I agree with you, my main issue with Matrix is that it is a pain to self-host at the moment.
AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 8 months ago
We really need to stop abandoning existing foss projects and thinking a whole new thing needs to be invented. Free and open-source software is not a product, it doesn’t abide by the same rules and relationships that proprietary tech does.
It’s more organic. It’s also a commons that we can continue to draw on, and reshape. If I recall correctly, there were something like three different vector graphic editors from the same codebase before Inkscape managed to be the one that gained traction.
Matrix isn’t perfect, but abandoning it just to reinvent it all over again just because some people really need a thing that works like Discord, even though Discord is absolute hot garbage; is just going to re-create all the same problems. Matrix today is better than it was two years ago. And Matrix in a year will be better from now.
Vinstaal0@feddit.nl 8 months ago
AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 8 months ago
Isn’t everything a pain to selfhost?
Vinstaal0@feddit.nl 8 months ago
Honestly, setting up things using Docker Compose is generally a question of copying and pasting and editing the file locations.
The moment you need SSL and/or a reverse proxy it becomes a bit more complex, but once you set up a reverse proxy once you can generally expand that to your other applications.
Something like a Synology nas makes it very easy and to some extend even the Truenas apps are kinda easy.
MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 months ago
Most things are super easy, like 2-5 minutes of set up and it’s running and working.
kxzaon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
github.com/…/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy
Honestly, with this, it is easier than ever. Great documentation !
VeganCheesecake@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 months ago
What I don’t like about Matrix is that it’s most visible homeserver and client implementations feel like they are being developed as a product by New Vector Ltd., not a community project.
AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 8 months ago
How so?
VeganCheesecake@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 months ago
The forked the matrix foundation owned projects for synapse, dendrite, and element, and pulled all their devs, changing the license and bringing them under closer control. The foundation repos are now archived, and only the new vector owned ones are being actively developed. They sell an enterprise license for their element server suite that, at least according to their copy, seems more performant, and also offers admin tools that the free version lacks.
If you want to run a public instance that allows registration, you pretty much need some kind of external admin tool for moderation.
It’s of course still better than pretty much all proprietary options, but also quite some room for improvement.
Tattorack@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Can’t agree on Discord being hot garbage, unless you’re specifically talking about how monetisation has creeped its way into it.
However, with Vencord I don’t have to see any of that shit, while also having a far more functional and feature rich client.
Of course, a FOSS, potentially federated alternative would be greatly preferred, but it must have at least the basic functions of Discord.
AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 8 months ago
A large part of it is the obnoxious monetization and general enshittification and privacy violations, but that’s not all. There are a number of usability annoyances. If I’ve been away from Discord for a little while and try to continue where I left off in a thread on a server, it never properly preserves where I last stopped reading. There are often times when I get notifications but it won’t actually take me to the relevant message, and that can even result in situations where the ping just gets lost entirely.
Then there’s things inherent in Discord’s design and how people use it. It’s become a tool that people have decided is a convenient replacement for chats, wikis, and forums - but it’s a shittier version of all of those things. Pinned messages are such a tucked away and half-baked feature. The fact that people are using Discord both to organize and discuss projects - as well as using that same space to host documentation or other critical knowledge-bases has made information significantly less accessible. I don’t want to join someone’s niche club just to “learn more.” If I want to read something I would rather just go to a wiki on the actual open web.
Discord is hot garbage ultimately for the same reasons as Facebook. It’s trying to be everything to everyone, and dropping a black box on the open web by doing so. It’s just another example of people trading convenience for actually using the appropriate tools for the kind of job they’re trying to do.
poloqualle@feddit.org 8 months ago
None of the popular/successful apps are bad.
They usually have great ui/ux and are being actively developed or at least maintained. Think google maps, apple wallet, or of course discord. What is hot garbage, however, is having to accept massive privacy violations if you use them. Vencord unfortunately does not mitigate that. :(
Auth@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Often, the problem is that projects get to a point where they’re happy and the maintainer doesn’t want to add any new features. So people then are forced to build a new project to get those features.
AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 8 months ago
Sometimes, but my point is you don’t have to start from scratch. It’s free software. You are allowed to make extensions or even fork it.
Blemish5236@lemmy.world 8 months ago
[deleted]AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 8 months ago
Sure, go for it. Though XMPP has so many features at this point, it might already have Matrix, irc, Discord, and email for all we know. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 months ago
It’s gonna be like 100 years before Matrix and the clients are in a good place at this rate. It only seems to be getting worse right now with more fragmented clients and servers with more and more spam issues, and the performance just keeps getting worse too.