Sorry about the downtime! We’re back and serving posts again.

Hi all,

You probably guessed as much from the lack of updates over the last couple years, but I’m making it official: Washboard is essentially “done” at this point. I will do my best to keep the site online for as long as people find value in it (which a startling number of you still do!), but I just don’t have the time to rewrite everything from the ground up like I touted in 2018.

Thanks for sticking around for so long, and please do send me a message if anything breaks (although by now, any weird behavior is usually the Tumblr API’s fault and not mine 😉).

Smells like another ✨undocumented API change!✨

I’ll take a look.  I think the ancient OAuth library I used when writing Washboard is finally unsupported, because it’s only signed requests (Dashboard, liking / reblogging posts, etc.) that are failing.

I don’t know why :(

Tumblr seems to be returning an empty response for reblog requests from all API consumers, so it’s not a Washboard issue.  If the issue doesn’t go away soon I’ll contact Tumblr support.

I don’t know why, but I know they’re broken.  Thank you for the messages informing me; I’ll take a look and see if I can fix it.

Washboard turned 5 today!  Back in 2013, I had no idea it would still hold value to so many people in 2018.  I wanted to take some time to write about its future, since it’s been in maintenance mode for the last couple of years and I didn’t really have any plans up until recently.

Essentially, I’m rewriting Washboard from the ground up.  Web development has evolved a lot in half a decade, and it’s clear that Washboard has fallen behind the times.  The new version is going to be built on a more modern technology stack that will aid future development and maintenance.

At the same time, I’ll be heavily re-evaluating Washboard’s priorities as I decide where to focus my attention.  Here’s what I can guarantee about version 2.0:

• There will be a strong focus on accessibility.  Adjustable font size & color scheme, screen reader optimization, and easier navigation on small screens are a few of the features I plan to be present from day one.
• Write posts from Washboard!  It’s likely that audio and video posts won’t be supported, but you’ll be able to bang out a quick text post without opening unfiltered Tumblr. 
• Long reblog chains won’t get squished.  Tumblr fixed this years ago, so it’s time for Washboard to follow suit.
  
• Links will try harder to keep you inside Washboard.  Today, tapping on a blog name in Washboard takes you to the blog’s URL, where nothing is filtered.  This also breaks the iOS “Add to Home Screen” feature, which will incidentally be a higher priority as well.
  
• More granular control over hiding posts.  You’ll be able to mute blogs you follow, blacklist keywords per user, and more.
  

If you have any feedback on ways to improve Washboard (especially blacklisting features & accessibility), asks are open!  This is the best time to submit your ideas, while I’m still in the planning phase.  More details will follow next month!