XMPP and Matrix are fundamentally different things. XMPP is all about message passing. Matrix is all about state synchronisation. In many ways Matrix is more like an eventually consistent distributed DB like Cassandra or Riak, albeit optimised for storing persistent messages and with open federation (anyone can spin up a node and join the DB) and an HTTP/JSON API.
So: if you want decentralised message history as a first class citizen, use Matrix. It's not just for group chat; it's for any data.
If you want lower-latency message passing with history as an optional extra, use XMPP.
In terms of how to make XMPP cool again - projects like XMPP-FTW and Buddycloud and FMUC are pretty cool :)
So: if you want decentralised message history as a first class citizen, use Matrix. It's not just for group chat; it's for any data.
If you want lower-latency message passing with history as an optional extra, use XMPP.
In terms of how to make XMPP cool again - projects like XMPP-FTW and Buddycloud and FMUC are pretty cool :)