Why This Matters
This innovative project demonstrates the feasibility of building a terminal-only client for Bluesky's AT Protocol using Fortran, a language not typically associated with modern web applications. It highlights the potential for leveraging diverse programming languages and cross-language integrations to create lightweight, efficient tools that cater to niche user needs in the tech industry. For consumers, this means access to minimalist, resource-efficient clients that prioritize privacy and simplicity.
Key Takeaways
- The project showcases cross-language integration, combining Fortran, Rust, C, and Python for a specialized client.
- It emphasizes the importance of lightweight, terminal-based tools in the evolving social media landscape.
- Developers can explore unconventional language choices like Fortran to create efficient, niche applications.
Fortransky
Yes, that Fortran.
A terminal-only Bluesky / AT Protocol client written in Fortran, with a Rust native firehose decoder for the relay-raw stream path.
Architecture
Fortran TUI (src/) └─ C libcurl bridge (cshim/) └─ Fortran iso_c_binding module (src/atproto/firehose_bridge.f90) └─ Rust staticlib (bridge/firehose-bridge/) envelope → CAR → DAG-CBOR → NormalizedEvent → JSONL + firehose_bridge_cli binary (used by relay_raw_tail.py)
Session state is saved in ~/.fortransky/session.json . Use an app password, not your main Bluesky password.
Build dependencies
System packages (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt install -y gfortran cmake pkg-config libcurl4-openssl-dev
Rust toolchain
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