From fa3b5e95bd229bf077b2424e44703e844c3b0e16 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jordan Bancino Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2023 16:04:48 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] Add a nice README which will serve as the basis for the website. --- README.md | 119 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-- 1 file changed, 116 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index b54e321..f2a0d33 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -1,7 +1,120 @@ # [Telodendria](https://telodendria.io) -**Telodendria** is an open source Matrix homeserver implementation written from scratch in ANSI C and designed to be lightweight and simple, yet functional. +Telodendria is an extremely powerful, yet lightweight and portable +chat server designed to be easy to install and configure. Powered by +the [Matrix](https://matrix.org) protocol, Telodendria empowers +everyone to run their own chat server on ordinary hardware, including +old and embedded devices. Whether you want a simple chat server just +for you and your friends and family, or want to talk to users on other +Matrix homeservers but don't want to go through all the hastle of +hosting a complicated, high-maintenance homeserver or joining an +existing homeserver for privacy or other reasons, then Telodendria +might be for you. -**Important:** This project is not developed on GitHub or CVS anymore, but instead on a dedicated [Gitea forge](https://git.telodendria.io/Telodendria/telodendria). +## What is Matrix? + +Matrix is an **open standard** for *interoperable*, *decentralized*, +*secure*, and *real-time* communication over the internet. + +Matrix can be thought of as the successor to email, but it works +very similar to iMessage, Discord, or direct messaging on most +social media networks. The primary difference between Matrix and these +other services, however, is that Matrix doesn't depend on one central +authority, and is designed in such a way to respect your privacy. +Matrix has proven itself over the last few +years to be a reliable communication tool, and has only gotten more +user-friendly over the course of its development. Matrix is capable +enough that it can—and should—totally replace any other +means of digital communication, and it offers a much higher degree +of security, simplicity, and functionality. + +Strictly speaking, Matrix itself is just the *protocol* by which +clients and servers communicate. In order to use Matrix, we need +implementations of both clients and servers. Telodendria is a server +implementation of the Matrix protocol. + +## Why Telodendria? + +- **Lightweight:** Written in the C programming language, Telodendria +is automatically lighter and faster than other self-hosted chat servers. +It has very few external dependencies and is as self-contained as +possible. +- **Fully-Featured:** Most lightweight chat solutions compromise on +features. Telodendria is built on the fully-featured Matrix protocol, +which provides a chat experience that most normal users are familiar +with. +- **Portable:** You can run Telodendria on just about everything, +including more traditional options like a personal home server or VPS, +but also more obscure platforms like Raspberry Pis or retro computers. +Telodendria can run on a broad number of operating systems, which means +that no matter which platform and OS you prefer, there is a good chance +you can add Telodendria without much difficulty. It is also extremely +easy to migrate a Telodendria instance between platforms; just copy the +data directory to a new device. +- **Simple:** Telodendria is designed to be a simple, no-frills +chat server. It is easy to install, easy to configure, and easy to +maintain. +- **Stable:** Other Matrix homeservers develop at the pace of the +Matrix specification itself, which is to say quite rapidly. Changes are +always being made, and a version shipped 6 months ago is already +incredibly outdated. Telodendria, on the other hand, aims to be stable. +It should *just work* for long periods of time between upgrades, and +you should never feel like Telodendria is going to change significantly +between upgrades. + +[Read Technical Rationale →](docs/dev/rationale.md) + +## Get Started + +Check out the [Documentation](docs/README.md) to get started with +Telodendria. + +## Status + +## Sponsorship + +Telodendria is maintained by a loosely-knit band of volunteers. The +project currently has no sponsors and thus no source of income to +pay for infrastructure costs and developer time. To ensure +Telodendria's long-term success, please consider sponsoring the +project. + +You can make a recurring donation to Telodendria using +[LiberaPay](https://bancino.net/Telodendria/donate). You can also make +one-time donations using +[Stripe](https://donate.stripe.com/8wM29AfF5bRJc48eUU). If you would +like to make a recurring donation larger than that allowed by +LiberaPay, please contact Jordan Bancino over Matrix at +`@jordan:bancino.net` or email at `jordan@bancino.net`. + +### Benefits + +While there are no set sponsorship tiers at this time, sponsoring +Telodendria is a mutually beneficial relationship. Depending on the +amount you donate, you can get your name, logo, and website links +on the [Sponsors](docs/SPONSORS.md) page, the project `README`, or the +main website. + +## License + +All of the code and documentation for Telodendria is licensed under a +modified MIT license. The MIT license is an extremely permissive +license that has very few restrictions. Please consult the +[`LICENSE.txt`](LICENSE.txt) file for the actual license text. It is +important to note that the Telodendria license text differs from the +original MIT license in the following ways: + +- Where the MIT license states that the copyright notice and permission +notice shall be included in all copies or *substantial* portions of the +software, the Telodendria requires the copyright notice and +permission notice be included with *all* portions, regardless of the +size, by omitting the word *substantial*. + +The Telodendria logo in all its forms, including the ASCII +representation, belongs solely to the Telodendria project. It must be +used only to represent the official Telodendria project. You are free +to use the logo in any way as long as it represents or links to the +official project. If Telodendria is forked, the logo must be removed +completely from the project, and optionally replaced by a different +one. -Please see the `README.txt` file for the actual project `README`, which simply details the repository structure a little bit. All of **Telodendria**'s user and developer documentation is available as `man` pages, or online.