1736467200	Seninha's Personal Chatting Workflow	https://seninha.org/notes/chat.html	<h1 id="seninhas-personal-chatting-workflow">Seninha's Personal Chatting Workflow</h1>\n<p>2025-01-10</p>\n<a href="#synopsis"><h2 id="synopsis">SYNOPSIS</h2>\n</a><figure><pre><code>net/bitlbee\nnet/bitlbee-mastodon\nnet/telethon (not packaged on OpenBSD)\nnet/irgramd (not packaged on OpenBSD)\n</pre></code>\n</figure>\n<a href="#description"><h2 id="description">DESCRIPTION</h2>\n</a><p>I use irc, telegram, mastodon and whatsapp services for instant\nmessaging.  All those services (but IRC itself) are proxied to IRC.\n</p>\n<p>I use all those services through the Hexchat IRC client.  Using a single\nsoftware for all chatting needs is better than relying on multiple\nprograms, as explained below at <a href="#rationale">§ RATIONALE</a>.  Hexchat's interface (and\nthe interface of most IRC clients in general) is also less harmful than\nalternatives for the other services.\n</p>\n<p>Telegram™ is proxied to IRC by irgramd.  Irgramd is a Python3 software\nwhich works as both a IRC server and a telegram client (via the telethon\npython library).\n</p>\n<p>(I use Telegram mostly to talk with friends.)\n</p>\n<p>Mastodon/fediverse is proxied to IRC by bitlbee with the bitlbe-mastodon\nplugin.  Bitlbee works as a IRC server and supports plugins that act as\nclients for different instant messaging services.\n</p>\n<p>(I use fediverse mostly to talk with friendly strangers.)\n</p>\n<p>Both proxy servers run on a virtual machine, for safety.\n</p>\n<figure><pre><code>┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐\n│                ╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╷ │\n│                ╵              Seninha's Personal Computer          ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╷                    ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵       Virtual Machine      ╷                    ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵  ┌──────────────────────┐  ╷                    ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵  │ irgramd (IRC server) │  ╷                    ╷ │\n│ ╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╷  ╵ ╵  │ ┌──────────────────┐ ├──────────────┐        ╷ │\n│ ╵  Telegram ╷──────⮞│ │     telethon     │ │  ╷           │        ╷ │\n│ ╵╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴  ╵ ╵  │ │ (python library) │ │  ╷           │        ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵  │ └──────────────────┘ │  ╷           │        ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵  └───────────┬──────────┘  ╷           ⮟        ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵              ⮟             ╷    ┌─────────────┐ ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵  ┌──────────────────────┐  ╷    │   Hexchat   │ ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵  │ httpd (web server)   │  ╷    │  IRC client │ ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵  └──────────────────────┘  ╷    └─────────────┘ ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵  ┌──────────────────────┐  ╷      ⮝         ⮝   ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵  │ Bitlbee (IRC server) │  ╷      │         │   ╷ │\n│ ╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╷  ╵ ╵  │ ┌──────────────────┐ │  ╷      │         │   ╷ │\n│ ╵ Fediverse ╷──────⮞│ │ bitlbee-mastodon │ │  ╷      │         │   ╷ │\n│ ╵╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴  ╵ ╵  │ │ (bitlbee plugin) │ ├─────────┘         │   ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵  │ └──────────────────┘ │  ╷                │   ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵  └──────────────────────┘  ╷                │   ╷ │\n│                ╵ ╵╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴                │   ╷ │\n│                ╵╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴ │\n│ ╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╶╷                                               │     │\n│ ╵ IRC networks ╷───────────────────────────────────────────────┘     │\n│ ╵╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴                                                     │\n└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘\n</pre></code>\n<figcaption>My current instant messaging setup.</figcaption>\n</figure>\n<p>Irgramd is unstable and under active development, but is usable to my\nneeds.  Configuring it requires getting a Telegram API id and hash pair.\n</p>\n<p>I use my own fork of irgramd (soon to be released) with the following\ndifferences:\n</p>\n<ul><li>Automatically display message backlog when joining channels\n(configurable, disabled by default).