I don’t think it’s the best approach to promote Element specifically, but rather Matrix.org, which does have good mobile clients, like Fluffychat on iOS, and good desktop clients, like Mirage.
Way too much choice. Do you think uninformed users make the right choices? Do you think all people you interact with are capable of gathering information or even willing to think about what app to install, what server to choose etc.?
If you try Signal.org or WhatsApp.com or Telegram.org, you see that the streamlined walled garden is way easier for people to sign up to. Just count the clicks from Matrix.org until you can chat with someone compared to one of the aforementioned apps.
Telegram.org = 2 clicks
matrix.org = why is the “try now” in a corner? It took 1s for me to find the button, which is 1s too long for many ppl. Otherwise, also 2 clicks.
matrix.org […] Otherwise, also 2 clicks.
The registration and finding someone who you only have a phone number of surely takes a lot more than two clicks on Matrix.org, if it’s even possible at all. Try not being facetious and actually count the clicks from the main page until you can chat with your hypothetical friend who entered his phone number into a 3PID server.
First need to improve bandwidth usage for people in countries to which even low-data mobile internet connection is expensive, being Cuba an example.
Well that is where IRC can shine :) Just use other services for file share/video/audio chat… As one should.
Yes, a Cuban also told me about it :^).
However, I wanted to see more advanced features and a similar network impact.
Personally, it sounds easier for me to get my nephew on matrix then to fund the cuban network infrastructure :p. Though, it there is an easy/cheap way to help build up infrastructure in poor countries, I am willing to help.
I think you meant “than” instead of “then”.
Anyways, the problem is that most Cubans life with an “email data package” of 50 MB per month at an USA dollar.
They can use it too for some websites in the national network too.
The other data plan for general connection is about 600 or 300 MB at 5-7 USA dollars.
A lot of Cubans life with a salary over 20-30 USA dollars per month.
EMail is a main communication channel there and Delta Chat has got quite famous because of this.
IRC, as suggested before by Oue, it is an alternative for people with technical knowledge because it takes fewer resources.
EMail is a main communication channel there and Delta Chat has got quite famous because of this.
Awesome to hear this.
They’re working on that right now IIRC. Idk when it’ll be ready though, it’ll probably take a while
it’ll probably take a while
Just like everything in the Matrix universe.
Soon™
“A faster response”? Is this a satire? Matrix is the slowest chat network ever. 500ms is considered a good latency on the Matrix network! The Element client is the worst and unusable (because of latency) over Tor. I love what matrix is doing with P2P (among other) but “faster” is definitely not their selling point ;) ;)
I think it’s more about the fact that OP checks other messaging apps less frequently.
Matrix is the slowest chat network ever.
Most of this shit is because of the main server, matrix.org, being hilariously overloaded
the main server, matrix.org
That’s where you’re wrong, kiddo ;)
Or rather: where you should be wrong, but most certainly are not. Matrix.org is “decentralized”, but has a central server, due to the fact how their web of trust implementation works. Eventually they’ll throw in a blockchain and exit the startup with boatloads of money.
I’ve never had that issue…
This is a moot idea, when Element is not usable for people who can barely type a message and need an app for everything.
The registration process with more than “enter the code you got via SMS” is way too hard. People not literate with computers, of which there are about 95% compared to “us” literates¹, may understand the notion of “apps” and “services”.
The concepts of “accounts” and “registration” got watered down by popular apps that the law of familiarity of UX hinders adoption of nerd messengers like Matrix/Element or even the much simpler Matrix/Fluffychat. No matter how much we try to explain stuff to people, nerd tech is always way too hard to use.
The amount of time you spend into trying to convince people to use tech which is way too hard to use for them could be used to make the transition to that tech easier instead.
There are several other concerns than ease of use. For example:
- Not enough people on there
- Also, not enough interesting content in case of social network
- Low disk space
- Too many accounts already
- Don’t know which instance or client to choose (though this can be argued as a subreason of ease of use)
Not enough people on there
That’s mostly true in a social circle kind of way, but not in general. Millions of people use it. But there are actually dozens of us. Dozens! ;)
Low disk space
Please elaborate.
Too many accounts already
Not enough or too many?
Don’t know which instance or client to choose (though this can be argued as a subreason of ease of use)
Yes, that’s basically part of my point, too :)
It is the list of excuses that people use to give.
Most of them are created artificially for anything new.
All of then are based in truth, the problem exists.
I know mostly the “I don’t have enough space” which happens mostly to most people in their phone for not optimizing the use.
But when they have to use something, they move ground and sky to get space.
This is the reason why these are excuses and created artificially.
It is the list of excuses that people use to give.
Most of them are created artificially for anything new.
Very good point. People like to make excuses because they don’t like change. It’s as simple as that.
Millions of people use it.
But if they’re not your friends, it doesn’t matter.
Low disk space
Please elaborate
Many people still use low end phones with limited storage and installing an extra app just to talk to you (see point 1) is wasting it.
Not enough or too many
I mean the individual has too many accounts (for many services), not the network. Creating yet another account just to talk to you (see point 1) is not worth the struggle.
Matrix is more a real-time chat solution, not a social network per-se. For social network community building ActivityPub is a much better (and not a competing) use-case.
These reasons apply for both. Social network has an extra point because it’s public.
Matrix is more a real-time chat solution, not a social network per-se.
I didn’t say that anywhere, did you reply to the wrong comment?
- Not enough people on there
Using SSO you don’t need deep registration process.
The same that SMS but with an EMail link could work.
The Mozilla instance works with that but also allow login with other existing accounts.
Using SSO you don’t need deep registration process.
The same that SMS but with an EMail link could work.
Yeah, but as far as I know, not a single Matrix.org identity provider allows registration with only a phone number.
I hope that never exists to be exact 😂.
If you want it to be easy, the EMail message with a link to login is exactly the same but better than linking phone number.
The Mozilla instance allows that.
I hope that never exists to be exact 😂.
I don’t. I wouldn’t ever use it, of course, but if it allows more people access to encrypted and federated communication, I’d welcome phone number identities. There are several reasons most other mainstream messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal) work that way.
Many people are too computer illiterate to use anything else but their phones. Many people don’t even get the concept of “registration” anymore. And they don’t care about privacy.
It’s easier to educate people when you can actually talk/write to them.
[Matrix] used to allow phone number registration when it was called riot.im i believe. They removed that feature. Anyone know why?
I was looking at matrix today and like what I read. I also saw there is a bridge for other platforms like e.g. whatsapp. But I failed to understand how that works. Can I send and receive messages to whatsapp users with element or is this not possible (yet)?
I was investigating the same for sms. The bridges cab be found here https://matrix.org/ecosystem/bridges/
Looks like you need admin perms for some of them
Another thing I learned is that there are numerous matrix clients, but all will use your same matrix login. So if you switch chat apps, you just log out of that one and log into another.
Some examples are
And the main one, Element
I think most bridges are designed for Element, but I’m not 100%
@depressed_submissive @PuaNani it’s possible. The homeserver translates whatsapp to matrix and vice versa
For me doesn’t work quite good. It’s difficult
