🔗Dept of Status of Matrix 🌡️

Thib (m.org) announces

FOSDEM was a huge success for the Matrix.org Foundation and community this year again!

• 🍕60 pizzas and an uncountable amount of drinks at the Fringe event
• 👕 100 t-shirts sold at the booth on the first day!!
• 🧑‍🏫 A completely packed devroom
• 🤝 Many great conversations at the booth

Shout out to Workadventure, Nordeck and Famedly who sponsored the Fringe Event and kept us refreshed and fed. And a huge thanks to everybody who showed up at the booth either to staff it or to say a kind word, bring constructive criticism, or have a casual conversation.

A more detailed wrap up post will be published this week. In the meantime, I’m leaving FOSDEM with a sense that we are doing the right thing, going in the right direction, and that people notice. I'm looking forward to meeting you all again, as well as those who couldn't make it to FOSDEM!

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This week we tried publishing TWIM on a Monday, but people seem to enjoy reading their Matrix news during the weekend. We will get back to publishing TWIM on Fridays!

🔗Matrix Live

🔗Dept of Spec 📜

Andrew Morgan (anoa) {he/him} says

Here's your weekly spec update! The heart of Matrix is the specification - and this is modified by Matrix Spec Change (MSC) proposals. Learn more about how the process works at https://spec.matrix.org/proposals.

🔗MSC Status

New MSCs:

• MSC4256: RFC 9420 MLS mode Matrix
• MSC4255: Bulk Profile Updates

MSCs in Proposed Final Comment Period:

• MSC3765: Rich text in room topics
• MSC3266: Room summary API
• MSC3757: Restricting who can overwrite a state event
• MSC4183: Additional Error Codes for submitToken endpoint
• MSC2965: OAuth 2.0 Authorization Server Metadata discovery

MSCs in Final Comment Period:

• MSC4239: Room version 11 as the default room version (merge)
• MSC4133: Extending User Profile API with Key:Value Pairs (merge)
  • FCP currently blocked due to an ongoing discussion.

Accepted MSCs:

• MSC4213: Remove server_name parameter from join and knock endpoints

Closed MSCs:

• MSC3975: rel_type for Replies
  • Closed by the MSC author.

🔗Spec Updates

Quite a flurry of activity in spec-land this week, as you can see from the above! MSC4133: Extending User Profile API with Key:Value Pairs moved into final comment period. While it still has one outstanding concern as of today, hopefully that can be worked out in the near future.

We also had a newly accepted MSC; MSC4213: Remove server_name parameter from join and knock endpoints. A small change, but a nice clean up to the spec.

Once again, thanks to everyone who's involved, and those that are only just getting started! The more the merrier.

Continue reading…

🔗Matrix Live

🔗Dept of Events and Talks 🗣️

🔗Matrix@FOSDEM 2025

As a reminder Matrix will again be present at FOSDEM this year!

As always, FOSDEM is free to attend and will happen at the 1. and 2. of February. Additionally we will have a fringe event on the 31st of January. You can find more information in the "Matrix in full force at FOSDEM" blog post.

Additionally please be aware that the Health and Safety Policy for the fringe event will be the same as the one of the Matrix Conference. Extremely briefly: You need to wear a mask while indoors, except while eating and drinking.

🔗Dept of Spec 📜

Andrew Morgan (anoa) {he/him} reports

Here's your weekly spec update! The heart of Matrix is the specification - and this is modified by Matrix Spec Change (MSC) proposals. Learn more about how the process works at https://spec.matrix.org/proposals.

🔗MSC Status

New MSCs:

• MSC4253: Modifying or rejecting accepted MSCs
• MSC4252: Extensible Events modification: State event handling
• MSC4250: Authenticated media v2 (Cookie authentication for Client-Server API)

MSCs in Final Comment Period:

• MSC4213: Remove server_name parameter from join and knock endpoints (merge)

Accepted MSCs:

• No MSCs were accepted this week.

MSCs in Proposed Final Comment Period:

• MSC4133: Extending User Profile API with Key:Value Pairs
• MSC3765: Rich text in room topics
• MSC3266: Room summary API
• MSC4239: Room version 11 as the default room version
• MSC3757: Restricting who can overwrite a state event
• MSC4183: Additional Error Codes for submitToken endpoint

Closed MSCs:

• MSC3575: Sliding Sync (aka Sync v3)
  • Superseded by MSC4186: Simplified Sliding Sync
• [WIP] MSC4097: Interactions between media redirection and authentication
  • Replaced by spec-independent approaches.

🔗Spec Updates

As suggested from folks in the TWIM room, the above status now contains MSCs that are currently in proposed Final Comment Period. The hope is that this directs attention to MSCs that are close to being either merged/closed.

Let me know what you think!

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🔗Dept of Status of Matrix 🌡️

🔗Governing Board (website)

The Governing Board is an advisory board that is made up of elected representatives from all across the Matrix ecosystem.

HarHarLinks says

I'm excited to share some quick news from the governing board today! Over the holidays around the new year, we finished the committee chair elections and congratulate:

• Bram and Sumner, chair and vice chair of the Governance committee,
• Sumner and Nico, chair and vice chair of the Community committee,
• Robin and Kevin, chair and vice chair of the Finance committee,
• J.B. and Nico, chair and vice chair of the Trust & Safety committee!

This paves the way for the committees to start taking up work while at the same time the governing board as a whole also finalises the processes around working groups so we can onboard all of you!

We look forward to sharing another update soon, and Matrix @ FOSDEM is also on the horizon, where attendees will be able to meet a good handful of governing board members face to face! For any questions, feedback, or discussion with/about the governing board, join our #governing-board-office:matrix.org!

Until next time!

