Oddbean

@771c7916 Sorry for the simple words, but they can literally kiss my bloody ass with their pseudo standards, meta-bullshit, and all the other crap they trying to force on users. Besides who normal will still use that thing anymore? Everything/anything under their brand is a piece of harvesting data, used for advertising junk.

@f275d986 a lot though depends on the app you use, and how it connects to the API. Strictly speaking your metadata should not be going across with any messages. It could a better way to reconnect with WhatsApp users. I have quite a few friends and family, who after many years, still only use WhatsApp and nothing else. The API keeps WhatsApp at a distance. It's like saying I'm only going to e-mail other users on my mail service because I don't like what Yahoo does on their service.

@771c7916 Use simple xmpp protocol for all that. Mailing, chatting, creating some network communities, building pages and so on. It's a very versalite thing. Can be used without any problems. And years ago it was commonly used for that. Why not today? Because every corpo need to have their own, closed, incompatible, proprietary and preferably paid one? Ehh.. we already had all the tools and pieces since years for creating a normal user friendly networking. We are sadly way to stupid to use it.

@f275d986 there are many more protocols out there than just XMPP and Signal, what about say Nostr, WebRTC and others? So which one would it be then? That is very likely why we have so many - nobody ever made any decision for everyone, so all platforms went their own way. That really needs to change to at least have something to interconnect.

@f275d986 tye point tho is not to force people to use this, but to have an option for those who want to use it. Ultimately this could connect Signal users say to XMPP users or others as well, if the same protocol is supported by many platforms.

@771c7916 Choice yes, but not some shady one forcefully created, developed just now pseudo-standard, controlled by known for being very untrustworthy, user data hungry corporations. Besides we already have few open sourced, fully functional, tested, audited, proven to be safe and free ones. So, why not use them? Why yet another new one? Why adding another point to the whole big fragmentation of the communicator market? This doesn't make sense to me at all.

@771c7916 It is not a matter of what of them we should use, but a matter of wise choice. Education is a clou here. A proper, honest, true one. Lets educate the people instead of creating yet another bs app/protocol. Lets spend resources we have on this topic and lets wait a while for some decent effects.

@f275d986 it is beyond choice tho - the EU ruling has mandated interoperability for Big Tech Gatekeepers, and WhatsApp is one of those in the EU. It's a known fact that the network effect basically "prevents" most people leaving one network for another. Although many don't get effected by the network effect, unfortunately it is the majority who are.

@771c7916 Well, if you only pay attention on the others what they does l, what they choose, how they live etc, you would be able to do anything on your own way. I never did that, so I can choose freely as I want, as is good for me personally. People should learn that. Otherwise they never be really free. That's a part of education, I was previously mentioned about.

@f275d986 very true, but as I pointed out about the network effect, it is called that because that is how the majority of people operate - they stay where most of their friends are. I've moved to some of the best private networks around, but not a single one of my friends is prepared to move there - I've had one try a network and then they disappear. For a messaging network to be popular, it needs users friends there too. That's just life.