Fractal, the Matrix client has developed for the Gnome office environment, has just been updated to version 12 today. It includes several new features and improvements that you can try when you talk to people through decentralized matrix networks.
Fractal version 12 replaces version 11.2, and this version brings several improvements to parts management. You now have the possibility of requesting invitations in a room and scoring entire parts like unread, for example. If you are not familiar with Matrix, a “room” is like what you would call a server on Discord or a workspace on Slack. You can use a matrix account to spend time in several rooms, tilting together using the Fractal interface.
Here is the complete list of notable improvements in publication notes:
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It is now possible to ask for invitations to the rooms (aka blows), just as allowed by such requests from room administrators.
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The next version of room 12 is supported, with the special level of power of the creators of rooms.
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A part can be marked as not read via the context menu in the sidebar.
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You can now see if a section in the sidebar has notifications or an activity when collapsed.
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By clicking on the name of the sender of a message, there is a mention in the composer.
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The safety setting to hide the overviews of the media in the rooms is now synchronized between the matrix customers and we have added another safety setting (which is also synchronized) to hide the avatars in the invite.
If you have a fractal and you want to update it to version 12, you can either consult your software manager for updates or force an update to your Fractal Flatpak directly with this order in the terminal:
flatpak install flathub org.gnome.Fractal
If you want to get Fractal, the recommended method is to install the Fractal Flatpak. If your software center has integrated Flathub, you can find it there. Otherwise, you can install it by performing this command:
flatpak install flathub org.gnome.Fractal
If you are not familiar, Fractal uses the matrix standard on the backend. Matrix is an open communication protocol that supports encrypted cats from start to finish, vocal calls and video conferences. It is federated, which means that separate servers users create accounts can connect with each other. You can create an account on a matrix server and chat with someone on another, just as you can create a Gmail address and use it to talk to someone using an Outlook account. Likewise, if Outlook had to suddenly disappear one day, that would not prevent you from continuing to use your Gmail account. Compare this to what is happening when Discord, a centralized messaging platform, decreases: you lose access to your account and each connection you have established there. This is not the case with the fractal use protocol.
Fractal as a matrix matrix client has existed since its first full version in 2018. Since then, he has seen a lot of expansion and improvement, and it is remarkable for the fact that it was fully written in the Rust programming language. However, there are many options for Linux people. The installation of Kubuntu on which I wrote it came with Neochat, for example, and I could use it to chat with people using Fractal.
I have already considered getting on Matrix, but I did not find a community in which I had to participate who is still hosted there. I have no doubt, however, that open and decentralized communication protocols like Matrix will look more and more attractive when governments are looking at private messaging with growing distrust. Sometimes the centralized popular messaging services are themselves arguments for open standards, such as the recent instagram location sharing.
Source: Gnome
