A lot of these are not ready for primetime, as much as I wish they were. Loops and pixelfed are barely functional as an app, friendica is clunky and confusing to use, peertube has almost no content, element is more of a discord replacement than messenger. I do think people need to switch, but to recommend a switch right now is a bit irresponsible, since it will just give people a bad impression of the fediverse.
When suggesting switching now, today, in the near term, always present this as a ‘new canvas’, a new beginning in which we collectively will recreate what we want from what we left behind, and build forward to what we collectively desire. The lemmiverse I entered 2.5 years ago is not the place we have created up to this point. My early kbin content is more or less gone, I think, sigh, but so what. This is an opportunity, not an impediment. For example, because of the shambles IG creates when one exports one’s content, I’ve been sorting out my less favored content, and sorting in my more favored images while also adding new on Pixelfed. One may wish to ask one’s self, what do I want in my Fediverse, and what am I quite happy to leaving behind?
On top of that, I’ve seen a few of these posts over the last few hours, and it seems like they all have different recommendations for alternative apps.
I’ve seen at least three replacements for WhatsApp already, Signal, Element, and another one I’ve forgotten the name of. The one based on email. If I’m getting confused, imagine how a ‘normal’ person is going to feel.
Yeah this is the third of these that I’ve seen. Why not just
Messenger/Whatsapp > Signal
Discord > Matrix/Element
Or if you really want to keep it federated, XMPP instead of Messenger/WhatsApp
element is more of a discord replacement than messenger.
I would argue the opposite. Trying to use it as a Discord replacement is a nightmare, if you ever actually try it. You can use the comet app to fix that but it doesn’t fix that it’s a crazy slow protocol that collects all the metadata and is almost entirely controlled by the corporate entity that runs the matrix.org server.
My recommendation would be SimpleX.
Isn’t Signal a better suited alternative to whatsapp? I think of element/matrix as more of a discord replacement
I’ve been using matrix/fluffychat as a texting replacement with my friends.
@jayk @ekZepp I wish they wouldn’t push the groups aspect so much, though I suspect that’s a tactic to get people into the groups when their friends aren’t all on it. Signal has the same problem of being in the hands of a few, and Matrix/Element actually supports multiple devices better anyway. It is just fine as a Messenger replacement.
Element isn’t using ActivityPub
It is, but it shouldn’t be in an infographic saying join the Fediverse. It’s like a shop saying drink Coco-Cola and then serving Pepsi without informing its patrons.
Eh. Fediverse is a portmanteau of federation and universe. It’s perfectly fine and not misleading imho to suggest other federation-capable services in this context. Especially considering Matrix is definitely part of the wider cultural context underpinning the transition of some groups to using these counterculture services (it’s often frequently recommended in these contects, often used by people on mastoson etc anyways),
There’s not an instant messenger that users ActivityPub nor even one which I think is a great solution. Take Signal for example, it has a decent team behind it and they’re able to roll out things in a very professional and polished manner, but it’s heralded by old men who aren’t interested in the things that make the type of people that people want to talk to use it.
Why would ActivityPub something I need in a messager? Not that savvy in all this stuff, but privacy seems the biggest concern here. So far I am happy with what signal has on offen.
Maybe it is more of a problem in these pictures to focus so hard on the fediverse instead of just good, open and free (as in foss) alternatives?
Honestly, Signal shouldn’t be even mentioned in the context of the fediverse.
First thought was “I’d prefer signal over element”. Your comment reminded me that element is federated.
Do you guys have suggestions on how to encourage my contacts to migrate from that bloody whatsapp into Signal and/or Element? I bloody hate Meta, I hate everything it stands for, I call it “Merda” (shit) not without a reason, and yet I need to use their shite because everyone uses it, including my family.
The single most common excuse for not shifting to the Fediverse has been in my experience, “I can’t leave because everyone is still there.” I’ve been dragging encouraging people to move towards Signal and the Fediverse for years now. Gentle persistence appears to be the way.
That’s exactly what I’m getting, too - the “collective action” problem Doctorow talks about. I managed to make a single person use it alongside WhatsApp, and… that’s it.
I’m trying to remember how people migrated from ICQ to MSN Messenger to WhatsApp.
