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> I really really like the ideas of Matrix, but the problem is none of my friends are on it. Build a whatsapp bridge for matrix? I mean, it's built for the exa

by codemac 10y ago

> I really really like the ideas of Matrix, but the problem is none of my friends are on it. Build a whatsapp bridge for matrix? I mean, it's built for the exact case where people aren't "on" it.

Arathorn 10y ago
Precisely. There's already the beginnings of a WhatsApp bridge for Matrix (and indeed anything that libpurple can speak) at https://github.com/matrix-org/node-purple/tree/master/appservice https://github.com/matrix-org/node-purple/tree/master/appser.... It just needs tuits for people to work on and finish off. Meanwhile, the IRC & Slack bridges are live and work relatively well today (although a lot more work still to be done).
reitanqild 10y ago
The problem is Whatsapp is actively hostile to any kind of attempts to creating 3rd party clients or APIs.
- thaumasiotes 10y ago
  So was AIM, though. That didn't stop the third party clients.
  - smcnally 10y ago
    AOL worked actively to stop third-party AIM clients in the same ways as mentioned above from icq through WhatsApp -- changing protocols and central auth mechanisms. http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9909/06/aol.vsms.idg/index.html http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9909/06/aol.vsms.idg/index... http://articles.latimes.com/1999/jul/24/business/fi-59086 http://articles.latimes.com/1999/jul/24/business/fi-59086
    - thaumasiotes 10y ago
      Right, the point is "whatsapp is hostile to third-party clients" makes no sense as an explanation of why we don't have third-party clients for whatsapp, because all third-party clients for everything have had to deal with hostility from the first party.
- drdaeman 10y ago
  Wasn't really a problem with ICQ, even though they had actively struggled and tried to change protocols frequently (and broke unofficial clients once in few months). The community was large, and there was a significant demand for good clients (official one was shit). I guess now the difference must be that either official client is good enough for most users, or that users' attitude to how they want things had changed and they learned to submit to whatever service providers dictate.
- voltagex_ 10y ago
  Exactly, and this is the problem with the state of messaging in 2016. The companies have built their walled gardens and are now actively defending them against "outsiders". It's to the point where I've considered buying an iDevice just to communicate with a few friends on iMessage.
  - herbst 10y ago
    Strange thing is this was always the case and just recently started to change. MSN API was a joke, you needed a desktop environment on the server to run the actual client to use SOME of the functionality. Nearly the same with Skype. Gchat removed Jabber pretty fast. Facebook chat also removed the outside functionality of their XMPP clone. Whatsapp is not even able to provide a web client, but only a weired bridge because they crippled to xmpp they are using way to much. No experience with the Apple services but i assume they are similar. Next to that we always had open protocols, that worked perfectly, had plenty of clients and apps and nobody used them. It is a stupid market.
  - RileyKyeden 10y ago
    Convince them to get Telegram. It works on most devices, and has extensibility built in: https://telegram.org/blog/bot-revolution https://telegram.org/blog/bot-revolution https://core.telegram.org/api https://core.telegram.org/api
    - reitanqild 10y ago
      Already did with the in-laws. :-)
    - Bromskloss 10y ago
      I just installed the Telegram app. Why is it asking for my phone number?
      - zanny 10y ago
        They use phone number as account name rather than email on mobile.

by codemac 10y ago

> I really really like the ideas of Matrix, but the problem is none of my friends are on it. Build a whatsapp bridge for matrix? I mean, it's built for the exact case where people aren't "on" it.

Arathorn 10y ago

Precisely. There's already the beginnings of a WhatsApp bridge for Matrix (and indeed anything that libpurple can speak) at https://github.com/matrix-org/node-purple/tree/master/appservice https://github.com/matrix-org/node-purple/tree/master/appser.... It just needs tuits for people to work on and finish off. Meanwhile, the IRC & Slack bridges are live and work relatively well today (although a lot more work still to be done).

reitanqild 10y ago

The problem is Whatsapp is actively hostile to any kind of attempts to creating 3rd party clients or APIs.

thaumasiotes 10y ago
So was AIM, though. That didn't stop the third party clients.
- smcnally 10y ago
  AOL worked actively to stop third-party AIM clients in the same ways as mentioned above from icq through WhatsApp -- changing protocols and central auth mechanisms. http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9909/06/aol.vsms.idg/index.html http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9909/06/aol.vsms.idg/index... http://articles.latimes.com/1999/jul/24/business/fi-59086 http://articles.latimes.com/1999/jul/24/business/fi-59086
  - thaumasiotes 10y ago
    Right, the point is "whatsapp is hostile to third-party clients" makes no sense as an explanation of why we don't have third-party clients for whatsapp, because all third-party clients for everything have had to deal with hostility from the first party.
drdaeman 10y ago
Wasn't really a problem with ICQ, even though they had actively struggled and tried to change protocols frequently (and broke unofficial clients once in few months). The community was large, and there was a significant demand for good clients (official one was shit). I guess now the difference must be that either official client is good enough for most users, or that users' attitude to how they want things had changed and they learned to submit to whatever service providers dictate.
voltagex_ 10y ago
Exactly, and this is the problem with the state of messaging in 2016. The companies have built their walled gardens and are now actively defending them against "outsiders". It's to the point where I've considered buying an iDevice just to communicate with a few friends on iMessage.
- herbst 10y ago
  Strange thing is this was always the case and just recently started to change. MSN API was a joke, you needed a desktop environment on the server to run the actual client to use SOME of the functionality. Nearly the same with Skype. Gchat removed Jabber pretty fast. Facebook chat also removed the outside functionality of their XMPP clone. Whatsapp is not even able to provide a web client, but only a weired bridge because they crippled to xmpp they are using way to much. No experience with the Apple services but i assume they are similar. Next to that we always had open protocols, that worked perfectly, had plenty of clients and apps and nobody used them. It is a stupid market.
- RileyKyeden 10y ago
  Convince them to get Telegram. It works on most devices, and has extensibility built in: https://telegram.org/blog/bot-revolution https://telegram.org/blog/bot-revolution https://core.telegram.org/api https://core.telegram.org/api
  - reitanqild 10y ago
    Already did with the in-laws. :-)
  - Bromskloss 10y ago
    I just installed the Telegram app. Why is it asking for my phone number?
    - zanny 10y ago
      They use phone number as account name rather than email on mobile.