Sputnik Messenger
Sputnik Messenger is an instant messaging app, following the matrix.org client-server protocol spec. It is written in Flutter and going to support Android first, IOS second and everything else later.
It focuses on daily private 1:1 and group messaging like most other popular messaging apps. Nevertheless, it works quite nice with very large rooms like #matrix-hq.
Where can I get it?
You can download the latest beta version from the Play Store.
Where can I talk about it?
Visit me at #sputnik-messenger:matrix.org.
Is it open source?
Yes, but with a little exception.
Licensing
Sputnik’s codebase is separated into different modules. Each module is licensed under MIT or GPLv3. The rule of thumb is: Lower level modules are using the MIT license while higher lever ones (usually containing UI code) are GPLv3.
Sputnik’s whole architecture is designed to be a so-called ‘white label’ app. This means, by default, it has no specific styling, branding, artwork, etc.. It further allows you to easily apply your custom individual design and branding with the help of some configuration parameters.
Therefore, when you build an individually styled and branded version, based on the white label code, you have to follow the GPLv3 license.
If you don’t want to license your version under GPLv3, contact me. Since all GPL code in Sputnik is written by me, I have the right to offer you a different licensing model.
The exception
The official Sputnik Messenger is using the white label configuration options provided by the open-source white label codebase. This thin configuration layer is about styling, artwork and branding … and not open source.
Where is the code?
You can find the code on GitHub https://github.com/sputnik-messenger.
Can I contribute?
Sputnik was not intended to become a community project but contributions are always welcome. All contributions must be licensed under the MIT license, even if contributing to a GPLv3 module.
There exists another great open-source Flutter client in the making, called Pattle. Check it out! It has a helpful and active community. They also have a matrix-dart-sdk you might want to look at.
What’s the status?
Right now Sputnik Messenger is still in very active development and by for not feature complete. I wouldn’t advice to use the current codebase or parts of it in any production app.
Where to get updates?
- I will post regular updates in #sputnik-messenger:matrix.org.
- There is also a Twitter account at https://twitter.com/sputnik_im