41–50 of 228 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I guess they could do an "untethered" desktop version but they don't really want to. Solve syncing of history etc but it's doable. But they just love living in your pocket. It's all about owning you, and that's easier if they stay with you all the time.
How could then sync end-to-end encrypted messages?
No linux version. I was almost convinced that this was going to be another Electron app (after slack went that route)
I recommend Franz ( http://meetfranz.com/ ). Does Whatsapp, works on Linux, mac, pc. Supports Slack, WeChat, HipChat, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Google Hangouts, GroupMe and Skype.
Nice. Maybe with this I can convince my friends to move over to WhatsApp from Google Hangouts. The lack of desktop app support for Hangouts has been driving me nuts.
This just seems to be exactly like the Whatsapp Web running in the browser. I don't understand what benefit comes from the native client.
I see three "nice to have" benefits: full keyboard, copy and paste text/links when you're browsing the web and sending images taken with a traditional camera. None of these are essential for sure and I for one prefer using my phone but sometimes it can be handy.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I guess they could do an "untethered" desktop version but they don't really want to. Solve syncing of history etc but it's doable. But they just love living in your pocket. It's all about owning you, and that's easier if they stay with you all the time.
How could then sync end-to-end encrypted messages?
Store them the same way they store today.
When the first device picks up the message, mark as delivered, when the user reads it, mark as read.
Something along those lines, I guess.
EDIT: message is encrypted, but not it's metadata, as the server must know where it came from and where it is going to.
This just seems to be exactly like the Whatsapp Web running in the browser. I don't understand what benefit comes from the native client.
With a desktop app you can easily and quickly command-tab to it if you want to use it. In contrast with a web app it's often awkward and time consuming to find the window/tab of the web app you're running amongst your other browser windows/tabs.
---- Plus, on my OS at least, I can even search for the window by its title. That, combined with workspaces, is an organizer's godsend.
This is not an independent app. It is still tethered to the phone, and can't work without it :(
Their servers do not store unencrypted messages so they need to come from the phone.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Telegram forever ahead...
Minus the whole end-to-end encryption thing... which is still missing in their Linux gui client.