JL Kruger
5422131782
Homepage (site/index.html): integration-v14 promoted, Writings section integrated with 33 pieces clustered by type (stories/essays/miscellany), Writings welcome lightbox, content frame at 98% opacity. Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
103 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
103 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
# Meshagora
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A social platform simulator for teaching digital literacy. Runs as a local web server on an Android phone (via Termux), participants join through their browsers over WiFi — no internet required, no app install, no persistent data.
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Designed for workshop facilitation. Every session starts clean. All data lives in memory and is destroyed when the server stops.
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---
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## What it teaches
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Meshagora recreates the mechanics of real social platforms in a controlled, observable environment:
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- Tiered posting access (who gets amplified, who gets restricted)
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- Pseudonymity vs. identity (session labels vs. confirmed friends)
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- Community reporting and auto-restriction
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- Algorithmic feed ordering (invisible vote weights)
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- Handshake-based friend networks and friends-only feeds
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- Flood attacks (bot accounts)
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- Admin surveillance — the platform sees everything participants don't
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---
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## Requirements
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```
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Python 3.8+
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flask
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qrcode[pil]
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```
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---
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## Quick Start — Termux (Android, recommended for sessions)
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```bash
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pkg install python git
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pip install flask qrcode[pil]
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git clone https://github.com/JL-Kruger/meshagora.git
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cd meshagora
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```
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1. Enable the Android **mobile hotspot** before running the script.
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2. Run:
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```bash
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python3 meshagora.py
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```
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3. The startup banner prints the join URL, QR code link, and all post keys.
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4. Participants connect to the hotspot WiFi and open the join URL in any browser.
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See `DEPLOY.md` for the full pre-session checklist, admin panel guide, and troubleshooting.
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---
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## Quick Start — Desktop (testing)
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```bash
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pip install flask qrcode[pil]
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python3 meshagora.py
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```
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Server runs at `http://127.0.0.1:5000`. Open multiple browser tabs or incognito windows to simulate multiple participants.
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---
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## Architecture
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Single-file Flask application (`meshagora.py`). No framework, no database file, no external assets. SQLite runs in-memory. `threaded=False` is mandatory — do not change it.
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### Post tiers
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| Tier | Key length | Who has it |
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|---|---|---|
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| ADMIN | 4 emoji | Facilitator only |
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| TRUSTED | 2 emoji | Promoted users |
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| DEFAULT | 2 emoji | All registered users (rotates on restriction events) |
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| RESTRICTED | co-sign | Users restricted by admin or community report |
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### Feed ordering
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1. Highest-score post pinned to top
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2. Middle posts ordered newest-first
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3. Lowest-score post pinned to bottom
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### Auto-restriction
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When unique reporters exceed 51% of a user's total posts, that user is automatically restricted and the Default Post Key rotates silently.
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---
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## Files
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| File | Purpose |
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| `meshagora.py` | Complete implementation |
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| `meshagora_spec_v2_3.md` | Full design specification |
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| `DEPLOY.md` | Deployment guide, troubleshooting, pre-session checklist |
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---
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## Stopping the Server
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`Ctrl+C` in the terminal. All session data is gone immediately. This is intentional.
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