TERM: Retarded Café Terminal

You type a command and get an answer, with no menus and no banners. TERM is built as a terminal, and not only for looks: it is the entry to the Retarded Café ecosystem, which its authors call a decentralized laboratory of digital freedom.

If you prefer a keyboard and text commands to buttons, the format will suit you. Everyone else can launch the mini app for full access. 💻

What hides behind the terminal

• Learning. Educational material about decentralization.
• Source code. Access to the code of ecosystem projects.
• The Disruptor journal. A publication by a digital dissident.
• Tools. Kits for developers.
• Community. A closed one, for those with access.

The project itself describes the contents. Judge how much you need them before you subscribe.

Commands: a short vocabulary

• /start. Begin using the bot.
• /help. List the available commands.
• /status. Check your subscription status.
• /access. Get to the materials.
• /subscribe. Manage your subscription.

The set is small, so you can learn it in a couple of minutes.

First steps

1. Open the bot and send /start.
2. Look at /help to see every command.
3. Check /status to learn if your subscription is active.
4. Open /access and pick materials.
5. If buttons feel easier, launch the mini app.

What decentralization means in practice

Decentralized systems do not depend on one owner or one server. Data and control are spread among participants, so shutting such a system down with a single decision is harder.

Learning the topic usually covers cryptography, peer-to-peer networks, blockchains and privacy. These are demanding areas, and quick results should not be expected.

Who the terminal format suits

Developers and people learning to program: text commands feel familiar and there are no long menus to flip through. Readers following privacy and digital rights who want original material, not retellings.

People tired of noisy ad-heavy channels who want a closed place to discuss. If you need quick signals or money-making tips, you will not find them here.

Start with one material. Read it, understand it, try it, and only then move on.

Paid access: what to check

The bot works on a subscription, which opens the materials and the closed part of the community. See prices, terms and payment methods in the bot itself via /subscribe.

• Period. Find out how long the subscription runs.
• Cancelling. Learn how to turn it off.
• Contents. Make sure the material you want is included.

Handle source code with care

Read code from any source before running it, and run it in an isolated environment. Never enter seed phrases or private keys into someone else's program, and never keep secrets in public repositories.

A closed community is no reason to trust advice blindly. Check ideas yourself and never put money into other people's projects on a chat recommendation. 🙂