this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2023
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About Matrix Matrix is an open protocol for decentralised, secure communications.

Matrix Manifesto We believe:

People should have full control over their own communication. People should not be locked into centralised communication silos, but instead be free to pick who they choose to host their communication without limiting who they can reach. The ability to converse securely and privately is a basic human right. Communication should be available to everyone as a free and open, unencumbered, standard and global network.

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[–] [email protected] 91 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Matrix isn't the alternative for discord. Others have been named.

Matrix is a chat with a high regard for encryption, more an alternative to Whatsapp and signal then discord.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Matrix is considerably more like discord than both Whatsapp or signal.

You can get a WhatsApp/signal experience out of it but overall it is very similar to discord

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't see anything mentioned about calls... kind've a big part of discord.

Is it supported?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes. There is voip. Also video and screen sharing.

Both could work better, but they're there, if the client you're using supports them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wait since when. I've been waiting for VoIP. I am on Cinny tho so that might be why. The changed the way elements works on linux and it's so cancer to use now

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I think cinny is waiting to implement voip when group calls get merged into the spec, currently group calls are done via jitsi

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

This is also dependent on who is running the server and how it's set up. If it's the matrix.org you're using, I couldn't tell you. If it's someone hosting/you're self-hosting, you need a STUN server for traversing NAT. It's not part of the default Synapse docker install and I'm not sure about non-docker installs.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Yeah it is more similar to discord. If I were to group chatting apps/services into two groups, I would do this:

  • WhatsApp, Signal, Line, Messenger, Telegram, SMS
  • Discord, irc, Matrix
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I would agree with this. Purpose of the application rather than technical implementation defines its use. Though it can do many things Signal and WA also do

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Matrix is the federated alternative to XMPP and IRC first and foremost, imho

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Well xmpp is federated, it's just slightly more centralised then matrix since if a server goes down the room/muc made on that server goes down as well

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I too am wondering what makes you say that. What is it missing?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Voice Channels would be a start. Game Streaming is another use-case of Discord my friend group uses which is missing.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Matrix has voice chat and screen sharing. I don't think it implements audio passthrough like discord but I could be mistaken.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I thought it only had voice chat for calls? Are there voice channels tho?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

not yet, they are working on a native group calls stack, so once thats done and stable there will be voice channels in element and other clients

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There is a jitsi widget for rooms though, so you can convert any group chat into a drop in/drop out voice room similar to discord's voice rooms. The biggest struggle I have with it is that it defaults to asking about video every time, and there is no hotkey support. 🤮

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

my friend has used signal, whatsapp, discord bridges with her conduit server and has had 0 issues

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That does sound rad. Mostly my point was just about not having push-to-talk or toggle mute in the jitsi plug in, but I am far from deep on what can be done with the matrix protocol.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Somehow I sent that in reply to that message instead of another one, but element call will have push to talk in fairly certain and a walkie talkie mode where you press the button to talk

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Matris does not use E2E encryption for most channels. Its primary draw is federation, not security or anonymity.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

It makes no sense to encrypt public channels.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

There's 0 point to encryption on public rooms