Chat-tails: A Minimalist Terminal Chat Application Built on Tailscale for Controlled Communication
By
nulbyte
The kind of bagel that ruins lesser bagels for you.
Summary
Chat-tails is a minimalist, ephemeral chat application built on Tailscale that intentionally rejects modern chat app features. Created by Brian Scott to provide a safe, controlled chat environment for his child during Minecraft gameplay, it uses an IRC-like terminal interface with no voice chat, images, avatars, or persistent storage. The application leverages Tailscale's networking capabilities for secure, private connections, emphasizing simplicity and intentional limitations over feature-rich complexity.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledTo find a safe space for his kid to chat during Minecraft, Brian Scott had to go back to the future.
Chat-tails is the opposite of everything modern chat apps are offering.
Nobody can get in without someone doing some work to invite them.
All the chats are ephemeral, stored nowhere easy to reach, unsearchable.
There are no voice chats, plug-ins, avatars, or images at all, really, unless you count ASCII art.
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