That’s unfortunate. Can you try clearing all site data and doing a page reload?
I’m trying to work on a better experience in a separate project here: https://p2p.positive-intentions.com/iframe.html?globals=&id=demo-p2p-messaging--p-2-p-messaging&viewMode=story
Thanks.
It’s possible to have it entirely static and broker webrtc connections client-side, but I haven’t figured out a user experience that would make it “work”.
P2P using peerjs (webrtc). Think of it like a gui for peerjs-server.
The docs for it can be seen here: https://positive-intentions.com/docs/projects/chat
I think it should have the links for more information.
The android app is poorly maintained I would stick to the website based version which I actively work on. I’m using tauri to wrap the webapp. I’m no java developer, that’s all tauri boilerplate.
Ultimately this is intended to be a general purpose messaging app. But it isn’t as good as any of the app you’ve suggested. I sharing it because it demonstrates a fairly unique browser based architecture. Aiming for secure client-side cryptography.
Unlike other solutions, as a webapp users can get started without installing or registering.
it certainly gives more control over your own data, but (if you know what youre doing) from a cybersec perspective, it can help to reduce the “attack surface”. the current direction is to allow users the flexibility from a version provided from me hosted on aws s3 or host it yourself from open source code. additionally, you can host your own peerjs-server as used for brokering connections… by default it connects to the public instance of peerjs-server (so its easier for users to get startedt).
im aiming for flexibility in “getting started” from ready-to-go to selfhosting. it all depends on if a user knows what theyre doing.
For testing and demo purposes only. NOT to replace any other app you use.
Session, Signal, Simplex and countless more apps are better for privacy and security. I can only hope to get to that level on my project.
Selhosting and a vpn are optional depending on your use case; the app works with niether to help users try it out and get started. Like all secure messaging apps, its better to selfhost given the option.
I’ve put effort into how the app is working, but ultimately i dont think its appropiate for me to suggest this code is ready for your sensitive data when it hasnt been reviewed or audited.
It’s on the todo list. Like I mentioned in the parent post, it’s far from finished.
im pretty sure its zero-installation. its a webapp. you go to a url, then thats it.
with WebRTC, the p2p connections is established between browsers. so i think it has a strong case for being p2p. You would be using your own device to run the javascript in the browser and storage provided by the browser is also from your device.
it will do all the encryption, data storage, etc on your browser using only the resources the browser will provide. I believe the functionality as a result is substancially independent selfhosted and p2p.
thanks for your honest feedback.
ive had feedback that people dont know what my app does before. its actually why im in the process of rebranding to Glitr. it used to be called (and kinda is “positive-intentions”). its very early days in the rebranding process and your feedback helps to guage how im doing. its clear that more needs to be done.
those pictures at the bottom will be removed. i was already on the fence about it. i put it there to add a splash of color to the landing page experience.
as for open source and f-droid. the project is developing in a way that open source isnt sustainable and so i branched out to this project. open source and f-droid are still on the table for a separate and more advanced project (https://github.com/positive-intentions/chat). i think im confusing people by mentioning it at all.
i hope to work towards functionality to make my app as easy and intuitive to use as destiny. i try to be clear in things like my post that its a work in progress to help manage expectations.
Can you compare mine to Destiny?
I tried to make mine straightforward. Id like to know what kind of user flow I could aim for.
thanks for the advice. perhaps you have some tips of where i might have done something incorrectly in a previous attempt at open source and libre software. this could be a whole discussion, but i will try to be brief.
https://github.com/positive-intentions/chat
i optimistically started with the aim to get grant funding for a novel approach to secure and private communication using p2p tech. after countless rejections im dont think i should presue that direction.
so then i thought to create something competative in the space of file-transfer. the app would be is a simplified version of the chat app and with less complexity in exchange increased stability. thats that app mentioned in the parent post. mi might not work as privacy solution, but it could still be competative in the tools for file-transfer if i can get it to nice stable polish that can work with massive file-sizes.
i briefly looked at how to get it on the f-droid store and there were details like moving things to gitlab. i then decided to push back indefinately in favor of focusing on the the file-transfer project.
if anyone want to help me with getting the chat app to the f-droid store, some initial changes can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/tauri/comments/1j6g71h/is_there_any_examples_out_there_of_a_tauri_app_in
im not entirely sure i have a service to sell. my efforts are on the PWA. the service i can sell is to provide the native build because people wont want to compile thier own. its a shot in the dark with the Play store, but im curious to see what happens.
Thanks for the links. I’ll need to learn more about this. My high-level thoughts are that I’d like control over my work so it may not be libre software.
https://www.reddit.com/r/cryptography/comments/1evdby4/is_this_a_secure_messaging_app/
This app is based on a similar technology. Maybe you can help me understand the concerns if it does all the things described in that post.
It’s a work in progress so it only makes sense for me to host it. I’m actively fixing things.
If you really want to host statics, I could provide the statics as bundle (but the project is still closed source)
Take a look at the hosting options seen on a separate project (in the readme). Those are the selfhosted options that could be available with this depending of how the project develops.
Same reason for all the other mainstream offering. It’s provided as a zero setup webapp with similar functionality.
Thanks for the clarity.
To prevent things like the risk of infection, is why the app is primarily a webapp. Sanboxed by the browser of you choice.
I don’t think I’m fully understanding. It’s purely a webapp. No database. Client-side computation only.
Can you help me understand how I could reshape my project so it aligns to what you mean.
Im putting a hard-block on open-sourcing it after my previous project. But I’m generally communicative about how it works and happy to answer questions about it.
In the subject of licences, I don’t really know much there.
Given that I’m trying to sell it on the play store I guess you don’t control it?
What would be the concerns around this? Loads of things are close source. I expect it helps to create something competitive.
An entirely valid and understandable view to have. I’m sure you’re not suggesting different approaches shouldn’t be explored. My approach is fairly unique and im personally interested in what can be done with this.
This project is a PWA running on a S3 bucket. The app is free to use entirely. (Disclaimer: I’m in the process of putting something on the play store where I would like to charge for it.)
While syncthing seems appealing. There should always be options for approaching privacy. Mine stands out as a unique approach and so nessesary at least to demonstrate the concept.
I created an open source version first which demonstrates different concepts like instant messaging and video calls.
thanks! i have been making improvements, but i still notice a few connection issues i need to fix. im glad its working for you now.
i’ll definately be improving the “new chat” flow to align to whatsapp. ive already made a start.