talq-desktop

TalQ is a native Qt desktop client for Nextcloud Talk, built to feel like a real desktop app rather than a wrapped web page. The conversation list and messages are drawn directly with QPainter on QWidget, with no web engine or QML, which keeps idle CPU near zero and startup instant. It is designed to be left running all day. Core features include a conversation list with unread badges, mentions, favorites, sorting and filtering; messaging with threads, replies, reactions, read receipts, and in-conversation search; file sharing from disk or Nextcloud with image previews; live updates via long-polling with native notifications and a tray icon; and audio/video calls over WebRTC with screen sharing, noise suppression, and simulcast publishing (180p/360p/720p) for adaptive quality. A Mission Control telemetry panel shows call diagnostics like bandwidth, codec, and resolution. TalQ also supports optional CTI (computer-telephony integration) via four endpoints: pairing, a ring event WebSocket, screen-pop for incoming calls, and a people card showing presence and shift status. These are entirely server-defined, so adding fields or changing details requires no client update. The person card falls back to name, picture, and Nextcloud presence when no endpoints are configured. Currently, TalQ is Windows-only (10/11, 64-bit) and requires a Nextcloud server with the Talk app. Group calls need a Talk High Performance Backend on the server. The project is open source under Apache License 2.0, with no telemetry or analytics. It is built with Qt 6.10, C++20, GStreamer, and the MSYS2 mingw-w64 toolchain. Chat is considered solid for daily use; calls work end to end in two-party and MCU/conference use, with multi-party hardening still in progress. The newest features are the person card and shift status, which are in the 0.69.x beta line.