4 ms·

I do not like this decision. Using Signal as a main SMS provider makes it easier for me to collect all of my messages in one place. Now I have to, YET AGAIN, do

I do not like this decision. Using Signal as a main SMS provider makes it easier for me to collect all of my messages in one place. Now I have to, YET AGAIN, download an SMS app for use while keeping Signal active. I'm glad privacy is becoming mainstream but dislike lowering the bar for adoption to where it profoundly affects users.

calvinmorrison 4y ago
It makes me yearn for the days with Pidgin where I had IRC, Google Chat (XMPP back then), AOL and whatever else chat protocols all running through the same client. That's what is nice about signals implementation is it stands. It supports acting as the SMS default app on android and defaults to signal when it can.
- LinuxBender 4y ago
  One thing I liked about those multi-protocol clients is that some of them supported the OTR libraries for E2EE encrypted messages regardless of platform used. A couple of the implementations would automatically handshake with others to see if they supported OTR.
- lapinot 4y ago
  > That's what is nice about signals implementation is it stands. Sure they handle SMS, but the real problem here is that Signal is just another walled garden: they have an overtly negative stance towards alternative clients, while also having very bad support for anything besides android/ios: they have a bad desktop client and they don't have a nice library. Altogether this means that Signal is overtly and willingly against things like Pidgin / multi-protocol clients or overlay, which is what the users want (ie not caring about protocols). Signal doesn't want to deal with SMS anymore, which from an engineering and high-stakes security pov is a completely valid decision. Yet if it had clean and open local API or a simple and portable client library, or had a stable server API, then someone else could provide multi-protocol clients, tailored to each platform in a secure and stable way.
- erohead 4y ago
  This is why we are building https://www.beeper.com https://www.beeper.com
  - codethief 4y ago
    FYI Part of your website is broken on Firefox for Android. (Broken layout, content not shown etc.) Now to my actual question: How is Beeper compatible with the ToS of platforms like Instagram and Facebook that, to my knowledge, don't allow their users to use 3rd-party apps? Case in point: I recently wanted to use a FOSS 3rd-party messaging app for Instagram and my account got promptly banned. Question 2: Do you support full message backups in a well-documented format?
  - ripdog 4y ago
    How goes the progress on scaling your infrastructure? I signed up ages ago and haven't heard back.
fyvhbhn 4y ago
I doubt your phone doesn't have a default sms app. Anyways e2ee and sms doesn't mix well
- stjohnswarts 4y ago
  They actually mix quite well and I had used Signal for years to do it. It's not rocket science.

calvinmorrison 4y ago

It makes me yearn for the days with Pidgin where I had IRC, Google Chat (XMPP back then), AOL and whatever else chat protocols all running through the same client. That's what is nice about signals implementation is it stands. It supports acting as the SMS default app on android and defaults to signal when it can.

LinuxBender 4y ago
One thing I liked about those multi-protocol clients is that some of them supported the OTR libraries for E2EE encrypted messages regardless of platform used. A couple of the implementations would automatically handshake with others to see if they supported OTR.
lapinot 4y ago
> That's what is nice about signals implementation is it stands. Sure they handle SMS, but the real problem here is that Signal is just another walled garden: they have an overtly negative stance towards alternative clients, while also having very bad support for anything besides android/ios: they have a bad desktop client and they don't have a nice library. Altogether this means that Signal is overtly and willingly against things like Pidgin / multi-protocol clients or overlay, which is what the users want (ie not caring about protocols). Signal doesn't want to deal with SMS anymore, which from an engineering and high-stakes security pov is a completely valid decision. Yet if it had clean and open local API or a simple and portable client library, or had a stable server API, then someone else could provide multi-protocol clients, tailored to each platform in a secure and stable way.
erohead 4y ago
This is why we are building https://www.beeper.com https://www.beeper.com
- codethief 4y ago
  FYI Part of your website is broken on Firefox for Android. (Broken layout, content not shown etc.) Now to my actual question: How is Beeper compatible with the ToS of platforms like Instagram and Facebook that, to my knowledge, don't allow their users to use 3rd-party apps? Case in point: I recently wanted to use a FOSS 3rd-party messaging app for Instagram and my account got promptly banned. Question 2: Do you support full message backups in a well-documented format?
- ripdog 4y ago
  How goes the progress on scaling your infrastructure? I signed up ages ago and haven't heard back.

fyvhbhn 4y ago

I doubt your phone doesn't have a default sms app. Anyways e2ee and sms doesn't mix well

stjohnswarts 4y ago
They actually mix quite well and I had used Signal for years to do it. It's not rocket science.