Messaging platforms' coolness factor:

WhatsCrapp, FartBook Massager, et. al. <
RCS, iMessage <
SMS/MMS <
Signal <
Matrix <
XMPP, DeltaChat, ordinary email <
IRC <
[FT8]/JS8Call <
[Hellschreiber] <
[RTTY] <
[-.-. .--]

@rl_dane I have my xmpp bridged to IRC now, so I guess thats good enough

@rl_dane

I get what you're going for but unfortunately I have to put Matrix below Signal. In theory it would go above, but in practice… it's kinda bad and rough to use.

@amin

I've honestly had minimal issues with it, once I learned how to handle the little key negotiation dance. Minimal fuss. Haven't been unable to decrypt something in ages.

I mean, it's a coolness chart with CW/Morse Code at the peak. I'm not looking at ease of use. XD

@rl_dane

****Reticulum has entered the chat****

@venya

The website wasn't very explanatory... what's it all about? :)

@amin @rl_dane Every messager I've used has honestly been... Unrecomendable.

@OpenComputeDesign @amin

How about...

 ___
()__)-----,
          '-------,      ___
                  '-----(__()

...two cans and some string? ;)

@nigel

I think that's pretty legit! :D

@rl_dane @amin Honestly, it would probably be more reliable than Matrix or Google Chat :P

@OpenComputeDesign @amin

Google Chat isn't in this conversation.

The adults are talking. XD

Also, I don't get the amount of shade people throw on Matrix, unless they're annoyed at the server (software/setup/overhead) itself.

You figure out how to do your little key exchange dance the first time, then you're a pro, and things pretty much just work.

@rl_dane @amin you only have like 2 devices at most bro and you are not the kind person who will migrate/swap accounts and stuff often

@joel @amin

I use Matrix on my phone and four laptops. 🤨

@rl_dane @amin what kind of cosmical entity are you

@joel @rl_dane

What are you talking about? He has like five different laptops he uses regularly.

@amin @rl_dane sorry my mind must have deleted that from my memory because a working matrix setup across so many devices is a reality outside the realm of comprehension of my mind

@rl_dane @OpenComputeDesign

Authorizing clients is a headache for me, and syncing the mobile client always takes forever. I dunno, maybe it's from running Conduit instead of Synapse.

@amin @OpenComputeDesign

Could be. I haven't tried self-hosting it,

@joel @amin

One who finds pretty good deals on eBay and installs FOSS OSes on all the things!!!

@rl_dane @amin this thread reminded me that I had to re-log in on my phone after a reset and it didn’t sync one of several signing keys it needs so I had a permanent nag at the top of the screen asking me to give it a code I didnt have so I went through a scary reset process and asked it to give me the new big number that keeps matrix from nagging me about my security and it generated it and immediately closed the window that had it and now I can’t see it anymore so yeah signal is better than matrix.

@spaceraser @amin

You must loooooooooooove iMessage, I mean, "text messaging," then!

@rl_dane @amin I’m just saying if I had state secrets to share I’d be using session or a tor-based drop box. My family quit using matrix because it was constantly telling them how “insecure” it was, just from them trying to log in to things.

@spaceraser @amin

I mean if you TRIED to get your family onto Matrix then you've already got all the kudo points I can hand out, bub. 😄

@rl_dane @amin Maybe it's gotten better since I last used it. But every time I've used it, you can pretty much only send and recieve messages if you leave your computer on and logged in 100% of the time

@OpenComputeDesign @amin

It's definitely better now, unless that was also an issue with self-hosting or somebody else's server being wonky.

@rl_dane @amin

Also Google chat is the only messager I actually _have_ to use :P

@OpenComputeDesign @amin

I get it.

@rl_dane @amin

I guess I should log in again and see if I can finally read _any_ messages :P

@rl_dane @amin

That would be negatory :P

@OpenComputeDesign @amin

Well, you're kind of starting to order from scratch if you had nothing logged in at all.

@rl_dane @OpenComputeDesign @amin I mean… google chat is just walled off xmpp anyway. Likewise whatsapp and Facebook Messenger. They took the open thing, extended it and cut it off, effectively extinguishing the open source alternative as far as the general public was/is concerned.

@nigel @OpenComputeDesign @rl_dane

I used it a bunch when it was called "Hangouts". If that was the same product, I forget.

@amin @OpenComputeDesign @rl_dane yeah same, on Google+, im not sure if hangouts was the same thing as GTalk or not… but i don’t really care to investigate. Its just another thing they killed off now

@nigel @OpenComputeDesign @rl_dane

I know Google Plus and Hangouts were distinct. All their chat apps kinda blur together, though; I mean whatever was built into the Gmail interface back when I used it in middle school.

@amin @nigel @rl_dane

I just know whatever the current chat built into Gmail is the only way I have to talk to my favorite person in the whole wide world

@OpenComputeDesign @nigel @rl_dane

Yeah, okay, it's what I'm thinking of then.

@amin @OpenComputeDesign @rl_dane sorry I was just thinking about how Hangouts release was the same era as when I was using G+

@nigel @OpenComputeDesign @amin

GTalk was the O.G., from the early, early gmail days. Probably purest XMPP at that point.

@rl_dane @OpenComputeDesign @amin It was yeah.