Just reading up on #DeltaChat and it does look interesting as a possible signal alternative. Even deploying your own relay seems easy too. Anybody here using it and has any positive feedback ? I mean share if you've negative too as it'll all be gratefully received by all.
Delta Chat: Delta Chat, decentralized secure messenger
Delta Chat is a decentralized and secure messenger app 💬 Reliable instant messaging with multi-profile and multi-device support ⚡️ Sign up to secure and interoperable chatmail relays 🥳 Interactive ...delta.chat
Stefano Marinelli
in reply to Justine Smithies • • •Justine Smithies
in reply to Stefano Marinelli • • •Neil Brown
in reply to Justine Smithies • • •Justine Smithies likes this.
Justine Smithies
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Justine Smithies
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Neil Brown
in reply to Justine Smithies • • •Justine Smithies
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Fossman
in reply to Justine Smithies • • •There are 2 ways to use Delta Chat:
1. #Chatmail relay, e.g. the default nine.testrun.org
2. Regular email. There's a provider compatibility list on their website.
With the second,
- there's a Delta Chat folder created in your inbox so these messages are separated from your regular email by default.
- you do not get the full security benefits of #DeltaChat.
- your messages are end-to-end-encrypted only if the other party also uses Delta Chat or an #Autocrypt compatible client like #SnappyMail or #Fairemail.
With the first option,
- you will only be able to send end-to-end encrypted messages, and
- the other party should use Delta Chat or an alternative client like #DeltaTouch or #ArcaneChat.
Rí Rua
in reply to Justine Smithies • • •Justine Smithies
in reply to Rí Rua • • •vermaden
in reply to Justine Smithies • • •After @feld provided port/packages for DeltaChat on FreeBSD - vermaden.wordpress.com/2021/09… - I accept it as Signal alternative 😀
There is also even more decentralized 'Session' communicator ... but its client is not available on FreeBSD :[
FreeBSD Desktop – Part 27 – Configuration – Netflix Signal Telegram
𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚗Timo Zimmermann
in reply to Justine Smithies • • •we migrated our company and friends and family there from Matrix about a year ago and it’s been a pleasure. Not a single issue. Self hosted relay. By now 31 users.
Some small hiccups the first week are documented here screamingatmyscreen.com/one-we… but devs were super responsive and helpful!
One week with Delta Chat
Timo Zimmermann (www.screamingatmyscreen.com)Justine Smithies
in reply to Timo Zimmermann • • •outofcreativity
in reply to Justine Smithies • • •I'm using it for years and since some time primarily with a chat mail account.
It's instant, has no spam and just working as intended. It keeps working with unreliable and really slow networks, chatmail relays have a TTL of 60 seconds, iirc.
Adding a seperate device or backing up your account is as easy as it gets. All supported platforms are treated equally.
Webxdc apps are awesome and have no internet access of themselves. For example I use a shopping list with my partner.
There is experimental videochat support if this is your cup of tea.
Right now they are working on seperating your identity from your account. This is the basis of the planned multitransport feature. Meaning your message is sent to multiple relays and if at least one arrives, your messages gets delivered.
Please don't think of email when you think of Deltachat. It uses email for transport, although its not classic email. The devs are working hard to reduce metadata and implement the features of DC within the encrypted part.
Ping me if you want to message me in DC.
#DeltaChat
dch reshared this.
Justine Smithies
in reply to outofcreativity • • •fedops 💙💛
in reply to Justine Smithies • • •I've used it, it works fine.
Just beware that it does not (and does not pretend to) provide the same level of privacy as e.g. Signal does. Specifically, being essentially "just" fancy email, it leaves the full trail of metadata.
If you look at it as a handsfree implementation of what PGP tried to do (adjusted for peoples' attention spans) you'll be fine.
Justine Smithies likes this.
Vojta
in reply to Justine Smithies • • •I very much like the idea of having a Matrix-like federated messenger with a fraction of the computing power required. I've been keeping eye on DeltaChat for a while. However, it is unwilling to load existing chats from the IMAP; it expects to read the fresh message from the server, add it to your local on-device history and be done with the server copy. Should your device be destroyed and you buy a new one? There is (AFAIK) no standard way to download the history from the server as if nothing happened. That's a no-go for me.
Another simple-to-fix but utterly annoying thing is that you can't configure it to send your photos untouched. It always applies some level of compression, you can only select the intensity.
Jonathan Lamothe
in reply to Justine Smithies • •Justine Smithies likes this.
Justine Smithies
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • • •Thanks Jonathan and can I ask do you use someone else's chat server ?
CC: @delta@chaos.social
Jonathan Lamothe
in reply to Justine Smithies • •Justine Smithies likes this.
vort3
in reply to Justine Smithies • • •I can't talk if it's a good "signal alternative" as I'm not using signal and don't know about any specific signal features you might need. If you just want to send messages and read messages (so, you want an IM, not a toy with bells and whistles) #DeltaChat (and its fork #ArcaneChat ) "just work".
The only issue (depending on your needs it might be an advantage instead of an issue) is the discoverability. There's no "global search" or anything like that. You either use your email as your "username" or send someone a link, they tap the link and you have a chat. Everything is encrypted.
I've been using it for years, and the best thing about it is that you don't have to fight the network effect and convince people to install yet another app: you can use deltachat and others can use gmail or whatever they like as deltachat messages are just emails.
It works. It's great. I wish everyone used it.