5 ms·

Mind sharing the matrix bridge? I think we are really close to regular people using matrix. Element is a really good client but it's slightly too rough around t

Mind sharing the matrix bridge? I think we are really close to regular people using matrix. Element is a really good client but it's slightly too rough around the edges still. We need something that's as joyful and fun to use (and look at) as Slack. We also need a very easy export/import process for other clients. That's a huuuge untapped feature. It means the data stays the same but you just slap a new UI on top of it. "Apps" then only compete on UI which means the diversity and sophistication of those experiences will grow rapidly. Combine that with a plug and play self hosting solution eventually and we're well on the road to secure personal clouds.

gary-kim 6y ago
This is likely the one they are referring to: https://github.com/tulir/mautrix-signal/ https://github.com/tulir/mautrix-signal/ I use it myself and it has been working perfectly for me since I switched to it.
abstract_put 6y ago
I found it on Matrix's site[0], direct link is here[1]. It's a bit of a pain to set up initially, particularly in a Docker-Compose deployment, as the containers are created to incrementally build up configuration. > I think we are really close to regular people using matrix. I personally haven't met any "real" people who are even aware of Matrix. When I broached it with a non-IT friend, they were actively uninterested in unifying messaging applications as they had "facebook friends" and "whatsapp friends" and interacted with them differently. > export/import process for other clients conversation history, you mean? Is there other data a messaging app captures that you want access to? [0]: https://matrix.org/bridges/ https://matrix.org/bridges/ [1]: https://github.com/tulir/mautrix-signal https://github.com/tulir/mautrix-signal
- GekkePrutser 6y ago
  That doesn't use signald. It uses the full desktop client in nodejs and as such uses a lot of memory :(
  - cyphar 6y ago
    Check the link -- there is an older bridge which ran the client with some monkey-patched JavaScript, but this is a new bridge that does use signald.
    - GekkePrutser 6y ago
      Ahh ok I wasn't aware of this. I used the bridge about 1.5 years ago and dropped it because of its crazy memory use and instability. I didn't realise it had been rewritten. I'll give it another try, thanks!
- motiejus 6y ago
  I am running my own home server, everyone in my family has an account they use there (the domain is our last name). Non-techy people use it and like it (past the initial setup, since setting up a custom domain requires a few more clicks than :matrix.org account). I am not waiting for the day, though, when they will need to set up a new device without access to the old one because of E2E setup. I would like Matrix to provide a setting to advise UIs to not use e2e encryption for the same domain -- that's useless if you trust the home server (my family do trust my home server). > I personally haven't met any "real" people who are even aware of Matrix. When I broached it with a non-IT friend, they were actively uninterested in unifying messaging applications as they had "facebook friends" and "whatsapp friends" and interacted with them differently. I tried to sell it too with the "unify your messaging apps", but this is a wrong selling point to new users. First they need to start using matrix as their messaging app, realize that it works well, including VoIP and video calls. Once trust is there, only then start thinking about using bridges. Because there will be rough edges (e.g. federated voice/video calls do not work). Because of the way bridges integrate to third-parties, they are not bug-free. Reliability is just not great yet. Maybe except a hosted service, Beeper[1], which is run by people who know most about these bridges and can provide support. To sum up, I am using Matrix for my family network, and some bridges personally; I am not yet planning to spread the use of bridges beyond myself. Besides the encryption setup, I like the UI a lot. I also use gomuks[2] from time to time, which is a terminal matrix application. I have not stumped into server-side problems. I am donating monthly to Tulir[3], the most prolific Matrix bridge developer (and, to my knowledge, co-founder of beeper). Because I started using Matrix thanks to his bridges. Oh, and I love the Matrix sms bridge[4]. I set it up to see if it works, and I am not going back. It's great. [1]: https://www.beeper.com/ https://www.beeper.com/ [2]: https://github.com/tulir/gomuks https://github.com/tulir/gomuks [3]: https://github.com/tulir https://github.com/tulir [4]: https://github.com/tijder/SmsMatrix https://github.com/tijder/SmsMatrix
  - A6gYPfxNas 6y ago
    Holy moly I can't believe it took me this long to hear about beeper. I'm pretty awful at responding to msgs sometimes because I have so many different places that I can receive them. Will definitely be giving Beeper a shot and am surprised that more people aren't looking for this exact solution. I even went looking a while back and all I found was franz which felt clunky and unusable. Even though I want to get away from the fb ecosystem, at the end of the day, normies gonna norm.
tharne 6y ago
> I think we are really close to regular people using matrix. I wish this were true. We're not even that close to getting regular people to use Signal, at least not in meaningful numbers. Perhaps your friends family are more tech-savy and privacy-focused than mine, but it's like pulling teeth to get folks away from iMessage or Whatsapp.
- ungamedplayer 6y ago
  I think the real trick is to stop trying to cater for 'regular' people, let them deal with the repercussions of their choices.
  - tomcooks 6y ago
    No idea why you would get downvoted for stating the obvious
  - lxgr 6y ago
    Do you only ever message people in your bubble? If not, the choices of ”regular people“ will inevitably also affect you.
  - Vinnl 6y ago
    If no "regular" people use these, then anyone who does sticks out like a sore thumb. One of the main reasons I'm using products like this is to support journalists, whistleblowers, lawyers, etc. (Who also are "regular" people in relevant ways.)
  - dunefox 6y ago
    A messenger is useless if people don't use it.
- developer93 6y ago
  I don't understand why people have such an issue running multiple messaging clients on the same phone. I've managed to move a large chunk of my WhatsApp friends onto signal, then block in WhatsApp to enforce the signal usage. Of course there are holdouts.
jasonjayr 6y ago
Fluffychat is another good matrix client that may help widespread adoption ...

