For a few months I’ve spent my free time working on a C++ messenger. It started off pretty simple, just two input boxes for IP address and port number, more of a fun experiment. From there it started to grow and soon allowed for peers to connect automatically using a relay. For a while it only allowed two people to speak at once, which was good for security but was very inconvenient. Now Retro Messenger allows multiple users to speak at once, sending encrypted files and messages that exist only in memory.
Although there is plenty of things I could improve, I was curious to see if anyone had suggestions or requests for what else could be added. I’m currently debugging a local-logs feature, and I could look into how to implement voice calls in the future. Thanks for your time and feel free to ask questions
Landing page: https://retromessenger.space/
I don’t really see a market need for this, just use signal. C++ is also a weird language to use in the modern era, pretty much totally eclipsed by Go or Rust, not that you need performance anyway. Or just use webrtc for p2p connections with a standard TURN/STUN relay for network layouts that prevent direct p2p, this can be done pure web or via apps. Already has audio/video and encryption. XMPP and Matrix are also fine. But as a learning exercise, great project
Where is the source code?
You can’t make any claims about privacy without it.I’d be concerned with the type of user base this will attract. Gonna end up with more predators than Dunder Mifflin Infinity. I just have low trust in online users. Wouldn’t even host a Lemmy server, having to manage text and images submitted by anonymous users, no thanks.
Would probably need to be open source to be trustworthy. Running a random executable from the Internet seems dicey.
Needs more screenshots. The two that are on the site don’t render great on mobile. Can only see a small portion.
I’m unclear how you find another user and verify who they are.
Website should have a clearer feature list. The user manual wants to download a text file instead of showing it in the browser.
Thanks for the feedback. Should I show snippets of the relay server code or the entire process? Could this be seen as a security risk or do you think the feedback and suggestions from more experienced programmers outweighs that? With the finding users thing, I suppose it’s a little tricky. I sort of imagined it as users connecting through other sites (or the public chatrooms in RM) and using Retro Messenger as a secure messenger, more of a secure, easy tool rather than something people are on constantly like Discord or Messenger.
For the code, open source is probably the way to go. People should be able to build from source. Otherwise, how do they know you’re not doing something shady. Open source is generally a net improvement on security, assuming people actually look at it.
For screenshots, first fix it so the screenshots render nicely on narrow displays.
Not sure what’s up with the website, but my computer was unable to handle it. Had to restart. Maybe cut down on the constant animations? A version that works without JS would be nice as well. Sounds interesting otherwise.
Thank you. Yeah I think I’ll have to cut them. I thought they looked interesting but they’re probably a bit much.
Why not build something on top of Matrix?
P.S what a terrible website. laggy as hell
Honestly (can’t speak for OP, but) I’ve been moving away from matrix recently.
- Element is buggy as hell on my phone and a shitty electron app on my laptop. The other apps mostly lack feature parity.
- It’s difficult for normals to use and thus difficult for me to convert and retain my contacts (and trying has likely hurt my chances at getting them to adopt another now that they’ve all fallen back to SMS).
- Parts of it like reactions aren’t encrypted and it leaks metadata hardcore
- I found out that the Matrix [.] org foundation was started by a former Amdocs employee which raises HUGE red flags for me. Amdocs is affiliated with mossad. Even if Matrix isn’t their proximity to Amdocs who definitely is is too close for comfort.
- Lastly I understand that things in the privacy space are often exploited by bad actors and don’t directly blame Matrix for this, but the CP problem on matrix makes the public rooms basically unusable and thus removes them from the equation. First of all because of this they removed the ability to find rooms through search, which “good” but it also kneecaps innocent use of the rooms, and secondly I just don’t want to see that shit so even if I know the room addr I don’t want to join it anymore unless I need specific tech support from an official room listed on some project’s website, and then I’m in and out. Plus now I have friends asking what kind of CP app did I make them install and asking if they’ll get sent to prison for seeing that shit in the raspberry pi room, and you and I both know they won’t but also I don’t want to put them in that position in the first place.
I’ve fallen back to xmpp for now, but I’ve been trying out Delta Chat as of the last few days and I’m liking it, I think I could get the normals on it with the easy onboarding, and the “no public groups” thing might be a feature not a bug.
I really really wanted to like matrix but it boils down to A) even if I do a chat app is useless without my people on it and B) with the Amdocs connection I’m too paranoid to trust it and C) even if I can just avoid the public rooms and thus CP, the fact that someone I know like my mom or cousin could conceivably stumble upon it there isn’t a selling point at the very least.
