4 ms·

Anywhere except iOS, apparently

Aachen 5y ago
Last I checked it also doesn't support MS-DOS or Amiga. The "anywhere" doesn't refer to OS support.
southerntofu 5y ago
It's not their fault that you can't use programs of your choice on iOS, that you have to pay Apple for a developer account for submitting apps to the App Store, and that the App Store T&C explicitly forbids free-software.
- pta2002 5y ago
  Nitpicking a bit, but it doesn't. It forbids redistribution of apps downloaded from the app store, which is a requirement of the GPL, and so the app store "license" and the GPL (not free software in general) are incompatible. None of this matters much though because if you own the copyright to the code you can relicense it however you want, which is why VLC for example is on the app store.
  - southerntofu 5y ago
    Nitpicking a bit, but what works for a single association like Videolan (editor of VLC) may not work for a program that was developed by hundreds of contributors over the years, who would all have to give their approval for a re-licensing.
    - gloriousternary 5y ago
      Wouldn't Briar have to be reimplemented anyway to build an iOS app? If they did it would be dual-licensed from the start so it shouldn't be an issue.
- dariosalvi78 5y ago
  There are several FOSS apps on the app store
mmwelt 5y ago
Yup[1], it's a pity because it will greatly reduce the network effect needed to get enough people using the app. [1] https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/wikis/FAQ#will-there-be-an-ios-version-of-briar https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/wikis/FAQ#will-t...
- fishmaster 5y ago
  Many, many more people use Android than IOS.
chrismorgan 5y ago
I’d rephrase that: nowhere except Android. Android and iOS aren’t the only games in town. Windows, macOS, various Linuxes desktop, various Linuxes mobile, Firefox OS and its successors… I get fed up with things where your options are: (a) a commonly-clunky web system where you have to log in, possibly with tedious 2FA, every time you want to touch it, and (b) a sleek task-focused Google-Android/iOS app where you don’t. Banking is an example of an area where this is the norm. I want to use this improved process on a laptop, or perhaps on a mobile device where I can’t install their iOS or Google Play Store app.
- blendergeek 5y ago
  There is Briar GTK [0] that runs on Linux Desktop/Mobile. [0] https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar-gtk https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar-gtk
Jiejeing 5y ago
iOS only has high market share in the US, even in other, similarly rich western countries, Android dominates. Additionally, iOS prevents you from keeping a background connection, which means anything else than polling or (apple-controled) push notification is a no go. Briar mostly works through Tor, which cannot work properly on standard iOS, due to the previously described limitations. If you want software on iOS, complain to apple about their dumb policies, not on HN comment threads.
- teorema 5y ago
  Yes, here you have Briar bumping up against the inability to run any fully decentralized mobile communication software on iOS. Seems like a serious limitation on the part of iOS at this point given trends towards decentralization in general.
  - Jiejeing 5y ago
    The worst part is that an inactive background TCP connection is mostly free (of course, a Tor client is slightly more involved), so there is exactly 0 reason to forbid it, as long as apps are reviewed properly for abusive behavior (they are not).

Last I checked it also doesn't support MS-DOS or Amiga. The "anywhere" doesn't refer to OS support.

It's not their fault that you can't use programs of your choice on iOS, that you have to pay Apple for a developer account for submitting apps to the App Store, and that the App Store T&C explicitly forbids free-software.

pta2002 5y ago
Nitpicking a bit, but it doesn't. It forbids redistribution of apps downloaded from the app store, which is a requirement of the GPL, and so the app store "license" and the GPL (not free software in general) are incompatible. None of this matters much though because if you own the copyright to the code you can relicense it however you want, which is why VLC for example is on the app store.
- southerntofu 5y ago
  Nitpicking a bit, but what works for a single association like Videolan (editor of VLC) may not work for a program that was developed by hundreds of contributors over the years, who would all have to give their approval for a re-licensing.
  - gloriousternary 5y ago
    Wouldn't Briar have to be reimplemented anyway to build an iOS app? If they did it would be dual-licensed from the start so it shouldn't be an issue.
dariosalvi78 5y ago
There are several FOSS apps on the app store

mmwelt 5y ago

Yup[1], it's a pity because it will greatly reduce the network effect needed to get enough people using the app. [1] https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/wikis/FAQ#will-there-be-an-ios-version-of-briar https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/wikis/FAQ#will-t...

fishmaster 5y ago
Many, many more people use Android than IOS.

chrismorgan 5y ago

I’d rephrase that: nowhere except Android. Android and iOS aren’t the only games in town. Windows, macOS, various Linuxes desktop, various Linuxes mobile, Firefox OS and its successors… I get fed up with things where your options are: (a) a commonly-clunky web system where you have to log in, possibly with tedious 2FA, every time you want to touch it, and (b) a sleek task-focused Google-Android/iOS app where you don’t. Banking is an example of an area where this is the norm. I want to use this improved process on a laptop, or perhaps on a mobile device where I can’t install their iOS or Google Play Store app.

blendergeek 5y ago
There is Briar GTK [0] that runs on Linux Desktop/Mobile. [0] https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar-gtk https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar-gtk

Jiejeing 5y ago

iOS only has high market share in the US, even in other, similarly rich western countries, Android dominates. Additionally, iOS prevents you from keeping a background connection, which means anything else than polling or (apple-controled) push notification is a no go. Briar mostly works through Tor, which cannot work properly on standard iOS, due to the previously described limitations. If you want software on iOS, complain to apple about their dumb policies, not on HN comment threads.

teorema 5y ago
Yes, here you have Briar bumping up against the inability to run any fully decentralized mobile communication software on iOS. Seems like a serious limitation on the part of iOS at this point given trends towards decentralization in general.
- Jiejeing 5y ago
  The worst part is that an inactive background TCP connection is mostly free (of course, a Tor client is slightly more involved), so there is exactly 0 reason to forbid it, as long as apps are reviewed properly for abusive behavior (they are not).