Mastodon 5.0: the composer leaves the sidebar, and “private mentions” become messages

The Mastodon developers have published details about the upcoming 5.0 release. The post is based on the results of the first Discovery Week and describes not a full list of changes but the reasoning behind the key decisions. All screenshots are prototypes, and the final look may differ.

The new post editor

For ten years the post-creation window has been crammed into the sidebar. In 5.0 it is finally set free: the editor opens as an overlay — appearing when you need it and hiding when you don't. You can also quickly create a post via the prominent “New post” button in the redesigned navigation.

Special attention went to the visibility settings, which the authors themselves admit are confusing. The modal window introduced in 4.5 turned out to be clumsy, so the visibility selector is once again a dropdown list. The “quiet public” mode has been rethought: it is no longer a separate option but a sub-option of a public post — you just turn off the “visible in public timelines and search” setting.

The quote settings have been broken down into simple steps: first the “allow quoting” toggle, then a choice — everyone or followers only. For “followers only” posts, quoting is logically disabled. In addition, the visibility label now takes context into account: if a followers-only post mentions someone who doesn't follow you, their name (and the number of other mentions) will appear right in the selector's caption — so that the author understands who will actually see the post.

Messages instead of “private mentions”

The term “private mention” caused more confusion than clarity, so throughout the interface it is being replaced with “message,” and the icon with a familiar chat bubble. Direct messages will get their own editor with a “Send” button instead of “Publish,” and DMs themselves are being removed from the timeline and profiles — they will be accessible from the “Messages” page.

Navigation and timelines

Having freed up space from the editor, the developers made the navigation single-column. The Mastodon logo has been deliberately toned down: in the top-left corner, servers on version 5.0 will be able to display their own name and icon with a small “Powered by Mastodon” note. Administrators are advised to set up their branding in advance.

Account lists have been renamed to “custom feeds” and moved to a prominent spot: it turned out that many people didn't know about the feature — on mastodon.social, 92% of users active over the past year hadn't created a single list. Hashtag follows, on the other hand, have been pushed into the background: full-fledged work with them is promised in 5.1–5.2, so the team doesn't want to promote the current “hidden” implementation.

The advanced web interface, as well as the local and federated timelines, are retained in 5.0. The team is looking for volunteers to test the prototype and emphasizes: this is only the beginning of a long journey.

Source: Lobsters