Messaging layer for SAFE and beyond?

Could this be the messaging layer for SAFE and beyond?

We do not need to invent the world, we need to complete the vision and to me this is a very likely messaging mechanism that satisfies SAFE principles. Still looking but it would be nice if this does fit as it buys us not only secure messaging, but also links us with a larger audience at the same time?

Could be worth a few of us trying this out to see how it functions?

Interested in thoughts on this one

20 Likes

I like their use of one-way communication loops.

9 Likes

It’s interesting … I don’t understand the need for servers in their system though - seems to open up mitm attack vector.

Personally I use the tox protocol - it’s p2p and I think more mature than simpleX.

7 Likes

Poke challenge accepted…

Cos its you, David, I have installed this totally strange untrusted app on my phone …

Talk or chat to me at SimpleX Chat - Contact

anyhow… SimpleX blog: Security assessment by Trail of Bits, the new website and v4.2 released

6 Likes

Ah, heres the CLI stuffs…

https://simplex.chat/docs/cli.html#linux-and-macos

4 Likes

Google: site:simplex.chat windows gives:

SimpleX Chat terminal (console) app for Linux/MacOS/Windows

2 Likes

Yep trying to build on Docker/Ubuntu, I get this error, so a wee bit footering required.

54.43 Downloaded   yaml-0.11.11.2
54.43 Downloading  entropy-0.4.1.10
54.64 Downloaded   entropy-0.4.1.10
54.64 Downloading  websockets-0.12.7.3
54.86 Downloaded   websockets-0.12.7.3
70.62 Installing   SHA-1.6.4.4 (lib)
70.78 Completed    SHA-1.6.4.4 (lib)
71.46 Installing   direct-sqlcipher-2.3.27 (lib)
71.64 Completed    direct-sqlcipher-2.3.27 (lib)
71.64 
71.64 Failed to build digest-0.0.1.7. The failure occurred during the configure
71.64 step.
71.64 Build log (
71.64 /root/.cabal/logs/ghc-8.10.7/digest-0.0.1.7-78fddff348222c3c89ddb7e7c03ac1e6828af4a0d48e2ac28967eb7bc9e710e3.log
71.64 ):
71.64 Configuring library for digest-0.0.1.7..
71.64 cabal-3.6.2.0: The program 'pkg-config' version >=0.9.0 is required but it
71.64 could not be found.
71.64 
71.65 cabal: Failed to build digest-0.0.1.7 (which is required by exe:simplex-chat
71.65 from simplex-chat-5.2.0.4, exe:simplex-broadcast-bot from simplex-chat-5.2.0.4
71.65 and others). See the build log above for details.
71.65 
------
Dockerfile:29
--------------------
  27 |     # Compile simplex-chat
  28 |     RUN cabal update
  29 | >>> RUN cabal install
  30 |     
  31 |     FROM scratch AS export-stage
--------------------
ERROR: failed to solve: process "/bin/sh -c cabal install" did not complete successfully: exit code: 1

Voice and text functions work well on the phone, but the CLI is where we will have the fun :slight_smile:

EDIT: This link may be helpful if you have similar issues building this on the PC

note I said “may help” above – still digging

4 Likes

Can I ask that as many of you as possible try SimpleX Chat on your phones, share your contact links and lets get some groups and private groups set up just to get some basic familiarity with this app.

As David said, the wheels are all mostly invented. Its up to us to come up with the correct spacers and bearings to make these wheels work for us. Most of the axles are also already invented.

This is me – SimpleX Chat - Contact

7 Likes

Tis me too simples

2 Likes

Please ignore multiple connect requests from me. I need a better QR scanner app on my phone, I got confused…

Anyhow, once you have finished splashing in the pool and glugging beer, try to make a group. I am busy learning more about Haskell than I ever intended so I can get the CLI working.

1 Like

I see you figured it out, my initial gander and conclusion that it were not possible debunked.

3 Likes

Credit is due to @scottefc86 for working that out.
I seem to be quite useless at phone apps, give me a full screen GUI or CLI anytime :slight_smile:

We now have a group and a secret group.

Post your SimpleX contact URL here to get an invite to the Cabal of Testnetters :slight_smile:

Seriously, its just playing around to discover the possibilities.

Reading the website, it does seem they are taking privacy very seriously indeed.
I think we should play about a bit more ourselves to gain basic familiarity and then join some of the existing groups to spread the SAFE message. I hope and suspect we will be knocking on an open door.

meanwhile back to learning more Haskell to try to get the CLI working. It seems to have similar dependency hell vibes to some nodejs apps of a few years back.
Cabal seems analogous to Cargo
myfirstapp.cabal does a similar job to Cargo.toml

4 Likes

Mark the date on the calendar :joy:

2 Likes

I would like to submit a formal complaint. Who is the administrator of SuperSecretSquirrels, I have view only access. Hmmf.

What is the purpose of allowing someone to view a groups messages but not write :joy:
@scottefc86 :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

1 Like

It was me and my fat fingers accidentally set the Super Secret Squirrel Cabal group default membership to “observer”

And now I cant find out how to change it…
I told you I was shite with phones…

@scottefc86 will fix it for us - oh wait he’s only an observer as well… :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Probably delete it and start again - it was just to investigate Private Groups and to make some folk jealous cos they never got an invite :grin: :laughing: :rofl: :joy:

should have RTFM in the OP …

I’m away for a day or two.
@scottefc86 is in charge…

I haven’t gone through it all yet, but it looks very promising and close to my thoughts when I mentioned in a thread some time ago that SafeNet needs a completely new communication protocol

At that time I was convinced that the MaidSafe team already had a concept for such a solution, but in order to propose it, a network had to be in place first, so I thought there was no point in continuing and duplicating what had already been designed :slight_smile:

Now it seems that the creator of SimpleX is very close to @DIrvine expectations, I also like the concept very much, especially:

  • “Full Anomination - Zero Compromise” approach, which probably solves the problem of most attacks on the network,
  • a two-way communication channel
  • the absence of any metadata between participants, even random numbers,
  • multi-platform, including the use of Terminal in Win and Android with Termux.
5 Likes

Correct me if I’m wrong, but one downside of tox’s P2P system is that anyone you chat with can see your IP address. Servers can act as a layer of separation. The server can see your IP, and the other user can read your message, but as long as E2E encryption is used neither one can see both.

2 Likes

Frankly I’d rather my recipient see my IP than a server though. i.e. I trust those I communicate with, not those I don’t.

That said, Tox allows the use of Tor, so IP is hidden if you choose that option.

Perhaps this server issue can be dealt with in SAFE, IDK, but it’s not an issue of IP exposure with Tox via Tor.

2 Likes