¶ Welcome to the Teesside Hackspace Matrix Chat
We use Matrix (via the Element Classic app) for our community chat. It replaces our old Slack workspace and offers a flexible, ad-free & private way to stay connected. If you want to know more details, check out the bottom of the page.
You do not need a paid membership to use our Matrix server or a matrix account — you only need a standard Teesside Hackspace account. Create an account here
If you're already a member you can use your Teesside Hackspace login details.
If you have experience with setting up Matrix chats and want to help make our Matrix chat even better drop a message into the @systems room
¶ How to connect
Option 1 - On the Web (quickest & easiest)
-
Log in using your Teesside Hackspace account details.
Option 2 - Use the Element Classic App on your Phone or Tablet
- Download the Element Classic app - Don't use Element X
Android
iOS
Other Options are available here - https://element.io/en/download - Click Sign In - (you don't need to create an account because you already have your Teesside Hackspace one)
- Edit the homeserver field from matrix.org to matrix.teessidehackspace.org.uk
¶ Tips for getting started
- Find your interests: Just like Slack, you are not added to all the "Rooms" (channels) by default. Be sure to explore the directory and join the rooms that suit your interests, such as 3D Printing.
- Join the #Announcements room: We use this room to post key updates about the space without the noise of general chit-chat.
- Customise your notifications: You can adjust notifications on a per-room basis, allowing you to follow a busy channel without your device constantly buzzing.
¶ Verification
Once you install Element Classic, you might be asked to complete a verification process, this is a relatively straight forward process but does require you to login via the web browser to complete it.
- Click your avatar in the top left corner and navigate to all settings in the web browser
- Go to the Sessions menu
- It will show "unverified sessions"
- Click verify - This will trigger a response in the Element Classic app, you need to open it to see it because it doesn't send a notification.
- Follow the prompts on the app and the browser to verify the session
¶ Migrating From Slack
Matrix is bridged to Slack which means you can still exchange messages with legacy Slack users, but there is a slight issue because Matrix and Slack use two different accounts. So if you're using both Slack and Matrix, then they don't recognise that your the same person. This is easily solved by Puppeting across to Slack via Element Classic. The process is below:
Puppeting to Slack
- Start a Direct message chat with the Slack Bridge in Element Classic @slackbot:teessidehackspace.org.uk
- Message "Login"
- Follow the steps and login to Slack using your original Slack email address
¶ Why Matrix?
For those interested to know why we moved away from Slack, Matrix has a few key advantages over Slack:
- Open source & modifiable
- Self hosted, so we're not at the mercy of an external platform
- No limits to message history etc
- Matrix is bridged to Slack, so we can still exchange messages with legacy Slack users
- Announcements Channel -follow this for updates on the space without the noise of chats going on.
- Supports single-sign-on, so you can log in with your Teesside Hackspace account
- Supports federation, so we can talk to people on other Matrix servers (e.g. other hackspaces)