None of this will ever gain any traction ever unless
A) it's as simple to use as the alternatives B) users actually start using it
this post was submitted on 23 Jan 2025
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C) it's functionally equivalent to the commercial service
D) influencers who can monetize commercial platforms can also monetize this platform - otherwise the big accounts won't move over, nor will their followers.
Most people use computers as tools, and just want to hang with their friends or get a dopamine hit. Platforms like Mastodon don't quite fit the bill so they fail to gain traction.
big accounts won’t move over, nor will their followers.
This post is about private messaging, not social media.
The statements about usability and monetization hold true: if the free platform is harder to use, or it breaks business models that attract users then it will fail.
Platforms like Mastodon don’t quite fit the bill so they fail to gain traction.
They may fail to impress VC, but i wouldn't say they fail to gain traction... especially while commenting in one of them.
simple to use
- share a webxdc zip file in your chat
- ???
- profit
Not sure how to make that simpler
Already too hard for most people
It has to be dead simple. Whatsapp is dead simple, reliable, and looks nice, which is why everyone and their dog uses it
Delta Chat aims for “WhatsApp-level” simplicity and these webxdc zips are just called “apps” when regular users interact with them in the Delta Chat app.
This blog post goes a bit more in-depth on what they are, how they work and how you can build one. Which I thought would be interesting for this Technology forum.
@[email protected] is having a hard time getting it to work. They're probably an average user, so other average users will probably have issues as well.
Ok, sounds cool. So I downloaded a .xdc file and.. now what? I think they should've started with a paragraph on how to actually run one of these files.
I was confused at first, but it actually was pretty easy. They do need better documentation, but you start with Delta Chat and in a chat with someone (tested it with myself) you either link the downloaded file, or click apps and download it right into the chat. Then click to open.
It's kinda cool, and now they have on boarding "email-lite" servers instead of making you configure your own email address, though that's still an option. Don't know anyone who uses it though.
They are apps that use a messenger as backend, so basically your conversation with someone else has all the state of the webxdc. In Delta Chat that would be the encrypted email thread.
To use a webxdc share it in any of the mentioned messaging apps.
Clear as mud. (I actually dimly get it, I'm a dev, but mere mortals will be clueless and move on). Farcaster is right, you need to define terms and give examples of actually getting this up and running, you've got way too much internal context that you're not making explicit. Not an attack, trying to help, project sounds cool.
The captain's right, it needs to be more accessible to get started using it. 30 years in tech and I'm also only vaguely understanding due to undefined process and procedure. Great project and I hope to see it move forward.
As I recall, Delta Chat is a front end for opportunistic PGP over email, so I guess this must be a spec for sharing web apps over that channel. Yes?
How does it compare to Matrix widgets?
Yeah the spec is at https://webxdc.org/ and it is implemented by Delta Chat and a couple XMPP clients.
I don’t use Matrix so I’m not sure.