The Mastodon experience seems to hinge pretty dramatically on instance choice. octodon.social has a stellar admin in @CobaltVelvet, but I can't interact (easily) with a big chunk of the local community because I don't speak the language(s).

The timeline at mastodon.technology is mostly in English, and they talk a lot about #programming, #oss, and #gaming. Which I also talk a lot about. So off I go!