Poll: Switching from WhatsApp • Hacker News Board

Re: Poll: Switching from WhatsApp

#441

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Jan 07, 2021, 2:59 PM UTC

ValentineC wrote: post #235

dustinmoris wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You uninstall WhatsApp and tell your closest family and friends that they can only reach you on Signal. Because you are so important to them, they will install Signal as a backup/secondary app. Other people will do the same, and it will snowball into everyone having Signal installed and at some point people will realise that the network effect is gone.

> You uninstall WhatsApp and tell your closest family and friends that they can only reach you on Signal. Because you are so important to them, they will install Signal as a backup/secondary app. I'll be the one friend that'll insist on SMS/email. I’ll even offer to use some other supposedly encrypted method like Keybase or Matrix. If that doesn't work as a fallback, then I guess we can agree to disagree, and someone…

[deleted]

Re: Poll: Switching from WhatsApp

#442

Post by jmnicolas » Thu, Jan 07, 2021, 2:59 PM UTC

segmondy wrote: post #389

It's not about the app, it's about the network. I can easily switch an app. The 100+ people I would reach don't have any of those apps, a few have Signal. If I tried to get them to switch, they will state exactly the reason I just did. The network is strong.

You can have have more than one chat apps.

People that cared to chat with me installed Signal on their phones but still use whatsapp for their other contacts.

Re: Poll: Switching from WhatsApp

#443

Post by shafyy » Thu, Jan 07, 2021, 3:00 PM UTC

Maybe a dumb question, but: If we all switch to Signal, then again one entity will have the power, right? As far as I understand it their protocol is not open in the sense that we can build custom clients and servers still interact with others on other servers (Like Matrix, or Email, or Mastodon)?

Re: Poll: Switching from WhatsApp

#444

Post by KitDuncan » Thu, Jan 07, 2021, 3:00 PM UTC

chrismatheson wrote: post #397

rglullis wrote: post #228

From the listed alternatives, only Matrix is the one that actually solves the issue of not having to trust our communications to any single monopolistic entity. You could add XMPP there as well, but it really doesn't matter. What does matter is for us to start pushing for openness and start evangelizing/helping others to adopt anything that puts us back in control of our communication. This is the one thing to fix, a…

will https://communick.com run / configure the various bridges? setting up my own home server for matrix with bridges to existing services (inc WhatsApp) has been on my list for a while. Seems like a nice way to try and migrate slowly away from other services, and if it works well I can show my friends in a sort of like "look this is how ive done it"

Don't know about communick, but this https://github.com/spantaleev/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy is super easy to setup and supports all the bridges I ever needed.

Re: Poll: Switching from WhatsApp

#445

Post by zakember » Thu, Jan 07, 2021, 3:01 PM UTC

aceelric wrote: post #11

polote wrote: post #8

What's next ? What happens when Signal is bought by Microsoft and Discord is bought by Google ?

Signal can't be bought. They're a non-profit org

If that can't happen, companies are better off forking Signal's code and making their own variant.

Re: Poll: Switching from WhatsApp

#446

Post by pmlnr » Thu, Jan 07, 2021, 3:01 PM UTC

Could you please add XMPP to the list? Just in case. I run a Prosody server, and it's surprisingly pleasant with Conversations on Android.

Re: Poll: Switching from WhatsApp

#447

Post by lwhi » Thu, Jan 07, 2021, 3:02 PM UTC

apexalpha wrote: post #155

Where is the "Don't switch" option? Because as much as I hate that Facebook bought them, they're part of what I would call "critical social infrastructure." Asking to leave WhatsApp is like cancelling your contract with your ISP and going offline just because you don't like the company.

Maybe we should be closing FB accounts instead.

Re: Poll: Switching from WhatsApp

#448

Post by jimbokun » Thu, Jan 07, 2021, 3:03 PM UTC

raziel2p wrote: post #339

incrudible wrote: post #323

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like to think the problem is that "the nerds" have failed the rest of the people. People used to listen to us about computer stuff. Then computers became usable without us. Then smartphones arrived. We gladly were relieved of our obligations, but also of our influence. It's too late to go back. People are already used to the trade-offs, convenience rules above all. People may be "sort of concerned" about privacy, b…

Eh, it's not like "the nerds" can build a better product in terms of UX anyway, and definitely can't market it better. Besides, who says "the nerds" are trustworthy anyway? They keep arguing among each other about which operating system or programming language is best, and why should we take their advice when software security vulnerabilities keep being discovered? Not disagreeing with your point - it's become too ea…

> Eh, it's not like "the nerds" can build a better product in terms of UX anyway, and definitely can't market it better.

Um, the original WhatsApp company was pretty much run by nerds, I thought, who made a product with UX so good they organically built a user base so large that FaceBook paid $16 billion for the company?

Re: Poll: Switching from WhatsApp

#449

Post by JshWright » Thu, Jan 07, 2021, 3:03 PM UTC

hoorayimhelping wrote: post #314

JshWright wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also missing a "I'm not switching because I've never needed to use WhatsApp" option. My social circle has been on Signal for years and WhatsApp never caught on.

Nobody cares that you and your crew are using a WhatsApp alternative, which is why there's no option for you to signal that you're using an alternative. This is for people who want to switch and are looking for suggestions, not for people who are trying to show off that they don't need to switch.

I wouldn't say we're using a WhatsApp alternative, I'd say we never bothered switching to a Signal alternative (which still seems like useful information to someone looking to switch away from WhatsApp).

Sorry that I seem to offended you. That certainly wasn't my intent.

Re: Poll: Switching from WhatsApp

#450

Post by pqb » Thu, Jan 07, 2021, 3:03 PM UTC

Lazare wrote: post #56

Telegram is a great IM experience . The client is good, feature set is good, the stickers are amusing (if you're into that kind of thing), the feature set is complete and everything is polished. Telegram is, I think, going to be one of the easier sells if you're trying to convince non-technical users to switch from WhatsApp or FB Messenger. The privacy, security, and governance story is not great though. If you care…

Relating Telegram, it is worth to read one of the latest Durov post [0] about the possible future of the Telegram becoming used as a construct of a social platform.

[0]: https://t.me/s/durov/142