4 ms·

Isn't that what web.whatsapp.com for?

by superasn 9y ago

com_kieffer 9y ago
No, as far as I remember you need the phone and the computer to be on the same wifi.
- shliachtx 9y ago
  Not the same wifi, but since web.whatsapp is pulling the data from your phone, they recommend that your phone be connected to wifi.
- tonfa 9y ago
  You don't. Your phone needs to be on the internet tho. Personally I like this setup, it's simple and just works. And no issue about missing some messages or duplicate notifications (which is sometimes the case with multi endpoint apps).
dheera 9y ago
web.whatsapp.com requires you to scan some silly QR code with your phone instead of just inputting a username and password. The point is, I would like to not have to carry my phone. My basic tenet of computing is that every device I own should be able to do ALL tasks that it is computationally capable of, without relying on other devices. When I'm sitting in front of a 4K screen with a massive multi-core CPU and GPU desktop, that I own, there is NO reason I should be be required to also have on my person a 6" dinky piece of junk just to operate the desktop. Every device should independently handle everything it is capable of. So in my case the virtual machine can just run WhatsApp and I can completely leave my phone behind when I choose to carry my computer with me. Same thing for WeChat. I want my most powerful computers to be able to handle 100% of my personal tasks, not 99%.
- stephengillie 9y ago
  What about MFA?
  - dheera 9y ago
    You can feel free to disagree but I don't believe in the current incarnations of MFA; at least not those done with a phone. Stolen phone = insecure system. Dead batteries or dead SIM = stranded. Biometric MFA, I'm slightly more in support of. I should be able to identify myself to any electronic system I own or control, using only what's in my mind and body, and nothing else. For now I use pretty much only passwords everywhere. With passwords I can walk and move freely about the world without worrying about losing stuff or forgetting to carry stuff. I always hated physical keys, because I forget them and lose them, and I hate anything that resembles a physical key in that respect. I love combination locks to apartments and bicycles, by the way. You can head out the door and get around town with exactly nothing in your pocket. Maybe just a credit card to pay for food, at most. It's refreshingly simple and awesome to not have to carry stuff.
    - stephengillie 9y ago
      Authenticating yourself that way is fine. How do you propose to prevent other people from authenticating as yourself? How entropic are your memorized passwords? How entropic are combination locks? And vulnerable to picking - I've had to pick a 3-dial Realtor lock before in an emergency. It's easy with an aluminum-foil shim and Youtube instructions.
      - dheera 9y ago
        > How entropic are your memorized passwords? Quite entropic. And I use PBKDF-HMAC-SHA256 to generate other passwords from a master password on any machine I own without having to store or carry a database or keystore. > How entropic are combination locks? What is the attack vector here? A lot of key locks are easy to pick. My apartment door's key lock is a lot more insecure than some of the better combination locks out there. If someone really wants to get in, they can smash the windows. At that point I think having a security camera system or alarm system would be a better investment.

Isn't that what web.whatsapp.com for?

com_kieffer 9y ago

No, as far as I remember you need the phone and the computer to be on the same wifi.

shliachtx 9y ago
Not the same wifi, but since web.whatsapp is pulling the data from your phone, they recommend that your phone be connected to wifi.
tonfa 9y ago
You don't. Your phone needs to be on the internet tho. Personally I like this setup, it's simple and just works. And no issue about missing some messages or duplicate notifications (which is sometimes the case with multi endpoint apps).

dheera 9y ago

web.whatsapp.com requires you to scan some silly QR code with your phone instead of just inputting a username and password. The point is, I would like to not have to carry my phone. My basic tenet of computing is that every device I own should be able to do ALL tasks that it is computationally capable of, without relying on other devices. When I'm sitting in front of a 4K screen with a massive multi-core CPU and GPU desktop, that I own, there is NO reason I should be be required to also have on my person a 6" dinky piece of junk just to operate the desktop. Every device should independently handle everything it is capable of. So in my case the virtual machine can just run WhatsApp and I can completely leave my phone behind when I choose to carry my computer with me. Same thing for WeChat. I want my most powerful computers to be able to handle 100% of my personal tasks, not 99%.

stephengillie 9y ago
What about MFA?
- dheera 9y ago
  You can feel free to disagree but I don't believe in the current incarnations of MFA; at least not those done with a phone. Stolen phone = insecure system. Dead batteries or dead SIM = stranded. Biometric MFA, I'm slightly more in support of. I should be able to identify myself to any electronic system I own or control, using only what's in my mind and body, and nothing else. For now I use pretty much only passwords everywhere. With passwords I can walk and move freely about the world without worrying about losing stuff or forgetting to carry stuff. I always hated physical keys, because I forget them and lose them, and I hate anything that resembles a physical key in that respect. I love combination locks to apartments and bicycles, by the way. You can head out the door and get around town with exactly nothing in your pocket. Maybe just a credit card to pay for food, at most. It's refreshingly simple and awesome to not have to carry stuff.
  - stephengillie 9y ago
    Authenticating yourself that way is fine. How do you propose to prevent other people from authenticating as yourself? How entropic are your memorized passwords? How entropic are combination locks? And vulnerable to picking - I've had to pick a 3-dial Realtor lock before in an emergency. It's easy with an aluminum-foil shim and Youtube instructions.
    - dheera 9y ago
      > How entropic are your memorized passwords? Quite entropic. And I use PBKDF-HMAC-SHA256 to generate other passwords from a master password on any machine I own without having to store or carry a database or keystore. > How entropic are combination locks? What is the attack vector here? A lot of key locks are easy to pick. My apartment door's key lock is a lot more insecure than some of the better combination locks out there. If someone really wants to get in, they can smash the windows. At that point I think having a security camera system or alarm system would be a better investment.