I would prefer the connection instructions made clear that the default SSH username would be used to set up my username on the platform and display that to other users without initially seeking my consent. On $machine[work], I don't get to pick that $USER is my full name.
If this affects you, make sure you connect with `ssh [pseudonymous name]@late.sh`.
I know that. Just because SSH automatically sends my local $USER doesn't mean they have to report the value received in the SSH username automatically on the game platform to other users, without first having prompted me "your username has been reported as <greengreengrass>. Is it okay to show this?".
A simple flag in my user profile in the platform to say whether I've said that's okay or not.
Or instructions to advise people to choose their username /before/ first connect. These are reasonable, privacy-preserving things to call out in a good and user-friendly design.
# privacy
we store your key fingerprint, not the full public key.
no IP logging. no tracking. no analytics.
chat messages and game scores are stored in
postgres, tied only to your fingerprint.
don't trust us? use a throwaway key:
$ ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ~/.ssh/late_throwaway && ssh -o IdentitiesOnly=yes -i ~/.ssh/late_throwaway late.sh
generates a disposable key — zero risk, full experience
Wow, this got flagged immediately. Must have triggered some automated thing. Sorry!
This is a really cool idea, and very appealing. Also very nice that it looks usable with just an SSH client. It would be useful if it was explained what the companion client is for?
Another small personal gripe: I think you should either remove the 1 line copy/paste sh install on the homepage, or add a link to a git repo on the homepage. I know it's possible to view the sh by visiting it, but a raw text file doesn't give any info about contributors or development process. Current form of no git repo and copy/paste bash pipe on homepage feels like a dark pattern.
Not to mention that a webserver can be configured to show one sh file when a regular browser visits and another when curl etc. gets it. Show one thing, install another.
You don't have to change it just because one person complained. I personally like the "copy and paste curl command" to install something and I'm sure many others do as well. It's very convenient, and I can inspect the file myself if I'm that paranoid about it.
Is this really not a mostly “solved” problem using assistive browser (or OS-level) settings/extensions that apply high-contrast/large type consistently across all sites/apps? Is it necessary to performatively sacrifice aesthetics to signal to everyone else you’re especially sensitive to these needs?
At what point is it enough? If they use high contrast, large fonts, and translations for every language—including Swahili’s default Kiunjuga dialect, but fail to include the Kimvita, Kiamu, Kingwana, Chimiini, Bajuni, AND Comorian dialects, will they be accosted for saying “f off” to everyone speaking Swahili outside of Zanzibar?
Did I miss something? Aren't public key are supposed to be public?
To be clear, that's an honest question, not sarcasm of anything. I only assume I don't know about some corner case with SSH or something? Because we have those on our websites, they are supposed to be used to verify signatures, etc. How is publishing them bad?
It's up to you to decide if it's okay that you send a server provider (in this case late.sh) a bunch of your public keys which he could for example use to probe other servers to see if you have access to them.
Super cool and seems to have a depth of historical knowledge
I’m shocked to see that LORD can’t be used because of licensing. Legally I know that’s how it is, but it Just Feels Wrong(tm) that a popular game based on 9600baud phone modems is encumbered in the era of fibre, wifi, and smartphones
The whole brand identity is “late”, as in late night, as in all the lights are off and I don’t want my screen to blind me. I feel like this is a perfectly appropriate sort of theme, but maybe that’s just my inner 20-year old impugning my inner 70-year old?
Vibe coded slop has the same patterns of black-on-black and grey-on-grey illegible text. Mix that with piss poor monospace, small-size fonts and you have to squint to read each letter
yeah I was gonna say, it's very difficult to read on an eink display. And while we're at it, I believe my phone is set to reduced animations, which I believe is a preference that's exposed to websites, the experience would be much better without so much blinking going on.
Don’t forget to include translations to all 190+ languages, and their various dialects. Otherwise, you obv. don’t care about being inclusive to Sentinelese users. /s
Your dark mode choice for your late night chat is appropriate, and good branding. If someone’s technically literate enough to engage with an SSH-based social network, then they should be capable of injecting user scripts, custom CSS, and/or deploying assistive browser extensions, OS settings, and screen readers.
If this were a website about cataract treatments or a Metamucil landing page, then it would be a bad design.
Still plenty of thriving communities on IRC, particularly on Libera but elsewhere too. Similar to HN, it's one of the few remaining places on the internet you can hope to have a decent conversation.
It's possible to login and interact and use late.sh with just your SSH client - there's no need to download or run custom code. But you that did make me realise that they don't have a github link on that page anywhere.
Your tone in this comment is a bit out of place on HN. Why are you here if you think it's 1M dummies?
i had a quite good experience generating a key/username on my local machine and ssh'ing in.
lot of vitriol in the comments. looks like a spectacularly put together BBS, to me. the tools are open-source and have some really fun looking value add, but no, i haven't ran them.
I would prefer the connection instructions made clear that the default SSH username would be used to set up my username on the platform and display that to other users without initially seeking my consent. On $machine[work], I don't get to pick that $USER is my full name.
