NeoChat
A Qt/QML based Matrix client.
Introduction
NeoChat is a client for Matrix, the decentralized communication protocol for instant messaging. It is a fork of Spectral, using KDE frameworks, most notably Kirigami to provide a convergent experience across multiple platforms.
NeoChat also make use of other KDE Frameworks as well as libQuotient, a Qt-based SDK for the Matrix Protocol.
Features
NeoChat aims to be a fully featured application for the Matrix specification. As such everything in the current stable specification with the notable exceptions of VoIP, threads and some aspects of End-to-End Encryption are supported. There are a few other smaller omissions due to the fact that the Matrix spec is constantly evolving but the aim remains to provide eventual support for the entire spec.
Due to the nature of the Matrix specification development NeoChat also supports numerous unstable features. Currently these are:
- Polls - MSC3381
- Sticker Packs - MSC2545
- Location Events - MSC3488
Get it
Details where to find stable releases for NeoChat can be found on its homepage.
In addition to the stable builds, unstable nightly builds are available for all platforms. These can be downloaded from the binary factory. There are unstable versions for the following platforms in addition to stable ones:
- Android
- MacOS
- Windows
Additionally the nightly Flatpak version can be obtained from the nightly Flatpak repo using the following commands in your terminal:
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists kdeapps --from https://distribute.kde.org/kdeapps.flatpakrepo
flatpak install kdeapps org.kde.neochat
The unstable Android version can also be obtained from the KDE nightly F-Droid repo.
Running
Just start the executable in your preferred way - either from the build directory or from the installed location.
Building NeoChat
The best way to build KDE apps during development is to use kdesrc-build. The full instructions for this can be found on
the KDE community website's get involved section under development. This
is primarily aimed at Linux development.
For Windows and Android Craft is the primary choice. There are guides for setting up development environments for Windows and Android.
Tests
Tests are in the repository under autotests and should all pass for any contribution.
The project has CI setup to test new commits to the repository. All tests are expected to pass for a merge request to be complete.
Current build status
Currently the number of tests is limited, but growing. If anyone wants to help improve this, those contributions would be especially welcome.
Contributing
As is the case throughout the KDE ecosystem contributions are welcome from all. The code base is managed in the NeoChat repository of the KDE Gitlab instance.
Contact
The best place to reach the maintainers is on the KDE Matrix instance in the NeoChat channel, #neochat:kde.org.
Acknowledgement
This program utilizes libQuotient as its Matrix SDK.
This program is a fork of Spectral.
License
This program is licensed under GNU General Public License, Version 3.