24 votes

Matrix 1.0 – Are we ready yet?

15 comments

  1. omnivore
    Link
    Personally I'm very excited to see Matrix hit 1.0. Riot.im (the main Matrix client) hit the same milestone earlier this year and is now leaps and bounds better than it was when I first tried it....

    Personally I'm very excited to see Matrix hit 1.0.

    Riot.im (the main Matrix client) hit the same milestone earlier this year and is now leaps and bounds better than it was when I first tried it. There's still some work to do before it will be the default replacement for Slack orgs IMO, but it's definitely close!

    7 votes
  2. [5]
    The_Fad
    Link
    Can anyone put into layman's terms the function of Matrix and its various uses? Additionally, do they do anything that the general populous would be interested in?

    Can anyone put into layman's terms the function of Matrix and its various uses? Additionally, do they do anything that the general populous would be interested in?

    4 votes
    1. [3]
      omnivore
      Link Parent
      As far as the end user is concerned Matrix is a chat platform. It has many features (encryption, voice calling, private rooms, public rooms, community groups, etc.) But the thing that makes it...

      As far as the end user is concerned Matrix is a chat platform. It has many features (encryption, voice calling, private rooms, public rooms, community groups, etc.) But the thing that makes it different from Facebook Messenger, Signal, WhatsApp, and other similar apps is that I can talk to you regardless of who you're signed up with.

      In this way it's similar to email: if I have a Gmail account it doesn't matter whether you have an account with Outlook, Yahoo, get email from your ISP, or from a mail server in your basement; We can still send email to each other. This functionality, where users with different providers can still communicate, is called federation and it's what Matrix is built around.

      8 votes
      1. [2]
        The_Fad
        Link Parent
        So it's effectively an expanded, modern-age Trillian or Digsby from back in the day?

        So it's effectively an expanded, modern-age Trillian or Digsby from back in the day?

        4 votes
        1. omnivore
          Link Parent
          If I remember correctly those were more oriented towards having multiple accounts within a single client (AOL, MSN Messenger, ICQ etc.), right? So you'd still need several accounts to talk to all...

          If I remember correctly those were more oriented towards having multiple accounts within a single client (AOL, MSN Messenger, ICQ etc.), right? So you'd still need several accounts to talk to all your contacts. A better comparison (in terms of how its used) would by XMPP, which is what Google Talk used to use before they added all the proprietary stuff.

          3 votes
    2. firstname
      Link Parent
      This is news to me as well, i read through their FAQ and it answered all the questions i had as to what it is, and what the goal of the tech is.

      This is news to me as well, i read through their FAQ and it answered all the questions i had as to what it is, and what the goal of the tech is.

  3. [5]
    admicos
    Link
    I just wish people would consider trying Matrix and similar "not popular" services. Everyone I know is stuck with Discord and WhatsApp, as all their friends are also stuck with them, and so on....

    I just wish people would consider trying Matrix and similar "not popular" services. Everyone I know is stuck with Discord and WhatsApp, as all their friends are also stuck with them, and so on.

    (Bridges don't really help when you're the only person willing to use them)

    But other than that, I feel like Matrix is doing great work so far, and I'm very excited to see where they are going.

    3 votes
    1. [3]
      alyaza
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      that's just the reality of most social media, i'm afraid. there's just not much of an incentive for people to move to a new service unless it offers something people really want and/or also has...

      I just wish people would consider trying Matrix and similar "not popular" services. Everyone I know is stuck with Discord and WhatsApp, as all their friends are also stuck with them, and so on.

      that's just the reality of most social media, i'm afraid. there's just not much of an incentive for people to move to a new service unless it offers something people really want and/or also has something that's already there. matrix has its uses and it's not going to go anywhere, but it's also not likely to become popular until it has something distinctive to draw people in which other services don't have (or offer poorly).

      4 votes
      1. guts
        Link Parent
        You hit the nail on the head, non-tech people will always choose convenience over privacy.

        You hit the nail on the head, non-tech people will always choose convenience over privacy.

      2. crdpa
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        And i don't think having something distinctive is really enough. It could be, but people love convenience and the driving force of adoption these days is what comes pre-installed and...

        And i don't think having something distinctive is really enough. It could be, but people love convenience and the driving force of adoption these days is what comes pre-installed and pre-configured on your smartphone.

        Most smartphones prompts the user to create accounts on boot without any effort. Boot up android and in seconds you will have a google account, facebook, whatsapp and everything in a silver plate.

    2. omnivore
      Link Parent
      I've seen a few open source code projects whose official chat channels are on Matrix, which is encouraging.

      I've seen a few open source code projects whose official chat channels are on Matrix, which is encouraging.

  4. [3]
    hoveringhen
    Link
    Offtopic, but what's the best way to get into decentralized computing? Through a Distributed Systems course? With new decentralized alternatives coming for various applications, it seems pretty...

    Offtopic, but what's the best way to get into decentralized computing? Through a Distributed Systems course?

    With new decentralized alternatives coming for various applications, it seems pretty interesting.

    2 votes
    1. [2]
      9000
      Link Parent
      If you're interested in this sort of stuff, I found this MIT class to be an incredibly good resource. Some listed projects are not as relevant anymore (there can be a lot of churn in this field),...

      If you're interested in this sort of stuff, I found this MIT class to be an incredibly good resource. Some listed projects are not as relevant anymore (there can be a lot of churn in this field), but it's a well-curated list, nonetheless.

      3 votes
  5. firstname
    Link
    This is the first time i am hearing about this. The more i read on their webpage the more intrigued i get. It gives me hope every time i find people working on this sort of thing to protect the...

    This is the first time i am hearing about this. The more i read on their webpage the more intrigued i get. It gives me hope every time i find people working on this sort of thing to protect the internet we all love and cherish.

    2 votes