If this affects you, make sure you connect with `ssh [pseudonymous name]@late.sh`.
> without initially seeking my consent
That's just how SSH works. If you want to be pseudonymous, you should also generate a new key pair.
> That's just how SSH works
I know that. Just because SSH automatically sends my local $USER doesn't mean they have to report the value received in the SSH username automatically on the game platform to other users, without first having prompted me "your username has been reported as <greengreengrass>. Is it okay to show this?".
A simple flag in my user profile in the platform to say whether I've said that's okay or not.
Or instructions to advise people to choose their username /before/ first connect. These are reasonable, privacy-preserving things to call out in a good and user-friendly design.
They do make it clear...
Wow, this got flagged immediately. Must have triggered some automated thing. Sorry!
This is a really cool idea, and very appealing. Also very nice that it looks usable with just an SSH client. It would be useful if it was explained what the companion client is for?
Another small personal gripe: I think you should either remove the 1 line copy/paste sh install on the homepage, or add a link to a git repo on the homepage. I know it's possible to view the sh by visiting it, but a raw text file doesn't give any info about contributors or development process. Current form of no git repo and copy/paste bash pipe on homepage feels like a dark pattern.
Not to mention that a webserver can be configured to show one sh file when a regular browser visits and another when curl etc. gets it. Show one thing, install another.
So download it with curl and read it first before executing it from your local disk.
9 replies →
noted, good feedback :) will change it later, thanks!
You don't have to change it just because one person complained. I personally like the "copy and paste curl command" to install something and I'm sure many others do as well. It's very convenient, and I can inspect the file myself if I'm that paranoid about it.
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Also for all these kind of ssh stuff. Please include server finger print so others verify.
Is this your server fingerprint?
ED25519 key fingerprint is SHA256:Tc7aeaaQulKJeF3C/zd2BKvq/KgaQTHyMPNa3s9K+aE.
Really reminds me of https://tilde.town
For those who don't know just discovered you can change your theme!
Ctrl + O -> Move down to your theme. Helps with the default one being a bit chaotic
Thanks for whoever made this. This is rad and gives me hope for the old internet vibes.
This is amazing! Even real icecast with irc <3 Even my fav game 2048, even with real LLM :D
Fantastic job mati!
Thank you :)
This is like habbo hotel but for terminal nerds, amazing.
Reading this is like reading "this is like WiFi but for RJ11 nerds" while holding a dialup modem.
Totally! Or Club Penguin
Pay no need to other comments over here, this is awesome. I showed this to my co-workers, they all love it.
OK, which one of yous tried to `sudo apt install bobs and vageen`?? xD
I'm wondering how many ssh'd into this with the agent forwarding on?
I loved the text contrast on the landing page. Grey text on a dark background.
Yeah, it is a very nice way of saying “f off” if you’re poor, whatever with your display (low res mobile) or eyesight.
Is this really not a mostly “solved” problem using assistive browser (or OS-level) settings/extensions that apply high-contrast/large type consistently across all sites/apps? Is it necessary to performatively sacrifice aesthetics to signal to everyone else you’re especially sensitive to these needs?
At what point is it enough? If they use high contrast, large fonts, and translations for every language—including Swahili’s default Kiunjuga dialect, but fail to include the Kimvita, Kiamu, Kingwana, Chimiini, Bajuni, AND Comorian dialects, will they be accosted for saying “f off” to everyone speaking Swahili outside of Zanzibar?
3 replies →
Is this just IRC
More of a BBS, I'd argue. Replace dialing with a modem with SSH, and otherwise the analogy holds decentky well.
That is a modern BBS! I love the idea. Though I guess most people these days don't know what a BBS is, if you don't, look it up.
Reminder to be cautious about leaking public keys.
Once you leak your public key it could be used to check if another server recognizes that leaked public key.
Did I miss something? Aren't public key are supposed to be public?
To be clear, that's an honest question, not sarcasm of anything. I only assume I don't know about some corner case with SSH or something? Because we have those on our websites, they are supposed to be used to verify signatures, etc. How is publishing them bad?
It's just something everyone should be aware of.
It's up to you to decide if it's okay that you send a server provider (in this case late.sh) a bunch of your public keys which he could for example use to probe other servers to see if you have access to them.
Everyone has different opsec.
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Surely you shouldn't be leaking your username. I could use it to see if another server recognised 'h43z'....
OpenSSH server is designed not to reveal whether a username exists.
What?
By default SSH leaks all of the below public keys (if they exist) + all public keys in your ssh-agent to a server you connect to.
running `ssh late.sh` would do exactly that.
At the very bottom of the website they give you a command that would not leak your public keys.
`ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ~/.ssh/late_throwaway && ssh -o IdentitiesOnly=yes -i ~/.ssh/late_throwaway late.sh`
this would only send the late_throwaway public key
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For anyone looking for a safer way to evaluate this (like myself), feel free to use my safer ssh connection script[0].
