So many chat apps that no one will realistically use. Until we have interoperability between different apps it's completely pointless releasing new ones.
Fediverse
This magazine is dedicated to discussions on the federated social networking ecosystem, which includes decentralized and open-source social media platforms. Whether you are a user, developer, or simply interested in the concept of decentralized social media, this is the place for you. Here you can share your knowledge, ask questions, and engage in discussions on topics such as the benefits and challenges of decentralized social media, new and existing federated platforms, and more. From the latest developments and trends to ethical considerations and the future of federated social media, this category covers a wide range of topics related to the Fediverse.
You won't get interoperability without people creating these kinds of apps. There's no reason Company A would futureproof their platform to communicate with apps that don't exist, because that's unnecessary development; the interoperability comes after the platforms exist. Email is a prime example of this.
So, I disagree that it's pointless.
The biggest thing to note about the new messenger, by far, is that the developer intends to provide end-to-end encryption. More impressively, the app is intended to work with any Fediverse account.
This would make cross communication across the fediverse easier and may even interest others to join. It gives a leg up to the InstaRedFaceXTwitThreadApps since you can just use your one fediverse account.
There are definitely some open questions about how Sup works with the rest of the Fediverse. Do users just sign in to a service via an OAuth dance with their Fediverse accounts? Do the messages federate over ActivityPub? Does my server store my messages, or does just the app store those?
These questions and more would have to be answered before I signed up though.
So basically signal for the fediverse? Certainly sounds interesting, would be cool if it could hook into Lemmy and Mastadon as a common chat client and share between the two.
Sup is an awesome name.