Let's (try to get someone else to) fix XMPP!

asked 2015-09-24 19:45:05 +0300

nthn
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updated 2015-09-25 03:54:29 +0300

peq
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Currently, XMPP doesn't really work very well on Sailfish OS. This is because the underlying software, Telepathy, is missing some features that are critical for a proper XMPP experience on mobile devices (but also on other devices in general). The most urgent features are:

• XEP-0198: Stream Management - this makes sure you stay online if your connection is killed only briefly (like when you pass through a tunnel in the train).
• XEP-0280: Message Carbons - this makes sure messages sent to a different client, such as your computer or even another Sailfish device, are synchronized with all your devices.
• XEP-0313: Message Archive Management - this synchronizes your messages with the server, so you don't miss anything that was sent while you were offline.

For each of these features, there is a relevant upstream bug report: XEP-0198, XEP-0280 and XEP-0313. Unfortunately, it seems like there hasn't been much interest in implementing these features for a long time. Maybe we can spark interest by offering a handsome reward for the brave soul that digs through the Telepathy documentation and implements one, two or all of these features. Is there anyone who would be interested in creating a 'bounty' on a website like Bountysource in order to try and attract more attention to these issues? You can leave a comment with a yay/nay and the amount of money you'd want to throw at it, if you want.

A bonus: by fixing Telepathy, not only will XMPP work a lot better on Sailfish OS, but it will also let desktop applications that use Telepathy work better, such as Empathy or KDE Telepathy.