SimpleX Chat

[robi]

Just downloaded the mobile app and it's NICE and polished. No desktop app, yet.

Doesn't need local smp-server and XFTP server as the community ones are pretty good with privacy, but you still can. Can use tor and .onion servers too.

The install script works on Ubuntu, but will NOT install in our LAMP app as it's particular about the dirs it uses (which you can modify manually by editing the script):

root@53b4805b-4b58-445c-b775-1e669364cd09:/app/data# curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplex-chat/simplexmq/stable/install.sh -o simplex-server-install.sh \
&& if echo 'b8cf2be103f21f9461d9a500bcd3db06ab7d01d68871b07f4bd245195cbead1d simplex-server-install.sh' | sha256sum -c; then chmod +x ./simplex-server-install.sh && ./simplex-server-install.sh; rm ./simplex-server-install.sh; else echo "SHA-256 checksum is incorrect!" && rm ./simplex-server-install.sh; fi
simplex-server-install.sh: OK

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|____/|_|_| |_| |_| .__/|_|\___/_/\_\
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Welcome to SMP/XFTP installation script! Here's what we're going to do:
1. Install latest binaries from GitHub releases:
    - smp: /usr/local/bin/smp-server
    - xftp: /usr/local/bin/xftp-server
2. Create server directories:
    - smp: /etc/opt/simplex /var/opt/simplex
    - xftp: /etc/opt/simplex-xftp /var/opt/simplex-xftp /srv/xftp
3. Setup user for each server:
    - xmp: smp
    - xftp: xftp
4. Create systemd services:
    - smp: /etc/systemd/system/smp-server.service
    - xftp: /etc/systemd/system/xftp-server.service
5. Install stopscript (systemd), update and uninstallation script:
    - all: /usr/local/bin/simplex-servers-update, /usr/local/bin/simplex-servers-uninstall, /usr/local/bin/simplex-servers-stopscript

Press ENTER to continue or Ctrl+C to cancel installation

Uhh, and the precompiled binaries want to use /etc/opt and /var/opt:

root@53b4805b-4b58-445c-b775-1e669364cd09:/app/data/simplex# ./smp-server  init -h
Usage: smp-server init [-l|--store-log] [-s|--daily-stats] 
                       [-a|--sign-algorithm ALG] [--ip IP] [-n|--fqdn FQDN] 
                       [--no-password | --password PASSWORD] [-y|--yes]
  Initialize server - creates /etc/opt/simplex and /var/opt/simplex directories
  and configuration files

Available options:
  -l,--store-log           Enable store log for persistence
  -s,--daily-stats         Enable logging daily server statistics
  -a,--sign-algorithm ALG  Signature algorithm used for TLS certificates:
                           ED25519, ED448 (default: ED448)
  --ip IP                  Server IP address, used as Common Name for TLS online
                           certificate if FQDN is not supplied
                           (default: "127.0.0.1")
  -n,--fqdn FQDN           Server FQDN used as Common Name for TLS online
                           certificate
  --no-password            Allow creating new queues without password
  --password PASSWORD      Set password to create new messaging queues
  -y,--yes                 Non-interactive initialization using command-line
                           options
  -h,--help                Show this help text

[robi]

Here are the self-hosting instructions: https://github.com/simplex-chat/simplex-chat/blob/stable/docs/SERVER.md

Best to compile from source so you can modify the directory structure for packaging.

Here's the Dockerfile from the wrapper used in StartOS.

[robi]

v5.2 of SimpleX Chat is now released OSS
https://simplex.chat/blog/20230722-simplex-chat-v5-2-message-delivery-receipts.html

[aessen]

@robi I am a huge fan of this app and I am so pleased to be able to play around in it. I know that you mentioned that there is no desktop app proper but I was curious if you had a chance to play around in the Linux CLI version? Seems to me that they are focusing on it to allow a level of functionality that can be embedded but I'll admit this is not my area of expertise.

[robi]

@aessen Yes, that's what https://forum.cloudron.io/post/68664 is about. If you run linux as your desktop, the binaries will work, however not in the LAMP app.

Someone would need to compile it with different directory defaults to make it work.

[aessen]

@robi ahhh that makes more sense. I figured that that was what your post was referring to and I recognised the Linux CLI look and feel in your post but I am still not as well versed in things to have picked up on the nuances of what your post meant. My bad.

[marcusquinn]

the SMP server is a good candidate for packaging as an app, should be simple, and help further the decentralisation:

• https://simplex.chat/docs/server.html

[marcusquinn]

Overall, the app seems to be the best of the bunch for ticking all opsec boxes.

I can see this becoming the main way AI agents & users communicate, too, as the cli is very friendly, mature, and versatile.

[robi]

I think ZeroNetX would also be a good fit @marcusquinn
All data browsed local, DHT, and human readable interface

[marcusquinn]

@robi looks like a dead website and something to do with bitcoin? not seeing a fit, but make a wishlist post if you think i'm missing something

[robi]

@marcusquinn it's already there.

It's clever in that it used bitcoin crypto algorithms but NOT the network.

It's clever in how it made the web feel super fast, because content is local.

It's clever in all the ways we don't do things. They're flipped on its head.

Useful architecture to learn about.

Maybe even simplify in a new form. Gotta play with it.

I think it should be part of modern browsers today.