictures to be not what you expected them to be. Filesizes or strings to differ… Proper and genuine technical reasons. And unless you have the technical knowledge to judge… You can’t immediately jump to conclusions and insult people…
I do know what decompiling is. I also know it’s a pain in the ass
Yeah, do it the other way round. Take the published code. Build it, run it and compare it to the version on the playstore. Otherwise you’d need to decompile it and that’s a PITA. But those are the two ways to find out what a software project actually does. Without any of that, it’s just a lot of unsubstantiated claims, and likely wrong in some way. Circumstantial evidence is often hard due to the complexity of software.
It’s not on the play store like loops isn’t even at that point and it’s being used as fundraiser talking point
There are a lot of different ways to package and publish an APK. If it’s done through the Google Play store, it almost definitely won’t look like a local debug or release build (Google does a lot of things to optimize for different devices).
The best way to check their work is to download the tools and try building it, and see if it’s functionally similar.
I could but I don’t need to confirm it that way. Apparently pixelfed is hostile to other instances and people have to register accounts via the flagship pixelfed instance. Also Dan got cancelled two weeks before I entered the discord for insulting a developer he hired for loops so circumstance. So it’s obvious to me it’s bs filler code that was meant to shut me up.
You could make me look stupid and compile the code on GitHub. I was too lazy to import and wait 3 minutes for Android studios to pop out an error code
Wait, isn’t loop open source? Guess being in the fediverse dosen’t make it open source. TIL.
More like open source™ apparently fediverse is turning into a marketing term. Apparently blue sky’s is part of the “fediverse” but it has a different protocol and mastodon can’t write to anything on Blue sky and there’s only 1 instance
I don’t know fully what OP means by “releasing the source code properly”, but the backend and mobile app are free and open source, licensed under GNU Affero Public License 3.0. The problems might be the decompiled APK doesn’t match the source? Not sure. It took a few weeks to get the License shown on the mobile app repository but that problem was fixed 4 days ago as of writing.
E: Upon looking up his latest posts, Dan also said “fully opensourced this weekend” but then the next day his partner got sick. Real life hits you like that.
