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> ... the very fact that people can move from one host to another ... I think it's worth explicitly spelling out that federation reduces the cost to switch hos
by Reelin 6y ago
> ... the very fact that people can move from one host to another ...
I think it's worth explicitly spelling out that federation reduces the cost to switch hosts to near zero in many cases. There's no technical reason you can't use a different host on your end per contact in Matrix (for one to one messaging at least). It would be absurd, but you could do it provided that your client supported it.
If it's really needed, federation combined with open source software means that tooling can be adapted to facilitate your particular security and workflow requirements. (Not that you should need it generally, but the freedom is always there if you do.)
- codethief 6y ago> federation combined with open source software means that tooling can be adapted to facilitate your particular security and workflow requirements In theory, yes. In practice, however, it gets very complicated. (See e.g. Jabber.) You end up with a situation where only experts are able to set up a secure system for themselves, whereas the average user can't even accurately assess how well her/his privacy is currently protected.
- Reelin 6y agoI agree, I never meant to imply that maintaining your own fork is simple. I was merely highlighting that the freedom to do so while still interoperating with everyone else is there. Centralization generally deprives you of that ability. It's analogous to open source vs proprietary software. End users shouldn't generally need to modify the software they use. Doing so isn't typically easy or straightforward for the vast majority of people. But if you ever need to do so, the option is there.