License update

Signal app itself still can't run on Android Open Source, because it forces centralised metadata collection on the user via Google Play Store and GCM. Installing Google privacy-invading bloatware, is a prerequisite, which also further requires you to destroy your phone's security model because all non-vendor GCM options currently require you to patch a nasty hack into the kernel or otherwise prevent you using a secure, verified bootloader.

But like 'blame Apple', 'blame Google', because Signal won't provide or permit a WebSocket fallback (to do exactly the same as desktop client) - the one major thing LibreSignal wanted and were threatened legal action with if they did. Oh, that and using a trustworthy (FDroid), not just trusted, app store that doesn't require bloat, metadata leaks & GSF battery drain.

So, if your operating system can't support GCM (for good security reasons), or you just don't want to give up your data (kind of the point of Signal), then you're out in the cold.

You may think "It's open source, I'll run my own server". Nope. It's not just that they won't allow others to federate with their servers. Even if you were willing to give up your entire network of Signal contacts (that you've been building because you THOUGHT they were Open as they always painted themselves) - you can't. 'Open' Whisper aren't open sourcing their server. The voice side is locked up. Don't forget, you didn't choose GCM. Signal took the SMS option away after you'd built your network, plus convinced all your friends to drop XMPP alternatives and install Signal.

This license is too little, too late.

Matrix.org is providing a secure, viable modern, open alternative to IRC and XMPP, that also federates with them. With clients like Vector.IM that'll soon be non-GCM too. It already provides better functionality than Signal app and with Olm protocol (being merged within weeks) is equivalent to Signal encryption anyway.

Conversations.IM already works beautifully without Signal (plus is merging with the resources of ChatSecure). They've proven very well that you CAN in fact have an awesome (and secure) user experience based on XMPP.

The thing that really annoys me, is that while we spent all these years just backing Signal, singing their praises - thinking they were open (yeah, more fool us) - we were also diverting attention, installs and sentiment/resources from genuinely open protocols & projects for the web. Now those networks are gone, they're hard to get back.

The good news is that Matrix is technically good enough to win, so I hope they do.

Why have Signal Protocol chosen now to open the license up a little? Well, I can't help but wonder if it's because Olm is finally ready, done and merging for public release.

I meant that the GPL as a license can be used to gag others while keeping a positive image as a person yourself. There are many licenses that can be used like this (the CDDL in particular was used for that purpose). That in itself has nothing to do with the GPL, more that you as a copyright holder have the ability to do things that are not available for others.

* Olm isn't a replacement for 'Signal protocol' - it's just an independent (Apache license) implementation of the same 'double ratchet' cryptographic ratchet that Signal protocol uses under the hood for generating message keys.

* Megolm provides the higher layer semantics for using Olm for group conversations in Matrix, and diverges significantly from Signal Protocol as far as I know.

* There's already an experimental FDroid ready build of Vector Android (following the HN discussion on Friday) at https://matrix.org/jenkins/job/VectorAndroidDevelop/lastSucc... - feedback welcome on just how badly the polling-based push mechanism performs on your hardware & network. We're looking at alternative push mechanisms like microG - or just using a more efficient push transport for Matrix to provide notifs.

The GPL is a very good license, because it has one benefit that almost all other licenses don't: it restricts use of your code to free software. If you care about software freedom, or want to live in a world where proprietary software is a thing of the past, then that should be reason enough to use it. Positive image is not a clause in the GPL, so I really don't know what you mean.