Like mastodon but with values? https://bonfirenetworks.org/posts/slow_software_for_a_burning_world/ Has anyone heard of it or can make meaningful distinctions?

I think they're just preparing to launch it, so it is unlikely someone had an opportunity to meaningfully test it. So far, it sounds like a modular framework on top of activity pub, with a focus on collaborative governing of your community's “instance”. The best part: it is still a part of Fediverse, so it both builds on top of it, and shows what else can be done with it. As plain and “value-less” Mastodon could seem — because it is a part of the Fediverse, it gives power to projects like this just by its and its user base existence — people are mostly free to move between instances and projects on the Fediverse without losing the contact with their existent communities, so it is much easier to build projects like this one, I guess.

I have followed it a bit, mostly for their interest in supporting Open Science (see https://openscience.network/about). "Plugins on top of ActivityPub" sounds like a good enough summary of what I have seen, if you focus on the technology aspect.