[0] https://gist.github.com/dangeranger/4a00ae6bed3a733161ffa3a5...
Super cool and seems to have a depth of historical knowledge
I’m shocked to see that LORD can’t be used because of licensing. Legally I know that’s how it is, but it Just Feels Wrong(tm) that a popular game based on 9600baud phone modems is encumbered in the era of fibre, wifi, and smartphones
shameless self plug for a similar ssh experience, but for baseball: https://mlbt.sh
I built it with the same stack and around the same time as late.sh, which I used for some inspiration.
also, mlbt can be run locally as a TUI.
Fix for ChromeOS Linux: https://chatgpt.com/share/6a60b174-7b14-83ea-83d4-bdf4dc8ccc...
Similar to DevZat: https://github.com/quackduck/devzat
Design is illegible. Needs more contrast between text and background. I'm not even vision impaired and I was squinting immediately.
Even 15 years ago this was such a big problem that someone tried to start a rebellion: https://contrastrebellion.com/
Haha, nice website, with the greyed-out comments on HN featured among the offending examples. :)
The whole brand identity is “late”, as in late night, as in all the lights are off and I don’t want my screen to blind me. I feel like this is a perfectly appropriate sort of theme, but maybe that’s just my inner 20-year old impugning my inner 70-year old?
So much modern GUI design is really poor for those a bit older where contrast is important.
The accessibility checker in Chrome/Firefox devtools would immediately flag this.
there are many many themes. some high contrast ones
Hmm maybe the tool has but the design of the website made me squint as well.
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Vibe coded slop has the same patterns of black-on-black and grey-on-grey illegible text. Mix that with piss poor monospace, small-size fonts and you have to squint to read each letter
I'm, by contrast, an able bodied person with functioning eyes and had no issues.
You might not have the average display.
But, can you reason more about your intent with the tone of your comment?
1 reply →
Nice! I was just thinking about how much I love installing binaries instead of going to a website
Good thing you don't have to install anything to run `ssh late.sh` and check this out
"your ssh key is your identity."
"don't trust us? use a throwaway key"
Ever see something new, and just know it’s going to survive?
Your site copy is great to the last drop.
Great submission.
> Your site copy is great to the last drop.
It is? It’s just the usual LLM.
The design = “flavor of the week LLM”,
but someone still has to proof and tweak generated copy.
Someone cared about this page.
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love this!
was panning to add similar things into my own macOS[1] ssh app with persistent SSH server.
[1] https://popssh.com
I've never seen such a lame landing page for such a FREAKING COOL project. It's like a reverse trojan horse.
Anyway, with that critique aside, this is the coolest thing I've seen all quarter.
Looks neat, bookmarked and want to check it out!
Good work, thanks!
NEW web design with better contrast incoming! :D Thank you for the feedback :)
yeah I was gonna say, it's very difficult to read on an eink display. And while we're at it, I believe my phone is set to reduced animations, which I believe is a preference that's exposed to websites, the experience would be much better without so much blinking going on.
There’s a single green box blinking at the top. If that’s too much for your e-ink display to handle, I think the problem is your display.
Don’t forget to include translations to all 190+ languages, and their various dialects. Otherwise, you obv. don’t care about being inclusive to Sentinelese users. /s
Your dark mode choice for your late night chat is appropriate, and good branding. If someone’s technically literate enough to engage with an SSH-based social network, then they should be capable of injecting user scripts, custom CSS, and/or deploying assistive browser extensions, OS settings, and screen readers.
If this were a website about cataract treatments or a Metamucil landing page, then it would be a bad design.
why not just use irc?
can you listen to music, play sudoku/nanograms/tetris, do live artboard, jump into NetHack/DCSS/dopewars/LOGD insdie IRC?
Which servers are still alive?
Still plenty of thriving communities on IRC, particularly on Libera but elsewhere too. Similar to HN, it's one of the few remaining places on the internet you can hope to have a decent conversation.
Rizon, hackint, and Libera, among others
nobody has mIRC/ircii installed by default
everyone has ssh installed by default
Guess you could have ssh to irc bridge
I really love this!
Pretty cool ngl.
this is amazing, great idea
this is amazing
And... Cue 1M dummies here running that code without even looking at it, SMH.
It's possible to login and interact and use late.sh with just your SSH client - there's no need to download or run custom code. But you that did make me realise that they don't have a github link on that page anywhere.
Your tone in this comment is a bit out of place on HN. Why are you here if you think it's 1M dummies?
The people why ran that line without knowing what it does are dummies. And yes maybe not 1M but there were a lot of them.
3 replies →
i had a quite good experience generating a key/username on my local machine and ssh'ing in.
lot of vitriol in the comments. looks like a spectacularly put together BBS, to me. the tools are open-source and have some really fun looking value add, but no, i haven't ran them.
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A CLI tool that's not grep-able is a GUI disguised as TUI.
Did it ever claim it was a CLI?
Under every link to download the CLI. The ones hosted on the cli subdomain
title literally says "command line".
yes, and... ?
Let the man not enjoy it in peace.