by pksadiq on 7/8/19, 1:58 PM
The mattermost-server licensing[0] is somewhat skeptic:
Mattermost Licensing
SOFTWARE LICENSING
You are licensed to use compiled versions of the Mattermost platform produced by Mattermost, Inc. under an MIT LICENSE
- See MIT-COMPILED-LICENSE.md included in compiled versions for details
You may be licensed to use source code to create compiled versions not produced by Mattermost, Inc. in one of two ways:
1. Under the Free Software Foundation’s GNU AGPL v.3.0, subject to the exceptions outlined in this policy; or
2. Under a commercial license available from Mattermost, Inc. by contacting commercial@mattermost.com
You are licensed to use the source code in Admin Tools and Configuration Files (templates/, config/default.json, model/,
plugin/ and all subdirectories thereof) under the Apache License v2.0.
So that means, only the binary provided by Mattermost is MIT, not its source code, the usage of 'MIT' in their website sounds deceiving.
[0] https://github.com/mattermost/mattermost-server/blob/master/...
by tlackemann on 7/8/19, 1:05 PM
We recently switched from Slack to Mattermost and love it. My only gripe is that replies show up in the main room thread which makes catching up on posts almost impossible.
There is a request to implement collapsible threads[0] but I haven't seen any new updates address this.
I'm hoping this new funding round amps up a few developers to take on this much-needed feature.
[0] https://mattermost.uservoice.com/forums/306457-general/sugge...
by RcouF1uZ4gsC on 7/8/19, 3:35 PM
When open source projects get VC funding, it makes me trust them less. Eventually, the investors are going to want their money back with a profit. When that happens, the companies are going to try to monetize their offering often in ways that are detrimental to the open source project.
by staunch on 7/8/19, 3:22 PM
Sincere question: what's the point of GitLab or Mattermost being open source when they clearly want to control/restrict/monopolize use of their applications?
IIRC GitLab is "open core" which just means it's not fully open source and Mattermost is not really fully open source either, it its own confusing way.
The purpose of open source was to give users full and unrestricted power. To free them from lock in and allow them to be the masters of the software they use.
It seems that these companies view open source as a marketing trick and perhaps a way to save on development costs. They're making a mockery of open source and should probably be shunned for it.
by jpeeler on 7/8/19, 5:11 PM
I'm pretty amazed at the number of chat offerings that don't offer encryption. (From a quick Google search it seems Mattermost doesn't either.) I'm still holding out for Matrix to deliver (I know it's currently working for some people), but my understanding is that it's not enabled by default yet:
https://github.com/vector-im/riot-web/issues/6779by exabrial on 7/8/19, 3:56 PM
What blows my mind about Mattermost is the server requirements... for what essentially is a message broker, you have need a multi-gig box for a deployment that can support 8 people. Part of the problem is their tech stack.
by grizzles on 7/8/19, 3:14 PM
Is there an open source slack alternative that's simple to setup? I'd settle for just a react gui with the nice screens.
The trend of commercial open source apps to be a major PITA to deploy & hack on is kind of tiresome imo.
by wiradikusuma on 7/8/19, 2:56 PM
If you need on-prem and LDAP but don't want to pay, check Zulip. We evaluated Mattermost, but its LDAP is not free.
by EGreg on 7/8/19, 5:11 PM
I see a lot of cool Slack competitors. Including Keybase Teams. But raising $50M seems like a lot for an open source one!
It makes me hopeful that we will be able to raise that kind of money soon for our platform. We also have AGPL dual license. However, our goal is more ambitious: we built a platform (https://qbix.com/platform) to let ANYONE build their OWN social apps and plugins, and then let communities host them. Like Wordpress + Plugins but for Web 2.0 (think Facebook rather than blogs).
I imagine building a Slack competitor would take about a month of focused work. And then anyone would be able to install it, on one machine.
But, we spent all these years building the tech and doing security audits. What are your recommendations business-wise, to take it from here to getting funding like this? (Without compromising the vision.)
by sschueller on 7/8/19, 2:42 PM
I find rocketchat a much better match and the mobile version also work very well.
by hartator on 7/8/19, 10:18 PM
I am very disappointed by Slack decision to remove screen sharing. We won't be paying customers from now on.
Screenhero was an awesome product. I don't get why they are killing it.
by xfalcox on 7/8/19, 6:42 PM
We are using Mattermost for over a year at work, and I would love to get a native client for their app, even a bare bones one. Currently running it with
https://github.com/EionRobb/purple-mattermost but something more supported would be great
by LeicaLatte on 7/8/19, 5:06 PM
As someone who uses their self hosted version day in and out, best wishes to them!
by mentos on 7/8/19, 2:46 PM
What about a Open Source Slack competitor that is funded by shorting Slack stock?
by xtracto on 7/8/19, 4:05 PM
Does Mattermost support drawing on screen share? It is one of the killer features for me in Slack, and at some point Google Hangouts had it but removed it, and Meet does not have it.
by skrowl on 7/8/19, 1:05 PM
We've been using a combination of Discord / Telegram / Google Meet instead of Slack and haven't had any problems. There are lots of great alternatives out there.
by AaronFriel on 7/8/19, 8:45 PM
If anyone from Mattermost is listening, it would be wonderful if they offered the whitelabel deployment (for SSO) of apps as a service. For a startup without any presence on the Apple or Google app stores or specific mobile needs, it would be amazing to have someone package that up for enterprise customers and take care of keeping the app up to date.
by softwaredoug on 7/8/19, 1:05 PM
You mean a company monetizing an open source project gets funding. Why do we persist in the 1-1 OSS project-company mapping fallacy
by buboard on 7/8/19, 4:07 PM
I wonder if anyone is working on a discord/slack-like app based on janus (the rtc server that powers slack, i think).
by alphagrep12345 on 7/9/19, 3:26 AM
I don't get it. What's the need for an open source slack alternative?
by entropea on 7/8/19, 2:22 PM
I feel like someone could corner the market just by making tab complete that works as well as IRC did and adding a full dark theme to the desktop client.
by Improvotter on 7/8/19, 11:02 PM
I'm using Mattermost for communicating with one team and I absolutely hate it. It feels so completely unfinished, like it's some kind of proof-of-concept? I don't mean to diss on Mattermost, I'm actually very excited to see them getting funding as Slack has like their name implies: slacking. What has Slack done over these past few years? Exactly, nothing! I don't mean that good software needs to keep updating, no not at all. It's just Slack can improve so much and it's just sitting there. I am really looking forward to replacing Slack with something else.
For all of the people going to suggest Matrix or something else to me, hold your breath. The reason I haven't switched is because communities haven't switched and neither have companies.