We looked at /dev/null, a social network only for developers, through its public screens and news coverage. The feed is a Log, posting is a Commit, and every post carries a commit hash.
/dev/null is a social network where you sign in with GitHub, follow other developers and post short text. Nuno Maduro, Matthieu Napoli and Brent Roose built it in PHP during a public 48-hour livestream from October 15 to 16. The code is open on GitHub under the MIT license and has 597 stars.
The official front page says more than 12,000 developers are already there. In an article on October 20, the team said it had more than 4,000 users and about 1,000 returning in the last 48 hours, and that deeper analytics did not exist yet. It is unclear whether the two numbers are counted the same way. This is not a review after signing up. It is based on the public screens before login and on news coverage.
Image: /dev/null
The fun of the design is that every word is borrowed from git. The feed is called Log and the compose button is Commit. In the top right of each post, a seven-character commit hash replaces the timestamp. There are no likes, only Stars.
Replies are drawn like a git graph. A vertical line runs down from the author's avatar and a dotted branch splits off for each reply. Collapsed replies open with a Show the last reply link. Tabs at the top are Following, Latest and Trending, and search is ⌘K. Every post has a Translate button, so posts in other languages stay readable.
Image: /dev/null
The post that stood out on the front page the day I looked was from team member Matthieu Napoli. Visitors on phones press Join with GitHub, but only 28% actually sign up, against 70% on desktop. His theory is that opening the link inside the X or Instagram app's browser means GitHub is not signed in there, and he was testing a landing-page note that suggests opening it in Safari.
The service's problems are written out in public inside the service, and users help trace the cause in replies. It looks like a developer tool working in the same room as its users.
Worth borrowing and worth questioning
| Every term follows one world, git | It is still unclear how Stars will be used in place of likes |
| Replies are shown as a git graph | Post length limits differ between sources, so I could not confirm one |
| Operating problems are discussed in the open | The user count is a number the team gave and deeper analytics do not exist yet |
Developers usually have social networks already. What makes this one stand out is the voice rather than the features. Every name comes from words developers use daily, so even a first look feels familiar. If you build internal tools or developer products, it is worth opening once.
Whether people keep using it is not known yet. Forty-eight hours of numbers cannot say, and I have not signed up and used it myself.
