We made several changes to our main website. Below I summarize the changes, why we made them and the benefits they can bring:
1. Site optimization
We removed all JavaScript from the site so that it is more compatible with the wide variety of setups and preferences users may have.
For example, some users prefer to disable JavaScript on websites entirely. We also allow traffic from Tor. We compressed the images so the site loads faster.
2. Domain change
Our site's domain used to be elnovenocírculo.tk, but due to recent changes to the ".tk" domain, we decided to get "elnovenocirculo.com" and "elnovenocirculo.org" directly.
3. Online player
For those who prefer to listen to music without ads, without creating accounts and without limits, you can go to elnovenocirculo.com/musica, where you will find our own online player so you can listen to our music at any time.
You will also be able to download the songs, the instrumental, the vocals and the MIDI, the music sheet (in .musicxml format) freely and at no cost, and you will find information about each song, such as the lyrics, the chords and the context behind every song and every album.
This decision encourages and makes it easier to share digital media freely. By now, these resources are incomplete, we will be adding more in the future.
4. Blog
We created a blog for both Silver and me (Steven), where you will find updates on topics related to us, from the band to our other interests.
5. Matrix server
Given the privacy concerns that have come up around Discord, we decided to create a Matrix server and set up our space on it. I would like to clarify that Matrix is not a direct alternative to Discord; the way it works is completely different.
Below is a brief explanation of what Matrix is compared to Discord:
Matrix itself is a protocol, just like email.
As with email, a person can have their own mail server and their own independent mail client, but they can also use servers run by corporations such as Gmail, Outlook or ProtonMail.
In practice, this means a company can have its own Matrix server, where users can create their accounts and where their information will be stored.
Likewise, since Matrix is just a protocol, there are dozens of clients a user can choose from to access their account.
List of Matrix clients: https://matrix.org/ecosystem/clients/
A Matrix server is not the equivalent of a Discord server. The equivalent of a Discord server is what is called a "space". A Matrix server is the infrastructure itself, which can host user accounts and spaces.
A user with an account on one Matrix server can join a space hosted on another Matrix server, even if it is not the one hosting their account. This makes Matrix a decentralized and impartial protocol.
Creating a Matrix account means choosing a server to host it. The general recommendation is for users to host their own Matrix server so they have their own account. However, in practical terms (because of technical knowledge barriers), many people prefer to create an account on a public Matrix server, which ties their account to a third party, just like on Discord.
List of public servers: https://servers.joinmatrix.org/
Matrix's ability to let users use it without depending on a server to create an account is still experimental.
For moderation, administration and capacity reasons, we decided not to allow account registration or the creation of arbitrary spaces on our Matrix server. If you want to create an account, our strongest recommendation is to set up your own server for maximum privacy and control.
If you do not mind creating an account on someone else's server, do it on the server you trust most from the list above or with a provider you know.
Link to our Matrix space: https://elnovenocirculo.com/matrix
6. Got
At got.elnovenocirculo.com, you will find the web interface of the "got" program, called "GotWeb". Got is an alternative to Git, created by the OpenBSD developers. GotWeb is a web interface for browsing the structure of got or git projects. Roughly speaking, it is like a self-hosted GitHub.
On this page we will publish the projects we are developing so that anyone can audit them.