🔗Dept of Spec 📜

Andrew Morgan (anoa) {he/him} says

Here's your weekly spec update! The heart of Matrix is the specification - and this is modified by Matrix Spec Change (MSC) proposals. Learn more about how the process works at https://spec.matrix.org/proposals.

🔗MSC Status

New MSCs:

• There were no new MSCs this week.

MSCs in Final Comment Period:

• No MSCs are in FCP.

Accepted MSCs:

• No MSCs were accepted this week.

Closed MSCs:

• No MSCs were closed/rejected this week.

🔗Spec Updates

It may seem quiet from the stats above, but there's actually been a healthy amount of activity across various MSCs this week!

MSC3266: Room summary API had FCP proposed, which moves this long-awaited MSC significantly closer to being accepted. This MSC allows clients to get a quick preview of a room before joining it, which is useful in all sorts of scenarios (see the MSC for a list!). There's still a fair amount of feedback to get through, but much of it is small clarifying comments. Exciting to see this one move forward!

MSC4133: Extending User Profile API with Key:Value Pairs has also been moving forward, with the Synapse implementation in active review by the maintainers, and all concerns on the MSC (currently) having been resolved this week.

There's plenty of activity on other MSCs as authors work to update them. Also a huge thanks again to those working on the spec text itself. Multiple PRs against the matrix-spec repo have been opened following the holidays, all making the spec better for everyone. Thank you!

Continue reading…

The Matrix.org homeserver will see changes related to authentication in Q1 2025. The team will turn off guest account access on Matrix.org on January 16th and roll out Matrix Authentication Service (MAS) to embrace Matrix 2.0 after February 10. Client developers need to ensure their clients support the required changes.

🔗What is MAS

Matrix Authentication Service is Matrix's next-generation authentication stack. It allows for more flexible authentication journeys without requiring client developers to support every one of them.

You can find all the technical details in Quentin's Matrix Conf talk, Harder Better Faster Stronger Authentication with OpenID Connect.

Continue reading…

🔗Dept of Status of Matrix 🌡️

Matthew reports

The 2024 Matrix Holiday Special: https://matrix.org/blog/2024/12/25/the-matrix-holiday-special-2024/

🔗Dept of Clients 📱

🔗SchildiChat (website)

SchildiChat is a fork of Element for Android and Desktop, that used to focus on UI changes such as message bubbles and a unified chat list, but now also provides some additional tweaks and community-driven features that may not be on the roadmap for the upstream clients.

SpiritCroc says

Over the holidays, I added two new (old) features to SchildiChat Next (our Element X Android fork) that I've been missing since switching to the new codebase.

First, inline images and custom emotes are now rendered again, so you don't miss out when users on other clients or certain bridges send these. If you prefer not having images rendered in text message, you can also disable them via a setting, in order to render the fallback text instead - rather than not rendering anything at all as done previously.

Second, I added back the functionality to fetch and render previews for links found in text messages, so you have a better idea what to expect before clicking them. For now, this is an experimental setting, so remember to enable it first if you want to try it out once it lands in the next release.

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Hi all,

Once again we celebrate the end of another year with the traditional Matrix Holiday Special! (see also 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015 just in case you missed them).

This year, it is an incredible relief to be able to sit down and write an update which is overwhelmingly positive - in stark contrast to the rather mixed bags of 2022 and 2023. This is not to say that things are perfect: most notably, The Matrix.org Foundation has not yet hit its funding goals, and urgently needs more organisations who depend on Matrix to join as members in order to be financially sustainable. However, in terms of progress of Matrix towards outperforming the centralised alternatives; growth of the ecosystem; the success of the first ever Matrix Conference; we couldn’t be happier - and hopefully the more Matrix matures, the more folks will want to join the Foundation to help fund it.

So, precisely why are we feeling so happy right now?

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🔗Matrix Live

🔗Dept of Status of Matrix 🌡️

🔗Community Year In Review 2024

Nico announces

So, how was your year? NO! DON'T TELL ME NOW! But read on!

Some might remember the year in review for 2023 or 2022, well, this year is still 2024 and I decided to do another one!

If you don't remember, here is the gist of it: It is a room, where you can post about what you did, experienced or otherwise found interesting in 2024. You can also give some predictions for 2025, if you are so bold! Then, on the 31st, I will compose those into a blog post and you can read what others had to say! Now, the exact dates are a bit muddy, last time I was late and there is no guarantee I won't be late this time, but you have until the 30st to compose something you want to share.

There are no exact restrictions on what projects can participate or that what you share has to be a project, but we try to ring out the year with positive vibes from the community in general. Please also try to look at the overall year, if you just want to report on the week, well, there is something called "This Week in Matrix" for that!

Now, you probably are asking the important question, where is that room? Well, you can guess it from last years alias, but for everyone else:

Join #year-in-2024:neko.dev!

Have a good one, merry christmas and see you next year!

Part time reporter, Nico

PS: If you want examples, check out https://blog.neko.dev/posts/matrix-year-in-review-2022.html or https://blog.neko.dev/posts/matrix-year-in-review-2023.html

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Hi all,

It’s been 6 months since the first ever Matrix Governing Board (GB) was formally elected & announced, and it has recently had its first official meeting. As such, we felt it was time that you, our constituents, had a report on how things are going and what we’ve been doing. We appreciate that the work of the GB is often in the background, and we want to be as transparent as we can.

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Hey all,

Another 9 MSCs have been released today in Matrix 1.13! It’s just over 2 months since Matrix 1.12 went out, and the last scheduled release for 2024 - the next release is planned for around FOSDEM 2025. Today’s release contains more T&S features and a number of clarifications and improvements. The full changelog is at the end of this post, per usual :)

Continue reading…