\n</li>\n<li>Automatic mark messages as read.\n</li>\n<li>Option for disabling displaying message reactions on IRC.\n</li>\n<li>Asynchronous file uploading and history load on a background task, so\nserver do not get unresponsive while doing time-consuming operations.\n</li>\n<li>Chat operations done at TelegramServ can now be done directly on channel.\n</li>\n<li>Use only letters and digits for message IDs.\n</li>\n<li>Also mark mentions as read when marking messages as read.\n</li>\n<li>Fix several uncatched exceptions.\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>For the telegram proxy, i also set up a web server to access cached\nmedia (sent by Telegram users) from outside the virtual machine.  And i\nalso set a cronjob to remove old cached media (otherwise my VM's disk\nget full).  Both of those are optional, but useful.\n</p>\n<figure><pre><code>@hourly   -ns /usr/bin/find /var/www/htdocs/tg -mtime +1 -delete\n</pre></code>\n<figcaption>cleaner cronjob</figcaption>\n</figure>\n<a href="#rationale"><h2 id="rationale">RATIONALE</h2>\n</a><p>Using a different program for each service imposes the common annoyances\nof interacting with various softwares for the same thing: write different\nconfigurations and swap interaction between incompatible interfaces.\nAlso (for the nature of instant messaging) that disperses attention\nthrough different sources of information, by having several places to\nlook at for messages.\n</p>\n<p>Also, the interface of most of those programs induces addiction by\nimposing constant interaction (mostly scrolling). The following design\npatterns are harmful:\n</p>\n<ul><li><strong>Large message “bubbles”: </strong>makes less information visible at once.\n</li>\n<li><strong>Automatic media playing: </strong>increases interaction time (watch/scroll).\n</li>\n<li><strong>Infinite scroll: </strong>induces doomscroll and wasted time.\n</li>\n</ul>\n<figure><pre><code>┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐\n│ ╭────────────────────────────────────────╮                           │\n│ │ Bob said:                              │                           │\n│ │           Does that game run on Linux? │                           │\n│ ╰────────────────────────────────────────╯                           │\n│ ╭────────────────────────────────────────╮                           │\n│ │ Alice said:                            │                           │\n│ │                     DO NOT INVOKE HIM! │                           │\n│ ╰────────────────────────────────────────╯                           │\n│                         ╭──────────────────────────────────────────╮ │\n│                         │ I'd just like to interject for a moment. │ │\n│                         │ What you're referring to as Linux, is in │ │\n│                         │ fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently     │ │\n│                         │ taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux.     │ │\n│                         │                                          │ │\n│                         │ Linux is not an operating system unto    │ │\n│                         │ itself, but rather another free          │ │\n│                         │ component of a fully functioning GNU     │ │\n│                         │ system made useful by the GNU corelibs,  │ │\n│                         │ shell utilities and vital system         │ │\n│                         │ components comprising a full OS as       │ │\n│                         │ defined by POSIX.                        │ │\n│                         ╰──────────────────────────────────────────╯ │\n│ ╭────────────────────────────────────────╮                           │\n│ │ Alice said:                            │                           │\n│ │                     SEE WHAT YOU DID?? │                           │\n│ ╰────────────────────────────────────────╯                           │\n│                         ╭──────────────────────────────────────────╮ │\n│                         │                 @@@@@@ @                 │ │\n│                         │               @@@@     @@                │ │\n│                         │              @@@@ =   =  @@              │ │\n│                         │             @@@ @ _   _   @@             │ │\n│                         │              @@@ @(0)|(0)  @@            │ │\n│                         │             @@@@   ~ | ~   @@            │ │\n│                         │             @@@ @  (o1o)    @@           │ │\n│                         │            @@@    #######    @           │ │\n│                         │            @@@   ##{+++}##   @@          │ │\n│                         │           @@@@@ ## ##### ## @@@@         │ │\n│                         │           @@@@@#############@@@@         │ │\n│                         │          @@@@@@@###########@@@@@@        │ │\n│                         │         @@@@@@@#############@@@@@        │ │\n│                         │         @@@@@@@### ## ### ###@@@@        │ │\n│                         │          @ @  @              @  @        │ │\n│                         │            @                    @        │ │\n│                         ╰──────────────────────────────────────────╯ │\n│ ╭────────────────────────────────────────╮                           │\n│ │ Bob said:                              │                           │\n│ │                                  What? │                           │\n│ ╰────────────────────────────────────────╯                           │\n│              ╭────────────────────────────────────────╮              │\n│              │         * seninha was banned *         │              │\n│              ╰────────────────────────────────────────╯              │\n└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘\n</pre></code>\n<figcaption>Imagine scrolling half a screenful to skip a low-effort shitpost…</figcaption>\n</figure>\n<p>I fixed those issues by using a single unified instant messaging\nsoftware which speaks several protocols and connects to different\nservices, and whose interface has larger information density (ie'\nmore text visible at once) with limited backlog (ie' finite scroll).\n</p>\n<figure><pre><code>┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐\n│ Bob:      Does that game work on Linux?                              │\n│ Alice:    DO NOT INVOKE HIM!                                         │\n│ Seninha:  I'd just like to interject for a moment.  What you're      │\n│           referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've   │\n│           recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux.              │\n│ Seninha:  Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather   │\n│           another free component of a fully functioning GNU system   │\n│           made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital │\n│           system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.│\n│ Alice:    SEE WHAT YOU DID??                                         │\n│ Seninha:  &lt;https://example.com/cache/rms.png&gt;                        │\n│ Bob:      What?                                                      │\n│         * seninha was banned *                                       │\n└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘\n</pre></code>\n<figcaption>I have this instead:</figcaption>\n</figure>\n<a href="#history"><h2 id="history">HISTORY</h2>\n</a><p>Previously, i used four different softwares which, when combined,\nprovides access to telegram from irc:\n</p>\n<ul><li>bitlbee, a irc proxy, compiled with libpurple support;\n</li>\n<li>libpurple, a backend for instant message plugins;\n</li>\n<li>tdlib, the official Telegram library;\n</li>\n<li>tdlib-purple, a libpurple plugin for telegram using tdlib.\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>I was unsatisfied with that setup for the following issues:\n</p>\n<ul><li>I could not upload/download media to/from telegram on bitlbee through\nmy IRC client; but i could do that straight at pidgin.  This may have\nbeen a misconfiguration or lack of support on either bitlbee or my irc\nclient.\n</li>\n<li>TDlib took more than 3 hours to compile on my machine.\n</li>\n<li>TDlib-Purple was not maintained and will stop working as soon as\nTelegram decides to change its API or deprecate TDlib (as they have\nalready done with libtgl).\n</li>\n</ul>\n<a href="#todo"><h2 id="todo">TODO</h2>\n</a><p>Currently, Whatsapp™ is the only service i use which is not proxied to\nirc.  In the future, i may addopt a whatsapp-irc gateway.  That is not\nurgent, however.  I only use Whatsapp™ rarelly, to talk with boomer\nrelatives.\n</p>\n<p>In the future, i want to replace hexchat with a unified text user\ninterface, similar to that of the Oberon System or the Acme editor.\nSo text operations (editing, selection, search, plumbing, etc) are\ncommon between all text-based software.\n</p>\n<a href="#bugs"><h2 id="bugs">BUGS</h2>\n</a><p>Hexchat is not maintained anymore.\n</p>\n<p>I do not use a bouncer.  That is currently not an issue.  I cope with\nthat as it would get me a fear of missing out older messages; and make\nme read backlogs every day.\n</p>\n\n	html	seninha