cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/40286422

Is UX/UI and marketing really the reason XMPP lags behind Signal/Matrix/Telegram?

Matrix is going Freemium and WhatsApp is adding ads, which is sparking the annual “time to leave [app]” threads.

Users don’t care that much about privacy, but they do care about enshittification, so XMPP not being built for it shouldn’t be a problem.

Meanwhile, I’ve heard for years that XMPP has solved a lot of the problems that lead more popular apps to fail.

Is it really just a marketing/UX/UI problem?

If XMPP had a killer app with all the features that Signal/Whatsapp/Telegram has, would it have as many users?

If not, why does it keep getting out-adopted by new apps and protocols?

  • SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de
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    7 days ago

    Granted, it has been a couple years and it could be a bit better, but XMPP is a horrible, horrible protocol to work with. From the ground up.

    Matrix might be bloated nowadays, but that’s nothing to the horribleness of xmpp.

    source: I wrote the first xmpp/matrix bridge in 2015

    • underline960@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      7 days ago

      I don’t usually hear this opinion.

      Most of the time, it’s about how XMPP has everything you need without the boat of a Matrix server.

      • SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de
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        7 days ago

        Eh, only if you squint reaaaaally hard

        In practice, you will run in constant compatibility problems. Let alone barely functional multi device support

      • mostlikelyaperson@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        Conversely, I have seen this opinion expressed a few times. I can’t judge the accuracy but there seem to be more than a few people sharing it.