matrix-appservice-bridge

It should be pretty simple. https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-bridge/blob/... is a simple Slack bridge in 100 LOC, for instance.

https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-bridge/blob/... gives an idea. We'll publish a big blogpost shortly to demonstrate how we've done it for Gitter once that launches too.

https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-bridge/blob/... explains how to write them. For adding them to a chat as a user, you need to use an integration manager (eg t2bot.io) or to run one yourself.

In Matrix, E2EE isn't enabled by default[1], and the option to enable it is in fact marked with a warning that it comes with potentially unwanted side-effects. This isn't the same, and the arguments that call recommending Telegram for E2EE encryption disingenuous apply to Matrix/Riot recommendations too. One other issue I have with Matrix is the fact that they're in the process of completely rewriting their reference implementation in Go despite the fact that - as far as I remember - the first one, in Python, isn't entirely complete[2]. Combined with the app-bridge song and dance[3] there's too much in flux for me to recommend in good conscience. Finally, and perhaps most importantly (speaking as a "regular" user - the type needed to achieve mass adoption), the client is horrendous. This is especially apparent when compared with Wire, but

hopefully Matrix avoids falling into the cliché of xkcd 927 by focusing on defragmenting the existing silos - building a metanetwork between IRC, Slack, XMPP, etc etc. So rather than saying "hey everyone, throw away your current stuff", we say "hey everyone, build a bridge into Matrix - it's fun and easy (100 LOC for the slack bridge: https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-bridge/blob/.... If you want to use Matrix natively via weechat or whatever then so much the better, but the intention is to be useful as way more than just another msging protocol. It's meant to more be a big open decentralised database for conversations and other realtime data - more in common with IPFS or even the Web itself. [disclaimer: I work on Matrix] [p.s: can someone work out how to send Matrix $5 every time someone quotes xkcd 927 at us...?]

Enabling interoperable chat to non-nerdy friends is basically Matrix's raison d'être. We're not there yet (see https://matrix.org/blog/2016/07/04/the-matrix-summer-special... for the current status), but if we don't provide it we will have failed in the whole mission to defragment these silos, letting users choose which service to trust without losing interoperability. The good news is that the Olm end-to-end cryptographic ratchet that Matrix is in the process of deploying (https://matrix.org/git/olm) is built using the same algorithms as Signal Protocol's ratchet (although it's an independent implementation) - so we're hopeful that at least technically the window is open in future for using Matrix to defragment all the services who have adopted Signal Protocol (WhatsApp, Google Allo, FB Messenger, Signal itself etc) without compromising

The plan for marketing it is: * Ensure there are glossy Matrix-native clients out there with a Slack-equivalent level of good UI and UX (e.g. http://vector.im/beta) * Build bridges to federate together as many different protocols as possible. This includes IRC, Slack, XMPP, SIP, Lync, Verto, Respoke etc. We're trying to make this as easy as possible by providing some high level building blocks like http://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-bridge. This hopefully will make it easy for others to bridge themselves into Matrix once we have critical mass. * Release a stable version of actual Matrix standard itself, keeping it as simple but capable as possible. (Right now it's not frozen, and it's still in beta) * Provide a really capable reference server implementation. (The current one, synapse, is a good starting point and works we

We're still alive and going strong - currently supporting glossy client development like Vector.im and building out bridges to as many other networks as possible (IRC, Slack, HipChat etc) using http://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-bridge and similar. In terms of being picked up by a large user base... yes, we need it if we are to be really relevant. And that means relying on folks like those commenting on this thread to try using it, contributing to it, and help us make it better.

This is precisely the problem we're working on with Matrix.org - providing a standard API that can be used to bridge together all of these different protocols in one decentralised model. It's better than Trillian in that the defragmentation happens serverside and you can use any compatible client with it (or one of the existing services if you prefer). For instance, we turned on our first Matrix<->Slack bridge this week - see https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-bridge/blob/... for how easy it was.