Gajim on pc (I use arch btw - well endeavourOS because I can't be bothered) and don't remember what on android (there is the full list or clients and capabilities on xmpp.org)
Yeah ok. First of all, because I can 😁. I mean z what's good being an IT nerd if I can't change stuff when I want?
Jokes aside, I've been reading more recently on matrix and looks like there are some security issues in the design of the app/protocol. I'm on mobile now, I'll look for sources when I'm on pc.
Also I don't like that it is a server centric system (so data is primarily on the server instead of the clients).
Also it takes more resources than I was expecting. For less than 10 users I can't have less than 4gb of ram (on a dedicated debian server, running docker) or it swaps so much it kills the system.
So basically I'm testing out if xmpp is a better system for those issues.
Conversations being paid on the google play store is what's stopping me from going xmpp... I can't just say "message me via xmpp, you can use the Conversations app". Now I'd have to explain what F-Droid is and why would they even get another app store and enable "unknown apps". it's not doable. I remember telling my mom to install Signal (before I got into self hosting) because I deleted whatsapp and she got angry like she worked for the zuck, saying "what do you mean you don't use whatsapp" with an astonished face, started lecturing me on why I was destroying my social life... That just made me realize right now they probably wouldn't download conversations either...welp I just wanted to share
I know exactly what you mean. Just for general information, I've found another android client that I think it's better than Conversations. It's called Monocles chat (and it's on f-droid).
On matrix/xmpp I install the whatsapp bridge. I can convert a few close family members but no way everyone. For me it's an acceptable compromise. I get the close members to use my servers/apps, everyone else through the bridge so I can at least have all the chat in one place
The chat server (matrix and xmpp have different ones, but same functionality) that act like a whatsapp desktop client. Have you ever run whatsapp desktop client on your pc, where you have to pair it with your phone? Same thing, but you do it withing a special "bridge" (usually as a bot) in matrix or xmpp. So you get all the messages in one place.
But it doesn't work for calls, just for messages.
I recommend Matrix with the Conduit server. This server requires almost no resources and even runs on a Raspberry Pi.
Cinny works perfectly as a desktop client (in case you want to escape from the ubiquitous Element). And for mobile I would use Element for Android/iOS although FluffyChat also works very well.
Yes, without a doubt, for me it is the most balanced client, a pity that there is not for Android, but well, in mobile Element does not give problems either.
They are very focused on development and therefore the documentation is a bit sparse (maybe).
The truth is that it is not very complicated to install. It is simply to download the binary (it is statically compiled so it has no dependencies) place it in /usr/bin and execute it (the best is to create a user in the machine with the home in /var/lib/conduit and then launch it with systemd).
Dendrite iirc is essentially in maintenance mode. I run a small one but I don't think it's expected to get any new features until there is more funding.
It's not. Emoji reactions, stickers, audio-messages, audio/video calls are all supported by modern XMPP clients with smaller caveats depending on the client.
XMPP only does it with certain client extensions. And Matrix only does it when the rooms are set up this way. SimpleX does what you want, but is kind of unintuitive for the average user.
I say go with Signal, it does what you want and is idiot-proof.
Signal is annoying to use if you don't have a smartphone you can trust, since they do not allow registration from desktop. So either an Android VM or Signal-cli. But maybe it was just a one-off bug that the desktop client didn't bind to signal-cli for me. Still, the fact that you need an unofficial command-line application just to register makes it not exactly user-friendly.
I imagine that most people's families will find Singal easier than using a CLI program anyway. It's rare to find an entire family without typical cellphones.
Yea, but a typical cellphone is not as easy to make private as a typical laptop or desktop. Lineage has some tradeoffs and not accessible on all devices, and Graphene needs even more specific, quite expensive hardware!
Good luck getting grandma to install and use Graphene or Lineage on their 3 year old underpowered Samsung device that already works the way they know.
I think you're making problems where there aren't any. A device PIN or fingerprint along with Signal is probably way more secure than any family chat needs to be.
I meant telemetry to Google and/or manufacturer. With grandma, I can at least install Linux on her laptop and say to message me there (that's pretty much what I did with mom).
You could try Jami. It's peer to peer, so essentially any participants are self-hosting it. Its E2E encrypted, supports group messaging, voice and video calling, has easily 'linkable' mobile and desktop apps for all platforms and requires no email address or phone number to use. It's also the only messenger I'm aware of which is endorsed by the Free Software Foundation. I highly recommend it 👌
However, I wouldn't host on a Raspberry Pi or even at home for that matter. Get a VPS and host it there. Linode even has a one click app install for Simplex Chat
There are literally multiple big screenshots on the page I linked and a big join button that brings you to https://join.movim.eu where you can chose an instance.
There must be something wrong with your browser. There are multiple big screenshots in a slider on https://movim.eu
And the unrestricted instances on the join page can be used with any xmpp account, however I don't recommend it as servers running Prosody currently only support a subset of Movim's features.
Matrix is slow on large instances, but that's not the case here, especially if no federation is done.
And the issue with sluggishness is currently the main development focus with ElementX/matrixX that will become mainstream matrix soon. With that even the large instances are extremely fast.
Matrix is slow everywhere. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. Element X is also super slow. Waiting 5-10 secs for messages to appear every time I open the app. I know what I'm talking about.
Because there are very very few Sliding Synch (which is the part of X that makes it faster) instances at the moment and only one that has a major userbase.....
For me you can try to host a SimpleX server and then connect to it (with SimpleX it is pretty as much secure to run its one server than use a public one).
Or maybe use XMPP but try to use a good encryption protocol. This option is great in term of power efficiency, XMPP would run great on a RasPI