@dirk exactly, even IRC could be work around with, one of the main problems with #IRC is that you need to be online to receive messages tho, but that is about the same for some #P2P messengers like #Jami and #briar so an IRC client could for sure work in a similar way that it waits for the peer to be online to send a message you tried to send while they were offline, just like p2p messengers

ideally you would need to pair it with some kind of "offline inbox" service tho to be really usable in the current times where most people are on mobile and apps get killed in background, this is also the main limitation of p2p apps

another important limitation of IRC is that it is centralized, this is a no-go for me, but many people go for centralized options like #Signal and most main-stream users are on #WhatsApp, #Telegram, etc. so in that regard IRC is not inferior to them

@whynothugo

#Briar is in maintenance mode

https://briarproject.org/news/2026-maintenance-mode/

#privacy #cybersecurity #messaging #FOSS

Briar is in maintenance mode

This is a quick update about the status of Briar. Short version: the project is still active but we’re only making essential security updates and bugfixes for now.

Long version:

For several years we’ve been trying to find solutions to some of the longstanding issues with Briar, such as high battery usage and unreliable background operation on Android, missing features like account backup and file attachments, and a difficult user experience for adding contacts and communicating offline.

We considered completely rebuilding the application from the ground up, or even splitting it into separate applications for online and offline use. Meanwhile, the project didn’t have funding, we were reluctant to look for funding without having a long-term plan, and so we could only work on Briar in our spare time.

Last year, we decided that we wouldn’t realistically be able to solve these issues and so we reluctantly decided to shut down the project. We worked on releasing a final update for Android and desktop to allow the app to remain functional for as long as possible. In the meantime we were hearing a lot of supportive words from people we had told about our decision, and the app continued to attract new users. So finally we decided to continue the project in maintenance mode. We’re only making essential security updates and bugfixes for now, but eventually we hope to make some incremental progress on those longstanding issues.

We’re sending out this update because some rumours have been circulating that the project is shutting down, based on conversations we had with people in the internet freedom and privacy community last year. Those rumours are out of date: the project is continuing.

Briar has received funding from the Small Media Foundation, the Open Internet Tools Project, Access Now, the Open Technology Fund, the Prototype Fund, Internews, the NLnet Foundation, the Next Generation Internet programme, the ISC Project and eQualit.ie.
Contact

Nico Alt <nico@briarproject.org> [PGP key]

Torsten Grote <torsten@briarproject.org> [PGP key]

Michael Rogers <contact@briarproject.org> [PGP key]

Mastodon: @Briar

#briar #briarproject #tor #privacy

https://briarproject.org/news/2026-maintenance-mode/

An update about the status of the project: Briar is alive but in maintenance mode

https://briarproject.org/news/2026-maintenance-mode/

#briar #tor #mesh #p2p #p4p

RELEASE: Greater Northshore and MEGAMAP Bike Maps version 2.1.4 - 3 July 2026

Multiple small changes, most of which improve access to north end light rail stations.

Full deets at the blog:

https://solarbird.net/blog/2026/07/04/maps-release-greater-northshore-bike-connector-megamap-2-1-4/

Maps download:

https://github.com/solarbirdy/NorthshoreBikeMap/

Previous permalinks continue to work.

If you like these maps, maybe hit my Patreon ( https://www.patreon.com/solarbird ) or @annathepiper has a Kofi ( https://ko-fi.com/annathepiper ).

Enjoy!

#BikeMap #maps #GreaterNorthshore #seattle #shoreline #redmond #lynnwood #LakeForestPark #Kenmore #Briar #Bothell #Woodinville #Juanita #Kirkland #RatCity #Glendale #Lakeridge #BrynMawr #tukwila #WhiteCenter #TopHat #newcastle

Inform your friends and family about these tools.

#Briar ... https://briarproject.org

"Censorship-resistant peer-to-peer messaging that bypasses centralized servers. Connect via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or Tor, with privacy built-in."

#Retroshare ... https://retroshare.cc

"Retroshare establish encrypted connections between you and your friends to create a network of computers, and provides various distributed services on top of it: forums, channels, chat, mail... Retroshare is fully decentralized, and designed to provide maximum security and anonymity to its users beyond direct friends. Retroshare is entirely free and open-source software. It is available on #Android, #Linux, #MacOS and #Windows. There are no hidden costs, no ads and no terms of service."

#RicochetRefresh ... https://www.ricochetrefresh.net

"Ricochet Refresh is an open-source project to allow private and anonymous instant messaging."

#OnionShare ... https://onionshare.org

"OnionShare is an open-source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network."

#DeltaChat ... https://delta.chat

"Delta Chat is a decentralized and secure messenger app."

#Bitmessage ... https://bitmessage.org

"Bitmessage is a P2P communications protocol used to send encrypted messages to another person or to many subscribers. It is decentralized and trustless, meaning that you need-not inherently trust any entities like root certificate authorities. It uses strong authentication which means that the sender of a message cannot be spoofed, and it aims to hide "non-content" data, like the sender and receiver of messages, from passive eavesdroppers like those running warrantless wiretapping programs."

#TorBrowser ... https://www.torproject.org/download

"Protect yourself against tracking, surveillance, and censorship."

#I2P ... https://geti2p.net

"The Invisible Internet Project (I2P) is a fully encrypted private network layer. It protects your activity and location. Every day people use the network to connect with people without worry of being tracked or their data being collected. In some cases people rely on the network when they need to be discrete or are doing sensitive work."

#Hyphanet ... https://www.hyphanet.org/

"Hyphanet is peer-to-peer network for censorship-resistant and privacy-respecting publishing and communication. The original Freenet."

#BitChan ... https://github.com/813492291816/BitChan

"BitChan is a decentralized anonymous imageboard inspired by BitBoard and built on top of Bitmessage with Tor, I2P, and GnuPG."

#DarkMX ... https://darkmx.app

"DarkMX is a new decentralized communication app that utilizes Tor hidden services to allow you to easily have an anonymous, reliable, and censorship-resistant presence on the internet. You can chat. You can share files. You can search other people's files. You can keep a contact list and send private messages to your friends. You can create your own custom .onion site, available to anyone with a Tor Browser."

#Decentralized #TOR #AntiSurveillance #Anonymity #Anonymous #Privacy #Filesharing #Networking #Communication #P2P #F2F #PeerToPeer #Censorship #AntiCensorship #FreeSpeech