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Stoat.
https://stoat.chat/
https://github.com/stoatchat
Looks like a self hostable chat server. The server is written in rust and the clients in typescript and nodejs. It has client implementations for android, iOS, web, electron (win, linux, macos; x64 + arm). Text only, voice is planned.
I would have appreciated a short description about the product in op, neither stoat nor revolt are particularly helpful to guess what's it used for.
Edited for clarification.
Thanks.:)
There is a 3rd party app called Clerotri in FDroid.
However the bigger problem is that they started blocking my VPN, so I can't even access it anymore...
Hmm indeed, somehow I did not see it this morning. For anyone curious it's on the izzyondroid repo. Updated 2 months ago.
@Alfredolin oh yeah, i did check that out just a few days ago. I was a fan first, but later I got to know that they do not keep users data encrypted, so decided to ultimately get rid of it :/
True! That's why you should self-host. And still better than discord in that regard, where any admin can look at any of your chats.
But yes, Stoat is not really a privacy focused chat. I see it only as an alternative to discord for gaming voice chat.
Actually, I always forget but nowadays Steam has a pretty decent voice chat too. 🤔
@Alfredolin wow do they? That's nice I'll definitely check that out. Is there any actually good Discord alternative tho?
It very much depends on what you are looking for.
Matrix is pretty good, but hosting synapse (Matrix server) is resource consuming. XMPP is very nice I think but I have not tried voice there. Nextcloud Talk requires to have everyone registered on the Nextcloud instance and also needs somewhat beefy HW. Mattermost seems to be professional level stuff, did not try. I don't really know about other alternatives, that's why I am waiting for a proper voice chat in Stoat so that I can test it.
So far, Stoat seems to be THE alternative to discord. For gaming atm I'm still using discord (because I would be the one moving everyone, and I won't do it with a proper alternative. For gaming that is. Discord is one of the last proprietary chats I use.)
@Alfredolin Matrix has metadata leaks tho, and it isn't perfect. You could try Mattermost, I have done so yet. The thing I'm doing is just making groups in Signal or even just sticking to plain old Discord. It's kind of like YouTube, where it's hard to find an actually good replacement.
My threat model does not require me to have something better than a selfhosted Matrix server. The point is leaving capitalist leechservices and/or US-based services.
Should anyone care?
Well I am disappointed that it's not updated (or at all under Stoat name) on the F-droid repo. But no, since the voice chat is not there yet, you don't need to care at the moment. :]
I mean does this app do anything special?
It's a potential FOSS replacement for discord, nice to move your friends who are hooked on discord but to lazy to try matrix/xmpp/whatever (once stoat has covered the voice channels). Appart from that no, I don't think so.
you should put this in the post description; it's not clear what stoat is for the people who don't already know.
I have updated the OP, I don't really know how it appears in crossposts.
why would they move to stoat if they are too lazy to install matrix?
Because it's litteraly a copy of discord.
Yes, last time I tried Revolt it looked shamelessly like Discord's UI.
I feel that if they just wanted an app with the look and feel of discord, it would have made more sense to make a matrix (or maybe xmpp) client with the look and feel of discord. I honestly don't see much value in yet another protocol if the only distinctive feature is in the look & feel of the UI. Specially if they are not designing the stack in a way that is at least as good as those other options from a security, privacy, feature extensibility and decentralization standpoint.
Coming from discord, matrix element ui is shitty (my personal viewpoint only). The fact that you don't have a visible spaces et chats hierarchy with categories is so complicated to get where you are and know what is there.... On that front Cinny does very great, but has no audio nor video for now.