The Discord server rant

ripped from my blog @ neumatic.blog

Discord

Discord is a popular chat and voice communication platform that is often used by gamers. One of the key features of Discord is the ability to create and join communities, which are referred to as "servers" by users of the platform as well as the platform itself.

Truth

Generally, a server is technically a computer or program that provides a service to other computers or programs, often over a network. In the context of Discord, a "server" is actually just a collection of users who have come together to communicate with each other, including channels, roles, and other metadata about the community. This misuse of the term "server" is not unique to Discord, as many other platforms and services also use it to refer to groups of users. However, the correct term to use for a group of users on a platform like Discord would be a community or group.

Matrix

On the other hand, the use of the term "server" on Matrix is actually correct. Matrix is a decentralized program used to facilitate communication, and groups of users on the platform are organized into "homeservers". These servers are instances of Matrix that are hosted on individual machines, and they store all of the user information and host their community. Because Matrix is running on physical hardware, referring to these groups as "servers" is accurate.

Serverless

In contrast, Discord uses Google cloud functions to process any actions taken on the platform. This means that Discord's code is running on a lot of machines spread across the world in Google's data centers. In this context, a "server" on Discord is simply a collection of people, channels, rules, and messages, rather than a single instance of a program running on physical hardware. Also, not that it means much, but Google's product is referred to as "serverless"

Overall, while the misuse of the term "server" on Discord is a minor issue, it is important to recognize that it is technically incorrect. In contrast, the use of the term "server" on Matrix is appropriate due to the nature of the program and its use of physical hardware. I'd also like to note something I found on just the homepage: both names for the same thing, but referenced in the same page (technically since it was in a tooltip)