
Ask HN: Matrix or Tox? - _448
Which platform should I use to communicate with family back home? I tried matrix but it is not very user friendly for non-technical folks. Also, I was never able to get voice or video chat working.<p>Anyone used Tox? What is your experience? Will it be easy for people who don&#x27;t have technical know-how?
======
ColinWright
You haven't given us any information about what you are trying to achieve:
Voice calls? Video? Surveillance proof?

You haven't given us any information about what they have access to: Phones?
Laptops? Desktops?

You haven't given us any information about what software they run: Android?
MacOS? Linux? Windows?

You haven't given us any information about what you've considered and
rejected: WhatsApp? Zoom? Facebook Rooms? Messenger?

What are your constraints?

I don't have an answer, but information like this seems an absolute minimum to
let people help you.

~~~
_448
> You haven't given us any information about what you are trying to achieve:
> Voice calls? Video? Surveillance proof?

Voice, Video, Screen Sharing

Preference is for P2P and lightweight clientside native app.

> You haven't given us any information about what they have access to: Phones?
> Laptops? Desktops?

Phones and Laptops

> You haven't given us any information about what software they run: Android?
> MacOS? Linux? Windows?

Linux, Windows, MacOS, Android and iPhone

> You haven't given us any information about what you've considered and
> rejected: WhatsApp? Zoom? Facebook Rooms? Messenger?

Whatsapp, Zoom, Facebook, Google, Signal, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Jitsi,
Rocket.

~~~
ColinWright
This is like trying to get blood from a stone ...

 _Why_ have you rejected these? What is wrong with them? Why are they
unsuitable for your needs?

Why are you making it so hard for people to try to help you?

Can I suggest you write a proper blog post about what you've tried, why it's
unsuitable, how these things have failed to meet your needs, and explain what
you really need that is not provided by the things you've tried. Then post a
link to that.

~~~
_448
Well, I asked a simple question on Matrix and Tox and you asked me to compare
all the other chat applications under the roof. My requirements are simple:
Lightweight client for both desktop and mobile; audio, video and
screensharing; P2P; privacy focused and not controlled by single entity, does
not limit features and does not force other communities onto the users by
default.

Most of the chat apps I listed previously do not meet one or the other
requirement. Matrix is the one that I found very good. Unfortunately I was not
able to get the voice and video feature working. Hence I looked at Tox which
also ticks all the boxes but the clients are not as good as Matrix.

~~~
ColinWright
I apologise ... you've caught me at a time when I'd love to help, but I
personally don't have the specific knowledge you want. As a result the only
way I can potentially help is to tease out from you your specific requirements
s that others with more technical knowledge might be able to provide more in-
depth information.

My point is that people will be frustrated if they suggest something only then
for you to say you've already tried it and rejected it for reasons you haven't
yet mentioned. That's why I'm trying to get you to be more complete about your
particular context and circumstances.

I hope you don't mind, but I've re-written and submitted your question here:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23526263](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23526263)

Maybe that will get a response.

Meanwhile, let me explain more ... this will sound brusque, but when I'm in
"technical" mode I tend to deal with what's in front of me, and not wrap it in
"soft language". Being in "Manager Mode" is possible for me, but an effort,
and incompatible with the technical work I'm buried in at the moment.

================

> _Well, I asked a simple question on Matrix and Tox and you asked me to
> compare all the other chat applications under the roof._

No, you didn't ask about Matrix and Tox, you said:

> _Which platform should I use to communicate with family back home?_

You then said that Matrix isn't very friendly for non-tech people, and that
you couldn't get voice or video chat working. Fair enough, that's why Matrix
is no good for you.

Then you asked if anyone had used Tox. Fair enough, you've suggested something
else. But your initial question remains:

> _Which platform should I use to communicate with family back home?_

So my training is to understand where someone's question is coming from before
trying to answer it. I was asking about the limitations, the requirements, and
then asking about what you've tried so people could get a sense of your
experiences so far, and in what way they don't meet your needs. I could have
just said: Why not use Facebook?

So now you've said:

> _My requirements are simple: Lightweight client for both desktop and mobile;
> audio, video and screensharing; P2P; privacy focused and not controlled by
> single entity, does not limit features and does not force other communities
> onto the users by default._

Those are not simple requirements, and my bet is that nothing currently meets
them.

I get the sense that you feel I'm being unreasonable in my replies, so I'll
just finish by answering your original post "as is":

> _Which platform should I use to communicate with family back home?_

I don't know, it depends.

> _Anyone used Tox?_

I've never used Tox ... sorry.

------
bosko36
Try [https://app.trember.com](https://app.trember.com) It's free, no
registration or installation, super easy to use from any device.

