Free Software Community is a worldwide society consisted of so many software projects, companies and other organizations. In this community you find Ubuntu, GNU and Linux, LibreOffice, Red Hat and Purism among others. This is our community. Today, we have Matrix Chat, a new public telecommunication facility accessible for everyone, a new technology born from our Community itself. With Matrix Chat, a community can provide an independent, free group chat and video calls for public to join and engage in discussion, publication, and conference. Matrix Chat has been successfully used even for international online conference with 30 thousands attendees. To foster adoption of Matrix Chat, this article lists out several important communities which adopted it so everyone can learn from them and consider to follow.

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Features of Matrix Chat

Why many people decided to adopt Matrix Chat? It is:

👉 Free and unlimited.

👉 FLOSS & open protocol, licensed as libre software, allows selfhosting.

👉 Accessible on web, mobile phones, desktop and laptop.

👉 Everyone everywhere can join (No phone number, no email, and no mobile device required to register).

👉 All basic chat abilities like any other chat app.

👉 Groups, voice call, video conferences, screen sharing, and file sharing. 

👉 Various choices of end-user chat apps like Schildi, Fluffy, etc.

👉 Ability to bridge to IRC, XMPP, Discord, Telegram, and other chat platforms.

👉 Integrations with external services like YouTube, Grafana, Travis CI, RSS Feeds, Jitsi Meet, etc.

👉 Bots, like Telegram's bots.

👉 End to End Encryption (aka E2EE) security.

👉 ... and many more!

Note: this article only lists official chatrooms.

How To Join Matrix Chat

We have a Matrix Chat Guide here.

Arch

Arch Linux is a GNU/Linux operating system with rolling release and no graphical installer by default. Arch selfhosts its own Matrix Chat server and opens a chatroom there.

Website: archlinux.org
Matrix Chat: archlinux.org
Chatroom: #archlinux:archlinux.org

Debian

Debian is a GNU/Linux operating system that supports all kinds of computer today and distribute almost all free software available. Debian selfhosts its own Matrix Chat server for public as a part of its Social Online Services.

Website: debian.org
Matrix Chat: element.debian.social

Purism

Purism is the company behind Librem computers, Librem phone and the Pure Operating System. Purism offers Librem Chat, part of its Librem One, a full-featured telecommunication platform for Librem users which is based on Matrix Chat. 

Website: puri.sm
Matrix Chat: librem.one

Fedora

Fedora is the operating system of latest technology adopters. Fedora, like Debian, also selfhosts its own Matrix Chat for public. 

Website: getfedora.org
Matrix Chat: chat.fedoraproject.org

(Fedora chatroom front page)

Garuda 

Garuda is a new GNU/Linux OS that is rolling release that combines Arch and Wayland, offered in multiple editions of graphical user interface options. Garuda, like Fedora, also selfhosts its own Matrix Chat server for public.

Website: garudalinux.org
Matrix Chat: element.garudalinux.org

KeePassXC

KeePasssXC is password manager for everyone developed by community. Ubuntu and other distros offer it on official repositories. It opens multiple discussion channels at Matrix Chat. 

Website: keepassxc.org
Chatrooms: keepassxc.org/team

Matrix

Matrix itself is an open technology project that has its own chatroom on its own server named Matrix Headquarter. Their Matrix.org server is home to millions of Matrix Chat users worldwide today. They also open a public, weekly online meetup and livestreaming on the Headquarter.

Website: matrix.org
Matrix chat: element.io
Chatroom: #matrix:matrix.org

Mobian

It is Debian operating system for mobile devices. One can download the image files and install it to mobile device. It collaborates with PinePhone's manufacturer and the others to produce the real Debian mobile phones.

Website: mobian-project.org
Chatroom: #mobian:matrix.org

Mozilla

It is the famous organization that develops Firefox Web Browser. Mozilla is a big, worldwide community consisted of many people and teams. It's one of earliest Matrix Chat adopters and have bold decision to replace their IRC with Matrix instead. Mozilla selfhosts its own Matrix Chat server. 

Website: mozilla.org
Matrix Chat: chat.mozilla.org
Chatrooms: wiki.mozilla.org/Matrix

Ubuntu Touch and UBPorts

UBPorts is the group that successfully continues Ubuntu Touch mobile operating system after Canonical discontinued it. Convergence, Unity, and Klik are alive on this project and also made available as real phones thanks to cooperation with PinePhone manufacturer.