gary-kim 6y ago

This is likely the one they are referring to: https://github.com/tulir/mautrix-signal/ https://github.com/tulir/mautrix-signal/ I use it myself and it has been working perfectly for me since I switched to it.

abstract_put 6y ago

I found it on Matrix's site[0], direct link is here[1]. It's a bit of a pain to set up initially, particularly in a Docker-Compose deployment, as the containers are created to incrementally build up configuration. > I think we are really close to regular people using matrix. I personally haven't met any "real" people who are even aware of Matrix. When I broached it with a non-IT friend, they were actively uninterested in unifying messaging applications as they had "facebook friends" and "whatsapp friends" and interacted with them differently. > export/import process for other clients conversation history, you mean? Is there other data a messaging app captures that you want access to? [0]: https://matrix.org/bridges/ https://matrix.org/bridges/ [1]: https://github.com/tulir/mautrix-signal https://github.com/tulir/mautrix-signal

GekkePrutser 6y ago
That doesn't use signald. It uses the full desktop client in nodejs and as such uses a lot of memory :(
- cyphar 6y ago
  Check the link -- there is an older bridge which ran the client with some monkey-patched JavaScript, but this is a new bridge that does use signald.
  - GekkePrutser 6y ago
    Ahh ok I wasn't aware of this. I used the bridge about 1.5 years ago and dropped it because of its crazy memory use and instability. I didn't realise it had been rewritten. I'll give it another try, thanks!
motiejus 6y ago
I am running my own home server, everyone in my family has an account they use there (the domain is our last name). Non-techy people use it and like it (past the initial setup, since setting up a custom domain requires a few more clicks than :matrix.org account). I am not waiting for the day, though, when they will need to set up a new device without access to the old one because of E2E setup. I would like Matrix to provide a setting to advise UIs to not use e2e encryption for the same domain -- that's useless if you trust the home server (my family do trust my home server). > I personally haven't met any "real" people who are even aware of Matrix. When I broached it with a non-IT friend, they were actively uninterested in unifying messaging applications as they had "facebook friends" and "whatsapp friends" and interacted with them differently. I tried to sell it too with the "unify your messaging apps", but this is a wrong selling point to new users. First they need to start using matrix as their messaging app, realize that it works well, including VoIP and video calls. Once trust is there, only then start thinking about using bridges. Because there will be rough edges (e.g. federated voice/video calls do not work). Because of the way bridges integrate to third-parties, they are not bug-free. Reliability is just not great yet. Maybe except a hosted service, Beeper[1], which is run by people who know most about these bridges and can provide support. To sum up, I am using Matrix for my family network, and some bridges personally; I am not yet planning to spread the use of bridges beyond myself. Besides the encryption setup, I like the UI a lot. I also use gomuks[2] from time to time, which is a terminal matrix application. I have not stumped into server-side problems. I am donating monthly to Tulir[3], the most prolific Matrix bridge developer (and, to my knowledge, co-founder of beeper). Because I started using Matrix thanks to his bridges. Oh, and I love the Matrix sms bridge[4]. I set it up to see if it works, and I am not going back. It's great. [1]: https://www.beeper.com/ https://www.beeper.com/ [2]: https://github.com/tulir/gomuks https://github.com/tulir/gomuks [3]: https://github.com/tulir https://github.com/tulir [4]: https://github.com/tijder/SmsMatrix https://github.com/tijder/SmsMatrix
- A6gYPfxNas 6y ago
  Holy moly I can't believe it took me this long to hear about beeper. I'm pretty awful at responding to msgs sometimes because I have so many different places that I can receive them. Will definitely be giving Beeper a shot and am surprised that more people aren't looking for this exact solution. I even went looking a while back and all I found was franz which felt clunky and unusable. Even though I want to get away from the fb ecosystem, at the end of the day, normies gonna norm.

tharne 6y ago

> I think we are really close to regular people using matrix. I wish this were true. We're not even that close to getting regular people to use Signal, at least not in meaningful numbers. Perhaps your friends family are more tech-savy and privacy-focused than mine, but it's like pulling teeth to get folks away from iMessage or Whatsapp.

ungamedplayer 6y ago
I think the real trick is to stop trying to cater for 'regular' people, let them deal with the repercussions of their choices.
- tomcooks 6y ago
  No idea why you would get downvoted for stating the obvious
- lxgr 6y ago
  Do you only ever message people in your bubble? If not, the choices of ”regular people“ will inevitably also affect you.
- Vinnl 6y ago
  If no "regular" people use these, then anyone who does sticks out like a sore thumb. One of the main reasons I'm using products like this is to support journalists, whistleblowers, lawyers, etc. (Who also are "regular" people in relevant ways.)
- dunefox 6y ago
  A messenger is useless if people don't use it.
developer93 6y ago
I don't understand why people have such an issue running multiple messaging clients on the same phone. I've managed to move a large chunk of my WhatsApp friends onto signal, then block in WhatsApp to enforce the signal usage. Of course there are holdouts.

jasonjayr 6y ago

Fluffychat is another good matrix client that may help widespread adoption ...