What is Fennec?

Fennec is a new kind of IM application currently under development. However, when completed, it will be designed to combine the best of instant messaging, voice over Internet Protocol, as well as group chats and decentralized video chatting in one single application.

Here’s why it will be created. Many instant messaging apps or social chatrooms today are hosted on centralized servers. This can be presumed to be the default way of building a new kind of instant messaging app. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with centralization, or even using a paid service. Yet, the fact of the matter is that you’re paying (with the Terms of Service) for what is known corporately as a service. Which means if you break the Terms of Service, the company will likely take action against you.

A few other things that could happen is if the central server — more realistically, the data center hosting the central servers — becomes unavailable or is down, you cannot use the service. It can also come under attack; a denial-of-service attack, a common attack on servers, is where a perpetrator seeks to make a program unavailable by sending massive requests in order to overload the server. This results in the users online not accessing the servers.

Yet, that’s rather one thing that has been explored already. What about the rise of open-source applications, and decentralized solutions? Applications such as Orbit Chat (or just Orbit), open-source video chatting such as Jitsi, open-source communication protocols such as Matrix?

And even so, the rise of the blockchain—pioneered by the anonymous creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto—and cryptocurrency like Ethereum, with its smart contracts and innovative approach to developing apps (DApps).

And even with popular apps like Discord, Facebook’s Messenger service, WeChat, LINE, Kik….. who are all owned by corporations and possibly all centralized services used under Terms of Service. Which, again, isn’t inherently wrong; sometimes they can be abused wrongly, but the main problem is that it is a red flag to show that you don’t control those app-services, you are only using them.

So why not have a new kind of service that’s not even a service, but rather an app themselves?

So, what is it? In short, a new kind of IM app.

The long answer is that Fennec will be a serverless and decentralized/distributed instant messaging app where each computer using it is the server itself.

How will it work? Each computer using the app can connect to others independently and without the need of a central server; theoretically, if one computer is unable to access the network, then others will not be affected.

Since it is not a service, but rather an application, you do not need to log in to a server. However, you can choose to use a password which will then be required to log in. And usernames will be required, in order to distinguish oneself from the rest of the users.

The good part is that you will not have to sacrifice everything if you migrate. Our platforms will be Windows and Linux, and possibly macOS.

The bad part is that we do not plan to port to mobile due to developer costs, for an app that should be free and will be made with virtually no money (US$99 for both an Apple and a Google Play developer account). We also do not plan to host a web version anytime soon, although it might be possible.

What will it have? Fennec will have the essetial features of a regular IM app. You will be able to upload images and videos between people in-chat, the ability to hyperlink, and can be able to video chat between two people (maybe group calls are possible as well).

It is planned to allow users to create a group called a “community”; each one will designated by a catalogue number designated by “M” (similar to the Messier objects). Also, if the community is erased, then the community that follows it will inherit the catalogue number,the one after that will inherit that community’s catalogue number, etc. (i.e. If M3 decides to be erased, then M4 will become M3, M5 to M4, M6 to M5, etc.)

However, due to the modular-esque architecture of the planned app, it might as well be possible for it to become a unique kind of social media. But that’s for another time.

What will it be built upon? Electron; this will allow apps to be packaged for cross-platform use, as well as streamlines the code down to only one source. It is also the easiest option, and probably the most optimized solution to an IM app like this.

You went on a rant about Terms of Service. So what about the possible dangers of this software?

We’re still thinking about the full extent of that, so please wait patiently. An article will be released detailing privacy concerns and malicious use.

However, there will be no Terms of Service for Fennec as it is not technically owned and/or operated by a corporation, and is not a service. Each user that downloads will be able to fork their own version, and even completely separate from the main engine powering the network.

And that’s about it.

So when will it be released?

There is currently no release date. This program is way in pre-production, and is just starting to be fleshed out in features. It might take a long time to reach the pre-alpha stage, or even alpha.

However, it will happen in some form or someday.

Thank you for reading till the end.

Please feel free to leave questions.