Matrix is an open communication protocol.Element is an application that speaks Matrix.Other clients (e.g. SchildiChat), bots, scripts, artworks and artefacts c
@alice:matrix.org@d.hromada:medienhaus.udk-berlin.deA Matrix user has a globally addressable identity.The part after : belongs to the identity too.Different pe
#digitaleducation:udk.aiThis is a human-friendly room alias.It can point to a room whose underlying ID looks more like:!XyzAbc:udk.aiSo # is what humans like to
Rooms are where communication happens. A room can contain two people or thousands. It can be private, public or invite-only. It can persist for years. Participa
A Space organizes rooms. A PROJECT can have a Space containing discussion rooms, working rooms and archives. Example: midap:medienhaus.udk-berlin.de Or there ca
Try:/me enters the MatrixInstead of an ordinary message, Element displays an action.This is also a small cultural fossil from IRC-style online communication.
In the message box, type: / Element can show slash commands supported by your particular version. IMPORTANT: The chat box is also a tiny command line. (some nic
Some text should not immediately be visible.Select it and format it as a spoiler.Everyone else has to reveal it deliberately.Useful for stories, puzzles and ans
Send: Matrxi is wonderfulOn desktop, press Up Arrow.Edit the previous message.Send the correction.The conversation remains readable instead of accumulating corr
👍 ❤️ 😂 🤔 🎨A reaction can answer without adding another full message to the timeline.Several people can react to the same message.For a large group, reactions ca
Imagine Peter has written five messages.You could write: Peter, regarding what you said above...But which message?Reply points explicitly to the particular mess
Reply: I am responding to this.Thread: Let us have a conversation about this.Threads keep a substantial side-conversation attached to its originating message wi
Just write when the context is obvious. Reply when the context might be unclear. Thread when a conversation within the conversation develops. @mention when you
Some messages should not disappear into history.Meeting link.Deadline.Current document.Important decision.Pin important messages so the room can function as mor
Individual messages can be referenced.Instead of saying:Look somewhere in the discussion from last Tuesday...copy a permalink to the relevant message.Communicat
Not every room deserves the same amount of attention.Some rooms: notify me about everything.Some rooms: mentions only.Some rooms: silence.Good communication inf
Element can expose settings controlling read-receipt behaviour.A tiny setting with an important consequence:When should other people learn that I have read some
End-to-end encryption creates an interesting problem.If the server cannot read your messages, how can the server search them?Element Desktop can maintain a loca
@alice:matrix.org@bob:udk.ai@carol:example.netThey can all meet in one room.Matrix is designed so communication does not require everybody to have an account wi
Your Matrix account belongs to a homeserver.The homeserver participates in rooms on your behalf and communicates with other homeservers.An institution can opera
So far we have seen users, rooms, messages, replies and reactions.Matrix sees something more general.Events.A message is an event.A reaction is an event.An edit
$someEventIdentifierEvents can have identifiers.This allows one event to refer to another.A reply can point to a message.A reaction can point to a message.An ed
Try /devtools on an Element installation where developer tools are available.The friendly interface gives way to the underlying Matrix events.What looked like a
Replies, reactions, edits and threads are not merely graphical decorations.They can be represented through relationships between Matrix events.The UI hides this
A browser can speak Matrix.A phone can speak Matrix.A terminal script can speak Matrix.A Raspberry Pi can speak Matrix.A sensor can speak Matrix.An artwork can
Once communication is based on an open protocol, the interesting question changes.Not: Which chat application do we use?But: What kinds of communicating things
1. Matrix is the protocol; Element is a client.2. @ users and # room aliases are globally addressable.3. Replies preserve context; threads organize substantial
Matrix is a protocol for communication between homeservers :HERE-COMES-THE-HOMESERVER-DOMAIN most populated one :matrix.org UdK one :medienhaus.udk-berlin.de T