Version 0.3.1, 2022-09-23
This FAQ Guide should give you insight on what defines dR Community Matrix, how to use it productively, and why.
It is recommended to create account at Envs.net, for there are quite a few reasons to do so, instead of having all your eggs in Matrix.org’s basket.
That said, you can join dRCM from any trustworthy homeserver with proper federation. If Envs.net is not enough, you can always find another one in the List of Public Matrix Homeservers (or connect from friend’s own server).
Joining dRCM requires manual verification right now. You need to contact @vintprox via Matrix and mention him at devRant, so for link to be established.
Once approved, you’ll receive several room invites that you can selectively accept. You should at least visit dR Community Matrix space and #dr01 | Lobby room.
It is only imperative that you introduce yourself. There are many things to do at dRCM after:
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Chat about various topics, to get a hang of communications provided, and to make friends.
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Don’t hesitate: present whatever you’re working on, post us on it.
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Attend the workshops or make your very own!
There is no comprehensive roadmap yet. Nonetheless, you can have a peek into issues, discuss them, or report yours.
We might also look into concerns posted in dRCM rooms, but converting those to proper tickets or relaying to existing ones would be a big help. That way we’re guaranteed to peruse as many points of view as possible.
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TL;DR
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Ecosystem. |
Takes on the subject may vary depending on whether you were, or still is, a user of XMPP, IRC, or similar protocols. Don’t even make us start on how many platforms you probably partake in to follow the group chats: Discord, Telegram, Slack, etc. While they are all the rage, waters of Matrix are way more transparent and rewarding to explore. [matrix-vs]
Matrix really doesn’t lock you in and has arguably fail-safe messenger experience. By "fail-safe" we mean how the ecosystem is nurtured and kept relevant, with decentralization as the first-class citizen. [fediverse] Matrix is meant to be a community effort, which remains pristine with standardized processes and proposals from world-wide contributors.
Our humble Matrix space can be joined only by invitation, and it is a deliberate constraint. Following reasons should shed some light on why this is a case:
- Member list secrecy
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If any room would happen to be public, it would basically give out MXIDs of users that joined it, all without exposing the recipient (guest access). We want to remedy this privacy issue by only letting the recipient see others in exchange for joining the space themselves first.
NoteIn the meantime, you can track the progress of "semi-anonymous rooms" which would provide a better privacy by masking real MXID of user. [spec-260] - Owning conversations
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Unless it’s all private, the previous timeline would be delivered on a golden plate to newcomers. Strictly speaking, not many would love their past shared with someone who just joined, so everyone should be provided with their own chat history instead.
- Adequacy check-up
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Potential member can be readily and personally invited by other member to ensure that the first is a sentient devRant user that is less likely to disrupt everyone’s idyll. External merits can be used to automate this verification, but as of yet, they are not decided upon.
- Not for everyone
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We want some minimal privacy by default to accomodate the threat model of the average devRant user. It is easy to see "private" aspect of the space as something closed from the vast community. Nevertheless, it can be made approachable with enough activity and written guides like this. In the end of the day, it is your journey that matters.
We needed a better alternative to putting everything on Matrix.org homeserver, using Element Matrix Services, and hosting our very own server. Envs.net was deemed to be a promising solution. Following criteria took place:
| Free hosting |
No obligatory monthly bills — less dependency on collective paying ability of dRCM members. However, it’s worth mentioning that Sven (a.k.a. @~creme) has an open page for receiving donations. If you find their work laudable, don’t mind tipping some, do you. |
| Reliable uptime |
Every new member is presented to comparably more streamlined chat experience on Envs.net than on Matrix.org. [matrix-outages] [envs-status] |
| Frequent server updates |
Server does not stagnate and follows the common Matrix spec. |
| In-house Element |
Sign up and login via the ubiquitous route. No need for downloads. |
| Rules |
Provided guidelines complement the spirit of dRCM. |
| Privacy policy |
There is concise description of how data is transferred. |
Despite being hosted on one instance, room states and events are actually shared across federated servers, from which a user of Matrix.org or other federated homeserver can benefit as well. [fediverse] You own your conversations despite connectivity. It doesn’t have to be only Envs.net that your account resides on, to use dRCM at full might.
It is much desired for us to invite more people to sign up at Envs.net homeserver for several reasons:
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Higher uptime [envs-status]
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Dedicated Matrix ID
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Full presence by default (partial opt-out available)
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Bringing up more awareness about decentralization and redundancy [matrix-outages]
You can just reuse your existing account on Matrix.org or other federated homeserver, if you want. Signing up at Envs.net is completely optional for regular users, and as such you can do it any time you want.
On homeservers with expected lower attendance, unlike Matrix.org, online statuses are shared between all users. Whereas if you sign in at Matrix.org homeserver, you can probably benefit from indefinitely disabled online status.
Read receipts and typing notifications can be disabled wherever you go, by configuring your client application.
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[matrix-vs] Austin Huang. "How does Matrix compare to other platforms?". https://joinmatrix.org/guide/matrix-vs-al/. Updated 2022-05-24.
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[fediverse] Karl M. Joch. "Smart Internet users are now choosing the Fediverse and Matrix". https://kmj.at/en/blog/2021-05-21-move-to-fediverse-matrix/. Published 2021-05-21.
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[spec-260] "Add Semi-Anonymous Rooms (SPEC-260)". matrix-org/matrix-spec#119.
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[matrix-outages] Alex Gleason. "Mirroring your Matrix rooms to prevent outages". https://blog.alexgleason.me/matrix-outages/. Published 2019-04-12.
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[envs-status] Status of Envs.net homeserver. https://updown.io/6wwf https://updown.io/ylae.
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Get in touch with Rodion for more ideas dRCM. |
Rodion is mostly known as vintprox, or Vint for short. Proficient with studying web engineering and mentoring frontend disciplines.
Being the first administrator of dR Community Matrix, as well as dR Community Server since 2020, he wants to maintain the most welcoming instant messaging place for users of devRant.