Readit Newsneiljohnson commented on Matrix Conference 2025 Highlights element.io/blog/the-matri... · Posted by u/Arathorn
I noticed that they renamed the Element mobile app to Element Classic. Has Element X reached feature parity and stability yet? For how long will Classic be maintained?
You can learn more about Element X migration plans from last weekend's Matrix conference here https://youtu.be/_cahXxr8d-4?si=0b9qyjiEYVpMczDy&t=442
I still don't understand why Matrix exists. It feels like a solution looking for a problem to solve. I must be missing something? Can someone explain the gap it closes?
Matrix Con 2024 had a public sector track where various organisations such as NATO, the French Government and the German Healthcare industry outlined the problems they are solving with Matrix.
Though in short, as a large public institution, being able to self-host a secure and decentralised communications network is highly preferable to needing to rely on a centralised service administered by a company in a foreign jurisdiction.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl5dnxRMP1hX5u7TZ1FNa...
> Without advocacy, conferences, documentation and tutorials, Matrix would become a niche protocol used by a few enthusiasts for side projects, whilst big proprietary and siloed networks continue to hold the world’s communications.
Advocacy and conferences aren't going to move the needle on mainstream adoption; those methods almost by definition are targeting the enthusiast crowd. In my view, the only factor that matters to attracting users is UI/UX. Streamlining the user's experience will do more for user adoption than any number of bridges.
It's possible that growing the community is the primary goal of Element.io rather than the Matrix Foundation, but in that case, it seems that there is a tension between the goals of the foundation vs Element. I'd like to understand the breakdown between the responsibilities of the foundation vs Element more clearly.
The Matrix Foundation's goals and structure are described here (https://matrix.org/foundation/about/)
Element is a for-profit company, originally set up to hire the Matrix Core team and is the primary driver for many projects in the Matrix eco-system. Element cannot be successful without a thriving Matrix eco-system.
In the early days the line between Element and Matrix was rather blurred, which is why we set up the Foundation as a separate entity in 2018 to ensure that whatever happened to Element, Matrix could continue as an independent entity.
I love the concept behind the Matrix protocol, but I have zero faith in the Matrix Foundations ability to execute. Folks have been asking for financial tranparency for years now (https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec/issues/571#issueco...). And all that we get are posts like this complainging about not having enough money and threatening to shut things down, repeatedly.
Maybe if they were more open and transparent, folks could help get them on the right track, either by making recomendations to improve, volunteering to help with things, or contributeing financially.
I really want them to succeed, but this has been going on for years now.
The intention is very much to offer greater financial transparency, in fact doing so is a prerequisite for multiple funding sources.
The Matrix Foundation Governing Board now has a dedicated finance committee, I don't have concrete timelines for publishing, though I would expect this to happen within a small number of months.
https://matrix.org/blog/2024/12/governing-board-first-report...
neiljohnson commented on Authorities read encrypted messages on Matrix in real-time pcmag.com/news/encrypted-... · Posted by u/maxloh
This is probably not the Matrix we think it is.
Not related to the Matrix protocol. https://matrix.org/blog/2024/12/unrelated-cybercriminal-netw...
Are they seriously talking about /this/ Matrix? https://www.operation-passionflower.com/
No, it is an unfortunate naming collision and has nothing to do with the Matrix protocol.
https://matrix.org/blog/2024/12/unrelated-cybercriminal-netw...
I’m not entirely sure why it matters that silos of messaging data exist, if it’s encrypted like Signal and WhatsApp the centralized model is far superior to an arbitrary and unknown number of parties receiving metadata about messaging. It might have been an easier case to make if Matrix wasn’t an uphill battle in terms of usability and performance.
Signal and WhatsApp only address the personal messaging usecase, whereas the letter is also talking about wider chat services like Teams.
More to the point, even with e2ee, there is still communication metadata that is leaving your network for a third-party service. In a defense context, you would almost certainly prefer that the data does not leave your network unnecessarily.
In terms of Matrix usability and performance, Matrix 2.0 (https://matrix.org/blog/2024/10/29/matrix-2.0-is-here/) represents a huge step forward and can be used today with compatible clients such as Element X (https://element.io/blog/deep-dive-into-element-x/)