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Comment by c22 | Hacker News Reader

The source is pointless. You can build a much better chat system on modern technology in a weekend. The lost value is in their centralized servers with thousands of existing accounts. I'd always thought services like AIM would be replaced by more decentralized systems, but instead we have even more segmented walled garden chat apps where you don't even get to use your own client.

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I will say this: XMPP is far from perfect. But I recently came back to it from a five year absence or so, and I must say, it's gotten really good. I set up a server with relatively little difficulty, and since in my circle, it's common to have multiple messengers on the phone anyhow, asking someone: hey, I want to use this other one, wasn't a big hassle.

Conversations for Android is really good, and on iDevice ChatSecure works very well. Much better than what I expected. With filesharing and everthing. And then there's a bunch more that also work, but not of them at the same level of Quality.

Marketshare is super-low of course, but I like that it's possible to use an open protocol.

XMPP is not bad but I'm hopeful for matrix-like protocols, which support the decentralized model of operation...thereby hopefully allowing for longer - not so easy to shutdown - shelf life. But the beauty of open protocols is that bridges can be built between xmpp and matrix...so everyone wins!...well, everyone adopting the open stuff. ;-)

Just plugging Tox.

https://tox.chat/

Decentralized, DHT-like, no phone numbers.

I've researched all others and Tox is the best choice ATM if you want YOUR data to belong to YOU.

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