Showcase: Working on a voice/text chat app in a cyberpunk style
26 comments
·March 31, 2025panja
I like this a lot. One of my biggest concerns with discord is privacy. How is user data managed, any plans for e2ee?
b0bben
thx. i'm a huge proponent of privacy as well. right now there's nothing to that end, but e2ee is on the (huge) todo list. it's gonna take a while since it's a big undertaking, but it's gonna happen.
b0bben
TL;DR: programs today are effing boring. Need more cyberpunk in my life
After spending all my money on creating a community platform no-one wanted, in a style that I thought would fit most people (but didn't particularly enjoy myself, too vanilla), I got tired and decided to create something I've wanted in my daily life since I read Neuromancer the first time 20yrs ago.
This is what I'm working on. It's early, like really early, but it's a f*cking JOY to work on and use already! Right now I'm trying to move my friends over from Discord to this, but if there is interest in a voice/text chat app for a broader mass of ppl, I'd love to make a real product out of it and do this for a living!
What ya think? Sushi-style feedback welcome (raw and fresh).
Cheers, b0bben
senko
Looks lovely!
I hate how much effort goes into app/web design that ends up rearranging the boxes while the whole stuff still looks bland, corporate, mass market, no risk, safe, BORING.
It would spark joy to use an app like this. Definitely not mass market and I mean that as a compliment.
b0bben
thx <3 you're in for a treat, there's an alpha version out, check out my other root comment for link :)
mxuribe
Oooooh @b0bben, you got me hooked with that awesome aesthetic! Please keep working on it! I'd be interested in using this app!
A few rhetorical questions:
* Will this be (similar to discord) centrally hosted/managed? That is, would it be like other chat apps in that there is a central server, and clients connect to/are dependent upon it? Or....will it be more federated (like email, matrix)...or will it be peer-to-peer? (I'm sure the more centralized, likely the easier for you to implement, but i figured i'd ask...since i tend to favor less centralized options...but that's just me.)
* If you go the route of open sourcing this, and possibly even enabling self-hosting...have you considered what techstack would be used, such that, it might be easier for folks to spin up their own, and hence you might get more participation from folks who more likely might be into this kind of approach (and cyberpunk aeshetic)? (I know docker, containers are a thing nowadays and may in many cases the techstack becomes less important and often eases the self-hosting burden, but, figured i'd ask.)
I should clarify: NONE of my questions are demands...This is your baby, and you should build it as YOU WISH! My questions are merely rhetorical, and you don't even need to respond to...merely giving you some food for thought. I love me some cyberpunk, and not only aesthetic, but especially the freedoms and approach to libre-centric "lifestyle"...so a cool-looking chat app like what your video showed would pair well with folks who think about at least some of the things i asked about above. ;-)
Anyway, cheers to you on this app, and keep on building it; looks great!!!!!
b0bben
thx for the kind words!
to your (awesome) questions: right now it's centrally managed. it's just easier to build this way and use existing services. i use own apis, firebase and livekit.
at some point i'd LOVE to work on this full-time and live off of it, that's my end-goal.
everything is doable, but it would/will take work, but i wouldn't mind creating a self-hosted version for the 4 of you that really really want that ;)
grepexdev
SUPER cool aesthetic. I would totally use it if it was a product.
b0bben
thxxxxx! there's an embryo of a product (super-early alpha) here: https://molly-da7e3.web.app/
kaycebasques
Looks great. Thanks for sharing. Keep going!!
b0bben
<3 thx! check out the alpha and let me know what ya think :)
Layogtima
I love this! Is this open-source? I'd love to use for simulating the interface for Vogon Constructor Fleet ship interface :D
b0bben
thx! it's not open-source, but you can get awesome inspiration and UI elements from here: https://www.figma.com/design/OVz4DoinEzP2Rj5pnNY15A/%E2%8F%B...
(not mine, just something i found and use a lot for inspo)
b0bben
hej everyone, thx for the awesome feedback! :D you can download an early alpha, lots of issues, but i'm fixing them and adding cool stuff as fast as i can :) Download here: https://molly-da7e3.web.app/
(macos is signed, windows is not, waiting for MS to approve me for certificates, dont download unsigned binaries from internet strangers...i'm nice tho)
egypturnash
I like how the video example takes you to a chat with someone saying "check out this painting I just finished" with no actual image :(
My inner edgelord teenager approves of the style though.
b0bben
haha, nice catch! working on image uploads and other stuff.
thx for commenting, appreciate it <3
jamauro
This looks really cool. Keep going
b0bben
thx for the pepp, appreciate it <3
pepp: swedish word to "encourage, hype up"
null
indigoabstract
Nice. Looks like a hacking game user interface.
b0bben
thx <3 it's definitely inspired by many such things :) check out the early alpha here: https://molly-da7e3.web.app/
any chance you could add a dice roller and maybe an alias name feature to it? It would be great to play Shadorun anarchy or cyberpunk by post