Overrun With Messaging Apps
techcrunch.com
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There are open source encrypted messaging apps like ChatSecure [1][2], and TextSecure [3] but they lack some of the modern vanity features that users expect and they can seem difficult to setup for an average user.
1. https://github.com/chrisballinger/Off-the-Record-iOS
We have some incredible apps and software out there, but the most important ones are those lacking the most.
This actually is pretty much how Facebook messaging works.
IMO, interop/federation is going to be a tremendous long-term effort and include many standards, but is definitely feasible, inevitable even. There's a lot of innovation happening in messaging again thanks to mobile, we just need to start taking the best of what we've all learned already and work together to improve everyone's stack collectively.
Now I'm fantasizing about some kind of extensible system that allows that kind of special messaging. Making a cross-platform system for that would be hard. HTML5+JS message bodies (omg security!)? Plugin architecture? Idunno.
I've since moved onto Skype's group chat, but nothing I've comes close to MSN. Maybe I'm just being nostalgic.
They bought Skype after the OS was created and never gave it the kind of deep bindings into the OS that other popular social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter) got.
The only thing XMPP is lacking is marketing. Multi-billion-dollars-level marketing; shouldn't be too hard to do, right ?
A new protocol is needed. In fact, just the other day there was a story on HN where the original creator of XMPP said the same thing: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6849755 The merits of his proposed solution are another matter, though.
[0] http://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0206.html [1] https://metajack.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/xmpp-is-better-wit...
I don't recall if this made the HN front page, but there was some news this week of interest: http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/4/5173726/you-have-too-many-...
edit: ugh, jer beat me to it by hours
The value in these companies is the captive audience and the network effect that makes users sticky. There's very little money in producing a commodity chat client (a la Pidgin or Adium).
It is in all of these companies' interests to not work with each other, as their only value is the size and exclusivity of their userbase.
Personally I just SMS now. I'm sick and tired of installing apps just to talk to that one friend who uses it, especially when SMS works just fine.
Same for music, I had customised Winamp and another one I can't remember the name of, but now I'm back to iTunes. I do need a new podcast client now that iTunes makes it difficult to know which episodes are downloaded. Any suggestions?
I hate the million inboxes I have. It would be nice if you could at least use one application to manage all the inboxes of all the devices.
Seems like Google Wave was a good first attempt at an open-source standard that could have worked here.
I've been using the Hangouts app for a few weeks now and am pretty impressed with it so far. It's become my go-to messenger. All of my friends usually keep their Gchat open during work, so switching seamlessly between chat and SMS has been a pretty good experience so far.
The app, though, is a little slow to load and send SMS's, but not enough to warrant disuse.