Libervia progress note 2023-W22

goffi 10 months ago jabber-xmpp-en SàT Libervia project libre Libervia progress SàT progress XMPP

Hello,

It's been a while since my last progress note. I've been immersed in work on Libervia, with many tasks to accomplish. I'll keep this update brief.

A/V Implementation in Libervia

I'm thrilled to announce a new development that I haven't yet officially shared on this blog: Libervia has once again received a grant from NLnet, this time via the NGI Assure Fund. This funding will facilitate the implementation of A/V calls with Jingle across several frontends: Web, Desktop, and CLI. In addition to one-on-one calls, multi-party calls are in the plans. The first approach will be using XEP-0272: Multiparty Jingle (Muji), which supports Peer-to-Peer (P2P) connections between participants without the need for a specific service—ideal for a small number of participants. For larger groups, a Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) will be used, mirroring the technology used in platforms such as Jitsi Meet.

Alongside calls, we plan to offer Desktop Sharing, and even a specification and implementation for Remote Desktop Control atop XMPP!

Progress is well underway; one-on-one calls are already functional within the web frontend. However, there is still substantial work ahead.

To gain insight into the related tasks and what we've accomplished so far, you can check the associated tickets.

ActivityPub Gateway

I realize the high level of anticipation surrounding this gateway. While the gateway is operational (this blog utilizes it), it is yet to stabilize. I had hoped early adopters would install it and provide bug reports or other feedback. Unfortunately, this was not the case, with only one person (to my knowledge) having used it and provided prior feedback. This is understandable considering the requirement of an existing XMPP server, installation of a dev version of Libervia, and setting everything up. If you wish to try it out, you're welcome to join our official chat at libervia@chat.jabberfr.org (http link).

Nonetheless, I've decided to adjust my strategy. At some point, I plan to open a test instance. Due to limited resources for moderation, it will likely be invitation-only initially. The ultimate aim is to gather sufficient feedback to ensure stability.

Official Website and Test Instance

There have been several changes to the website:

  • The Flatpak and Docker images appeared to be malfunctioning. I've temporarily removed them and plan to rectify this issue later. If you wish to test Libervia in the meantime, the sources remain available.

  • I've added a roadmap at https://libervia.org/roadmap. Many had requested this, so here you go.

I've discontinued the libervia.org test instance, after years of service, as I've relocated the official website there to align with the project's new name (Libervia versus formerly Salut à Toi). As mentioned above, I have plans for a new instance, but it will likely be invite-only initially. I'm also considering a local-only demo for a quick overview of the web frontend—a non-federated feature that self-resets every few hours. We'll see if I can make the time to set it up.

Talks

I'll be delivering two talks next month in Paris:

I would be delighted to engage in a conversation if you happen to be there.

Other

In addition to these projects, I've been focusing on parallel tasks like code refactoring, work on calendar events, and the web frontend. However, I'll delve into these topics in more detail at a later date.

That's all for this note.