WhatsApp and most alternatives share the same problem

Shall I migrate to Signal, Threema or Telegram? No, because they all have — WhatsApp included — the same problem: They are walled gardens. Imagine a world where for each mail recipient using a separate domain, I would need separate mail client? Or in other words: Gmail users can only communicate with Gmail users.

Let’s start with mail first.

The origin of mail were a couple of geeks who wanted to exchange messages on ARPANET (the internets great grandmother). At the time they solved two challenges. Invent a packet-switching network with distributed control that was intended to survive a nuclear attack. And hook up different types of computers types that were not interoperable at the time: A DEC PDP-10, a SDS Sigma 7, an IBM 360/75 and SDS 940. The second topic is our primary issue here.

To achieve this they agreed on a common terminology and on common standards to exchange messages in a collaborative way. Layering on existing definitions (such as TCP/IP) they created:

• RFC 524: A Proposed Mail Protocol
• RFC 561: Standardizing Network Mail Headers
• RFC 680: Message Transmission Protocol
• RFC 724: Proposed Official Standard for the Format of ARPA Network Messages

That summed up later in the document RFC 733: STANDARD FOR THE FORMAT OF ARPA NETWORK TEXT MESSAGES . And many of the aspects solved back then still live in today’s mail infrastructure. Including an address scheme using “@”.

Later the transport of the messages (originally they used multiple protocols such as CPYNET, UUCP or FTP) transitioned in 1981 to SMTP which is still todays way to transport mail. All of this allows that any mail client (MUA = Mail User Agent) can talk via any mail server (MTA = Mail Transfer Agent). An open, collaborative process defining an interoperable system.

And now come the instant messengers.

As I already said Signal, Threema, Telegram AND WhatsApp are broken. Why does everybody wanting to exchange messages need the same client? Before digging into more technical detail or rant about companies earning money with closed gardens let come to a possible solution: The Matrix-Protocol. In short it’s about the same deal as mail (building on HTTP and WebRTC) but for chat-messaging (including IP-telephony and video-telephony) initiated by a non-profit foundation based in the UK. After XMPP or IRC it’s not the only approach to solve the issue, but so far the most successful.

Their reference implementation of the client is called Element (former Riot) and a server called Synapse. So in theory there could be any chat client communicating over any chat server to any chat client. Sadly it’s not really used yet. Although the French Government is supporting it with a client implementation named Tchap and German Bundeswehr plans to do alike.

So what?

Well no real cheering news and in case don’t want to be alone on Matrix you can write to @juerg:matrix.org.

And will it work? No, because there is already too much money in the game (and telcos try to reanimate the SMS Eldorado too, without success).

But it would be the right thing. And me? I don’t’ switch, I use them all!

PS: The post was inspired by the very nice article «Kill the Messenger».