2026-02-10 17:19 UTC
Replies (9)
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@lionelb@expressional.social 2026-02-10 17:30
@openess@skrivel.se For non-techie users, DeltaChat is maybe something you should look at.
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@bob@beamship.mpaq.org 2026-02-10 17:32
@openess@skrivel.se As far as I'm concered, Matrix is just reinventing the wheel just like BlueSky is claiming to be like the fediverse. I've been running an xmpp since it was called Jabber. Signal requires a phone number. I think Matrix requires an email. MPAQ doesnt. xmpp:bob@mpaq.org Oh, and ours is encripted.
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@aslmx@chaos.social 2026-02-10 18:06
@openess@skrivel.se Xmpp has a long history. As matrix it is federated and you can choose Server and client and mix as you want. For self hosting there is @prosodyim@fosstodon.org - might take a good Sunday afternoon to setup. (AFAIK) the same guys work on @snikket_im@fosstodon.org which you can run in 10minutes if you have used docker compose. Resource wise Prosody runs fine on the oldest raspberry pi in your drawer. Or the cheapest 3€/month VPS. Can't compare encryption, OMEMO works fine for me though.
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@valhalla@social.gl-como.it 2026-02-10 18:20
@openess@skrivel.se I don't have direct experience with matrix I self-host xmpp and I'd call it one of the easiest things to self-host: I did the original installation (years ago) using debian packages on a cheap vps and now I have to take care about it for a few minutes every now and then for general system security updates, plus once every two years for a distribution upgrade (half a day? when things go *badly*) and maybe a few hours another once per year when compliance.conversations.im tells me that I need to enable some other feature. I know that conversations.im offers managed hosting, and I believe that there are other places, but I've never really looked into them I'm not qualified to talk about the quality of the encryption, but with modern clients it's usually active (e2e, of course) by default For my non-techie family members I've created an account on my server, which probably solved what I suspect could be the major hurdle, and since then they have been able to use it without significant problems. The main support I have to give them is reset their password when they change devices and have lost / forgotten it. I'm not aware of significant drama (it may be there, but not very visible?) It supports text and sending files. video calls is available between users of some clients, but it's not something I need, so I don't know which clients they are. one caveat is that xmpp is *old* and there are a lot of old clients that aren't kept updated, and using those will result in a significantly worse experience. For non-techie users I solved the issue by telling them which client to use (conversations, on android), and there is a word-of-mouth list of clients that are guaranteed to be a safe choice: said conversations, gajim and dino-im on pc, and I believe monal on iThings; there are other clients that are good, if somebody wants to experiment a bit, but those are a good first choice.
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@poetaster@mastodon.gamedev.place 2026-02-10 19:09
@openess@skrivel.se the basics, encrypted one on one and group chats are simple to self host with either ejabberd or prosody. It's more difficult to host audio/video chat. Who is doing their own turn/stun?
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@kkarhan@infosec.space 2026-02-11 15:18
@openess@skrivel.se basically #XMPP+#OMEMO is older, more decentralized and has actually a working ecosystem of clients fir anything. Ublike #Matrix, which is really meh…
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@nicoco@pouet.pas.la 2026-02-12 12:48
@openess@skrivel.se Disclaimer: I'm biased towards XMPP and have not tried to host a Matrix server or convert friends. XMPP is generally lighter, as a consequence of both a simpler (saner :P) protocol and mature server implementations. Usability for "non techie" is very fine on mobile with Conversations (Android) and Monal (iOS). My mother uses it, and I'm 41. Generally people say that Element (Matrix client) has more features and is more polished than what we have. It's all a matter of taste IMHO. (1/2)
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@HoSnoopy@m.efg-ober-ramstadt.de 2026-02-12 12:52
@openess@skrivel.se I am running an own XMPP-Server since 2008. The main difference between XMPP and Matrix is for me that Matrix doesnt erase (automatically) messages from the server, but XMPP does. So a Matrix Server increases its size of database, XMPP does not. Matrix has, afaik only element as useful client. XMPP hat more, for example conversations (Android), monal (iOS) and gajim (Linux, MacOS, Windows). Maybe there is also a client for a C64 ;)
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@fexplorer@procial.tchncs.de 2026-02-12 21:53
@openess@skrivel.se I've used XMPP for several years and have some sympathy for it. In the meantime, I'm using Matrix also several years. The switch to Matrix had for example this reasons: XMPP was good, if all contacts using it on Android. For this is the app conversations very good. XMPP on iOS or Mac was too buggy. Maybe Monal is now better. A showstopper for me was the lack of usability even on my own systems (mobile and Desktop). While Conversations has a backup function, so it's possible to transfer to another Phone. But synchronizing with a Desktop is not possible or unsatisfactory especially when it comes to old encrypted messages. Thats an imported point for me: With Matrix I can synchronize lots of various Apps on mobile, Desktop or another devices. It's not limited like it's the case with Signal and not dependent from a single Phone like it is with Signal. Every App can be the master to connect a new device or app. Yes, this can also be a security flaw, if I don't monitor all connected devices or Apps.... So I've always a backup on desktop or another device, if my Phone was trowing in the ... Other good points on Matrix are, editing of messages after send, threads, pinned messages, simple Markdown, user verification and Desktop Apps with a smoother interface.