So now that discord has made a major oopsie, people are now talking about alternatives. However I do not see people mention XMPP a lot (Compared to Matrix, which gets mentioned a lot).

So I was wondering if we all could brainstorm & share:

  • what features Discord has that XMPP currently does not
  • & whether those “features” are being worked on
  • & if so then; useful links can be provided.

Also let’s keep this post as active as possible to track development, if you are interested.

  • ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.netEnglish
    3·
    4 days ago

    XMPP’s capabilities can vary depending on the Client used.

    Currently, the the most promising, best option for a Discord replacement is the Movim Client.

    It has:

    • Group chats with image, video, and file transfer support
    • Group Audio & Video calls with screen sharing (currently must use a chromium browser to share the application’s audio)
    • A universal PWA that works on all operating systems, desktop & mobile
    • Integrated blog posts

    The only Discord features missing from it are rooms/spaces, and voice rooms that show who is inside, with the ability to seamlessly drop in and out of a call.

    The rooms/spaces feature is being actively developed as we speak, with the first PR to add it in happening 3 days ago. After that, it is likely that the voice rooms will developed.

    (As an aside, to any Slrpnk.net members reading this, our instance hosts an XMPP server and Movim instance, which you can access with your existing Slrpnk login, since it queries the same database).

    For those who don’t want to use a PWA, the native Desktop and Mobile options aren’t currently quite as full featured as Movim.

    You can find links most of the apps below from JoinJabber.org.

    Desktop

    • Dino, a native Linux client, is only lacking the ability to screen share. It is compatible with Movim’s group calls.
    • Gajim works on Linux, MacOS, and Windows. I’m unsure of its capabilities (they are not listed on the website).
    • Fluux-messenger is a newer option that attempts to mimic a Discord-like experience. It’s currently only able to do group chats, but eventually calls will be worked on according to the devs.
    • Converse.js - Cool looking client, but unfortunately cannot yet do audio/video calls at all, only text chat.
    • Kaidan - Desktop client that can do 1-on-1 video calls (Linux only for now)

    Android

    • Conversations, along with its forks Cheogram and Monocles, are native Android apps. Unfortunately they cannot do group voice/video calls, only 1-on-1 audio/video calls, and they cannot screen share.

    Apple

    • Sisken is a native iOS client, it has the same capabilities as the Android apps, it is not yet compatible with group calls or screen sharing.
    • Monal is a native iOS and MacOS client, I have never used it and am unsure what its capabilities are.

    Also @brisk@aussie.zone