Website: ubports.com
Chatroom: #ubports:matrix.org

OpenMandriva

OpenMandriva is a GNU/Linux OS developed as continuation to Mandriva with Plasma as its desktop. It opens a chatroom at Matrix.

Website: openmandriva.org
Chatroom: #oma:matrix.org

KDE

KDE is the visual components as well as built-in applications of Kubuntu operating system. KDE opens its own Matrix Chat server for public and is rich with various chatrooms for various purposes. It is today the exemplary by number of Matrix Chat adoption among all Free Software Community.

Website: kde.org
Matrix Chat: webchat.kde.org
Chatrooms: community.kde.org/Matrix

 

GNOME

GNOME is the visual components as well as built-in applications of Ubuntu. They offer their own Matrix Chat server in collaboration with Element.

Website: gnome.org
Matrix Chat: gnome.element.io

Rust Language

This is the global Rust Community's own chat server. Rust is a new, computer programming language invented by Mozilla for general purposes.

Website: rustfest.global
Matrix Chat: rustch.at  

Free Software Foundation India

FSF sister organization of India opens Poddery.com, an interesting online service provider that serves both XMPP and Matrix for public, and opens a public a Matrix chatroom on it.

Website: fsf.org.in 
Matrix Chat: poddery.com
Chatroom: #fsf-friends:poddery.com

Parrot

Parrot is a GNU/Linux for computer security people. It opens a chatroom at Matrix.

Website: parrotsec.org
Chatroom: #parrot:matrix.org

GNU Health

Health is the hospital management software of GNU operating system. It is actively developed and has yearly international conferences. It opens a chatroom at Matrix Chat.

Website: gnuhealth.org
Chatroom: #gnu-health:matrix.org

GNU Radio

Radio is the software defined radio of GNU operating system. GNU Radio is an example of switching from Slack to Matrix.

Website: gnuradio.org
Matrix Chat: chat.gnuradio.org
Chatroom: #gnuradio:gnuradio.org

Privacy Guides

PrivacyToolsIO, now known as Privacy Guides, is a community that works for privacy technology recommendation. They selfhost a Matrix Chat server and has a chatroom there. Uniquely, they built the server with Yunohost also mentioned in this article.

Website: privacyguides.org
Chatroom: #privacyguides:aragon.sh

Framasoft

Framasoft is a France organization who started Degooglify Internet movement by providing alternative online services "Frama-Frama", created both PeerTube and Mobilizon, and one among few behind CHATONS ethical online services. They have a public chatroom at Matrix.

Website: framasoft.org
Chatroom: #framasoft:matrix.org

Destination Linux Network

DLN is a successful online television with multiple choices of shows, like The Podcast and This Week On Linux among others, and with very huge number of active fans and community. Started 2017, it grows up bigger and wider by time and still counting today. They broadcast their shows at YouTube and Odysse, have its own web forum, and selfhost own Matrix Server with a chatroom. If you love GNU and Linux, DLN is a place for you.

Website: destinationlinux.network
Chatroom: #chativerse:destinationlinux.network

Gaming On Linux

It is a gamer community who use GNU/Linux operating systems. They review and discuss everything about games, including game developments and hardware, with an active community sharing their comments, experiences and thoughts. It opens a chatroom at Matrix aside from their Telegram, Discord and Twitch chatrooms.

Website: gamingonlinux.com
Chatroom: #gamingonlinux-community:matrix.org

Guardian Project

It is an open source mobile security community. They are the people who bring Tor to Android OS through F-Droid among other important apps. They open a public chatroom at Matrix.

Website: guardianproject.info
Chatroom: #guardianproject:matrix.org

ReactOS

It is a Windows-like free software operating system in a way similar the Unix-like GNU. They also selfhosting their own Matrix Chat server, like Fedora and Debian, this year. They even have a Matrix Space already.

Website: https://reactos.org
Matrix Chat: reactos.org
Chatroom: #talk:reactos.org

Yunohost

It is a friendly operating system to enables everyone selfhosting easily at home. With Yunohost, one can quickly and easily setup a working file server or telecommunication service at home. Of course, Yunohost selfhosts its own public Matrix Chat server (aside from XMPP server) and has multiple chatrooms there.

Website: yunohost.org
Matrix Chat: conference.yunohost.org
Chatrooms: yunohost.org/en/chat_rooms

References and Further Readings

Frequently Asked Questions, by Matrix Project

Matrix and XMPP Comparison, by Matrix's FAQ

Discussion (2020) started by Nogueira, at LibrePlanet mailing list