3 ms·

Nope, when I'm on the go, I certainly have a way better communication using phone calls than whatever VOIP du jour. Phone numbers, like emails, are very robust

Nope, when I'm on the go, I certainly have a way better communication using phone calls than whatever VOIP du jour. Phone numbers, like emails, are very robust and reliable, interoperable, not centralized to one entity, and the quality of service vs cost ratio is excellent. Not to mention text messages: - they work no matter if the person is using whatsapp, telegram, signal or the new hype stuff - no GAFAM is collecting my text history to sell me ads - they require no internet connection There are 3 things that we must absolutely cherish and preserve in this race for tech: cash, emails and phone numbers. They are a beacon of stability in this sea of ever moving innovation greed. And I say that while I'm thinking about setting up an IFPS website, compiling python 3.10 beta to test it and buy a secondary e-ink screen for my laptop. I'm not technophobic.

mavhc 5y ago
Email and SMS aren't reliable, you've no way to know if they've been read. SMS is unencrypted so someone's harvesting your data. They require a cell tower connection, that's only 1 step away from an internet connection, probably 0 in many cases. Cash and Phone numbers are trivial to steal.
- thebean11 5y ago
  > Email and SMS aren't reliable, you've no way to know if they've been read. Most people do not want this feature. 9/10 of my iMessage contacts turn off read receipts; I bet the number would be similar on Facebook/Whatsapp if they allowed it.
- BiteCode_dev 5y ago
  > Email and SMS aren't reliable, you've no way to know if they've been read. For me, ephemerality, one-shot, and unidirectionality are characteristics, not issues. > SMS is unencrypted so someone's harvesting your data. There is not a single entity that is getting all of it, which is the most important to me. Encryption is nice, but for most of my communications, that's not the most important feature. > They require a cell tower connection, that's only 1 step away from an internet connection, probably 0 in many cases. I'm regularly in situations where the phone works, but not internet. On the move, or in the country side. > Cash and Phone numbers are trivial to steal. Sure, and so is a bike. But I don't always want to take the bus.
  - mavhc 5y ago
    Given your whatsapp messages are encrypted, no one's getting them. You've no idea if your SMS ever arrived, or if your email even got into the Inbox of the reader instead of the spambox.

mavhc 5y ago

Email and SMS aren't reliable, you've no way to know if they've been read. SMS is unencrypted so someone's harvesting your data. They require a cell tower connection, that's only 1 step away from an internet connection, probably 0 in many cases. Cash and Phone numbers are trivial to steal.

thebean11 5y ago
> Email and SMS aren't reliable, you've no way to know if they've been read. Most people do not want this feature. 9/10 of my iMessage contacts turn off read receipts; I bet the number would be similar on Facebook/Whatsapp if they allowed it.
BiteCode_dev 5y ago
> Email and SMS aren't reliable, you've no way to know if they've been read. For me, ephemerality, one-shot, and unidirectionality are characteristics, not issues. > SMS is unencrypted so someone's harvesting your data. There is not a single entity that is getting all of it, which is the most important to me. Encryption is nice, but for most of my communications, that's not the most important feature. > They require a cell tower connection, that's only 1 step away from an internet connection, probably 0 in many cases. I'm regularly in situations where the phone works, but not internet. On the move, or in the country side. > Cash and Phone numbers are trivial to steal. Sure, and so is a bike. But I don't always want to take the bus.
- mavhc 5y ago
  Given your whatsapp messages are encrypted, no one's getting them. You've no idea if your SMS ever arrived, or if your email even got into the Inbox of the reader instead of the spambox.