https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuabmuUBmDs
Chat over GIT:
Spot-On Encryption Suite introduces Chat over Git & GitHub: Function named „Prison Blues“.
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2025.01.30 Release for Chat over GIT : https://github.com/textbrowser/spot-on/blob/master/branches/Documentation/ReleaseNotes.html
Spot-On Encryption Suite has been an innovative and open source software project for encryption and messaging for more than 10 years. It enables encrypted messaging, file transfers and web searches without relying on centralized servers.
Spot-On introduced chat over HTTPS before MIT offered an HTTP chat client with Matrix and revolutionized XMPP, it defined the Echo and the name in a communication client before Amazon released its Echo devices, it established chat.rooms based on hashlinks before MS Teams established video chat based on cryptographic values, and Spot-On introduced chat over POPTASTIC email servers before DeltaChat and Spice adopted chat over email servers.
Now Spot-On introduces another innovation with the new, current release: Chat via Git or Git servers like GitHub. The feature is called Prision Blues because the chat always works when no chat server is available and does not require a running kernel in the Spot-On user interface. Restrictive commands, which can seem like a prison, are now enriched with a blues melody: Prison Blues enables entertaining dancing in serverless IT environments?
Chat via GIT? - That would be a GittyChat or a KittyChat, which may be reminiscent of CryptoCat, the app that was discontinued 10 years ago. Encrypted chat via GitHub compatible with regular Echo-Servers of Spot-On can be established individually with this encryption suite application, initially in UNIX/Linux environments with the corresponding release end of January 2025.
The GitHub Repository of the Developer Textbrowser shows an example with GIT-Uploaded encrypted messages: https://github.com/textbrowser/prison-blues
The process is as follows: Install the Spot-On Encryption Suite on Unix/Linux or wherever a Shell is lively. Generate a token for GIT and share the token with a friend. Then prepare the faraway GIT server for access to everyone or a group of friends: It works with GitHub, and it’ll work wherever GIT is applied and share the kind-of-secret GIT Token. Start to Chat over/through GIT with Spot-On.
The technical documentation describes the Git-Chat of the function called “Prison Blues” as follows in these detailed steps:
Prison Blues is a system of communications through a GIT server. The process is functional on systems which are capable of executing an SH script.
The configuration is as follows:
- Prepare the local GIT configuration options for Spot-On on your UNIX/LINUX machine. The .gitconfig file should contain: [user] email = / name =
- Prepare GIT_LOCAL_DIRECTORY, GIT_SITE_CLONE, and GIT_SITE_PUSH options in the Miscellaneous section of the Options window of Spot-On. Default settings are provided as guidance.
- On the GIT server, create accounts and tokens. Limit access to the desired repository. That is, only specified accounts should be able to read and write to the repository.
- Assign an account to GIT_A and a token to GIT_T in the Options window of Spot-On.
- Set the Script in Options → Chat → GIT to the absolute path of spot-on-git.sh.
Spot-On can be found also on GitHub: https://github.com/textbrowser/spot-on
A Community Page informs about more details: https://sammysupport.github.io/spot-on/
A Podcast about Prison Blues can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuabmuUBmDs
Conclusion: The “Prison Blues” function of Spot-On Encryption Suite is an innovative and interesting development in the field of decentralized communication. It uses the infrastructure of GIT servers and thus offers a new way of chatting even when no conventional servers are available. Despite the security aspect regarding GIT credentials, this development shows Spot-On’s continuous effort to find innovative solutions in the field of encrypted and decentralized communication.
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Decentralized innovation: Spot-On Encryption Suite establishes itself as a pioneer in decentralized communication by providing new ways to encrypt messages, file transfers and web searches without relying on centralized servers. The text emphasizes the innovative power of Spot-On with the statement: “Spot-On Encryption Suite has been an innovative and open source software project for encryption and messaging for more than 10 years.”
“Prison Blues": Chat via GIT: The new ‘Prison Blues’ feature allows you to chat via GIT servers, even if no conventional chat servers are available. This is a response to restrictive environments and is intended to enable “entertaining dancing in serverless IT environments”.
Historical innovations: Spot-On has already produced many innovations in the past, long before similar technologies were taken up by other companies. The text cites the following examples: “Spot-On introduced chat over HTTPS before MIT offered an HTTP chat client with Matrix and revolutionized XMPP…”. This quote underlines the pioneering role and relevance of Spot-On’s technological developments.
Security: The configuration of “Prison Blues” requires careful management of GIT access permissions. The text emphasizes: “Limit access to the desired repository. That is, only specified accounts should be able to read and write to the repository.” This shows that security is also a high priority for this new function.
How it works: Chat via GIT works with a combination of local configurations and server-side accounts and tokens. The text describes the setup in detail: “The process is as follows: Install the Spot-On Encryption Suite on Unix/Linux or wherever a Shell is lively. Generate a token for GIT and share the token with a friend.”
Flexibility: “Prison Blues” is not limited to GitHub, but works with any GIT server. This increases the flexibility and usability of the function. According to the text: “It works with GitHub, and it’ll work wherever GIT is applied…”
Technical details: The chat is handled via an SH script called “spot-on-git.sh”. The configuration includes customizing the .gitconfig file, as well as setting GIT_LOCAL_DIRECTORY, GIT_SITE_CLONE, and GIT_SITE_PUSH options in Spot-On. The required steps are described in detail in the text: “The configuration is as follows: 1. prepare the local GIT configuration options for Spot-On on your UNIX/LINUX machine…”.
Most important facts about encrypted Git-Chat within Spot-On software:
- Function name: The chat over GIT function is called “Prison Blues” and has been introduced within the encrpytion suite application Spot-On.
- Implementation: The function is developed for UNIX/Linux environments and will be released at the end of January 2025.
- Technical basis: The function uses SH scripts and GIT servers.
- GitHub: Spot-On can also be found on GitHub: https://github.com/textbrowser/spot-on.
- Token-based security: Security is ensured through the use of GIT tokens, which must be managed carefully.
- Decentralized communication: The main goal is to provide a decentralized communication method that is not based on central servers.