Beim Thema digitale Unabhängigkeit werden im Bereich Kommunikation und Instant Messaging verschiedene Lösungen diskutiert. Zum einen wäre da der zentrale Dienst einer US-amerikanischen Non-Profit-O...

Conversations, my federated instant messaging client for Android, started out as many traditional open-source projects do: as an attempt to scratch my own itch. Development started in January 2014 in my student dormitory, and within weeks I started dogfooding and using the client as the primary means of communicating with my friends. However, when it came to releasing the app to the public on March 24, 2014—exactly twelve and a half years ago today—it was immediately clear to me that I would at least try to turn my open-source project into a business. While I didn’t invent the business model of making the source code publicly available but charging for the convenience of a compiled binary, it was certainly unusual in 2014.

Warum Open Source ohne Föderation nicht reicht, was XMPP heute bietet und wie der Weg zu XMPP 2.0 aussieht. Beim Thema digitale Unabhäng...

Talks & Presentations Upcoming 🇬🇧 Jabber/XMPP: 25 Years of Digital Independence, Open Source Conference Luxembourg 2026 event page 🇬🇧 Jabber/XMPP: 25 Years of Digital Independence, LinuxDays 2026 event page 🇩🇪 Jabber/XMPP: 25 Jahre Digitale Souveränität, Datenspuren 2026 event page, slides 2026 🇩🇪 Push-Benachrichtigungen. Dezentral und OpenSource, FrOSCon 2026 event page, recording, slides 🇨🇦 UnifiedPush, FOSSY 2026 event page, slides 🇬🇧 XMPP - XEP-0490: Message Displayed Synchronization, IETF 126 recording, slides 🇩🇪 UnifiedPush, CLT 2026 event page, recording, slides 🇬🇧 XMPP - XEP-0202: Entity Time, IETF 125 recording, slides 🇬🇧 UnifiedPush - Push notifications. Decentralized and Open Source, FOSDEM 2026 event page, recording, slides 2025 🇩🇪 UnifiedPush, MRMCD 2025 event page, recording, slides 🇩🇪 UnifiedPush, Datenspuren event page, recording, recording (mirror), slides 2024 🇬🇧 Intro to Ltt.rs: A JMAP client for Android, FOSDEM 2024 event page, recording, slides 2023 🇩🇪 Der Angriff auf jabber.ru, XMPP Meetup Berlin recording, slides 2021 🇬🇧 Intro to JMAP: A spiritual successor to IMAP & Submission, XMPP Happy Hour recording, slides 2020 🇬🇧 Jingle & WebRTC: An introduction to audio/video calls with XMPP, XMPP Meetup Berlin recording, slides 2019 🇬🇧 The state of the XMPP Community, FrOSCon 2019 event page, recording, slides 🇩🇪 XMPP for developers, XMPP Meetup Dresden slides 🇦🇹 Regulierung von Instant Messengern, PrivacyWeek Wien event page (archive.org), recording, slides 🇬🇧 JMAP & Ltt.rs, 36C3 recording, slides 2018 🇩🇪 Open Source darf auch was kosten – vom Hobby zum Beruf, CLT 2018 event page, recording, slides 🇸🇬 Federated Instant Messaging with Jabber/XMPP, FOSSASIA 2018 event page, recording, slides 🇬🇧 The Ecosystem is Moving, Varia event page, slides 🇩🇪 Open Source darf auch was kosten, FrOSCon 2018 event page,recording, slides 🇩🇪 Copying WhatsApp the right way, Datengarten event page, recording, recording (mirror), slides 2017 🇩🇪 Jabber/XMPP: Instant Messaging selber in die Hand nehmen, MRMCD 2017 event page, recording 🇬🇧 The Past, The Presence & The Future, 34C3 recording, slides 2016 🇬🇧 Settling the IM war, FrOCSCon 2016 event page, recording 🇩🇪 Beenden wir den Krieg der Instant Messenger, Datenspuren 2016 event page,recording 2015 🇬🇧 XMPP 2015 - challenges of modern day instant messaging, FrOSCon 2015 event page, recording 2009 🇩🇪 Verteiltes Suchen – Ein aktueller Überblick, CLT 2009 event page

When it comes to digital independence, various solutions are being discussed in the field of communication and instant messaging. On the one hand, there is the reliance on proprietary APIs and providers largely built with venture capital. On the other hand, there is the complex task of developing a custom protocol from scratch. However, it might be worth taking a look at long-standing solutions that follow an actual internet standard and stand out due to numerous independent implementations. Jabber/XMPP is one such internet standard and is "ready for prime time".

Signal Sucks, Actually When I first installed Signal in the second half of 2023 to stay in touch with a few friends who had recently switched, it did not support message edits. This completely broke the way I used instant messengers. At that point, editing messages was a widely deployed feature across other instant messaging clients. Conversations had supported it since February 20161 and I had acquired a habit of typing a message, sending it, and only then reading it again and checking for typos. The lack of such an essential feature caused me to send incomprehensible messages, making the app almost unusable for me. Signal forced me to adapt and change my habits.

I Don’t Want to Interact With Stochastic Parrots par Ploum - Lionel Dricot.

When it comes to digital independence, various solutions are being discussed in the field of communication and instant messaging. On the one hand, there is the centralized service of a US non-profit organization. On the other hand, there is the publicly documented API of a company that was largely built with venture capital. However, it might be worth taking a look at long-standing solutions that follow an actual internet standard and stand out due to numerous independent implementations. Jabber/XMPP is one such internet standard and is "ready for prime time". In over 25 years, the XMPP instant messaging protocol has seen its fair share of ups and downs. This talk highlights the recent history of the protocol and explains why open source alone, without federation and vendor-independent standards, is not enough for true digital sovereignty. The current status quo of XMPP is showcased through modern features like emoji reactions, moderation, read state synchronization across multiple devices, and time zone indicators for contacts. Additionally, the presentation offers a look ahead at upcoming protocol extensions and the initiative to return to the IETF with "XMPP 2.0" to update the existing RFC standards. Finally, attendees will learn how to easily and smoothly get started in the XMPP ecosystem today.

Warum Open Source ohne Föderation nicht reicht, was XMPP heute bietet und wie der Weg zu XMPP 2.0 aussieht.