Update: I just came across Jami, which actually seems to check all the boxes! Libre, open source, videocalls/conferences, unrestricted traffic/quality, secure, p2p, available on all major platforms, etc etc. Even additional functionality such as recording.

Time to do some testing! Also, thanks for all the info in previous post

Absolutely, people still need money. So P2P would not solve that bit, but at least the donations can go directly towards content creation rather than having to cover server costs as well.

Maybe a silly idea, but what about a P2P-based video hosting! Hear me out:

We have more computing power and bandwith in our homes than ever before. We know that sharing data and files via P2P works, is resiliant against attacks, and scales really well.

No server costs mean that people could support creators by seeding the content to other peers. One cool thing about that would be seeing how you are making a difference, in real time.

Now this is an interesting idea! We have more computing power and bandwith at our homes than ever before, and use only a fraction of it.

I would happily support Wikipedia, openmaps and other projects by seeding their data.

In could even be more fun and motivating to do, since you could see how you are making a difference in real time, as opposed to donations.

I want to communicate with others in a way that is privacy friendly, gives a good user experience and gives me control of my data. Tox seems good, but most of my friends and family have iphones, and none of the clients support that. Today they use Whatsapp, Messenger, etc. Signal would be a big improvement, but as far as I can tell it is still centralized and wants your phone number.

Maybe XMPP can work, I will check that out.

P2P caught my interest because of the possibilities that opens up when you remove the middle-man/server (even better call quality, no file size limits). But it doesn’t have to be P2P - I’m just a fan of “local first”, decentralization and democratization of technology in general.

I already listed my reasons for wanting to try out/use it, and they have nothing to do with crypto or micropayments.

If you can name alternatives with similar functionality made by people who are not affiliated with crypto, I’m all ears. Briar seems great for journalists and activists etc, but it is too limited to be used as a mainstream messenger for keeping in touch with friends and family. Seems like all you can do is send text and emojis, no video chat or photos.

I’m no crypto fan or plan on using micropayments either, but if I don’t use it, where’s the harm?