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Signal AMA on Reddit

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61–70 of 84 posts

Re: Signal AMA on Reddit

#61

Q: "Is there any plans to make user ID system, so that we can add friends without knowing the phone numbers?" A: Yes, we're working on it.

Haven't Signal been saying that for something like three years now?

Someone recently posted a code snippet where it was in a new release. They also said this year which is a change from the past.

Re: Signal AMA on Reddit

#63
post #55
post #50

I'm a bit worried that the CEO is so vehemently against federation [0]: > It is unlikely that we will ever federate with any servers outside of our control again, it makes changes really difficult. I think as long as there is no federation there will always be the "benevolent dictator" situation, which often doesn't end up well in the long run. At the same time, I'm sure that I couldn't convince my non-tech friends t…

One reason which I chose Matrix over Signal, other than being forced fo tie my identify to a phone number and depend on a smartphone for receiving mesaages.

Same. There's also the fact that Signal never really convinced me that it's better than Matrix.

Though if I compare Matrix and Keybase, there's a clear winner in terms of UX and depth of features. I will be missing that but there's no indication Matrix or Signal will reach feature parity before it's replaced. (A new messaging protocol and no isolated subservers with their own chat rooms? Really? This is why people are switching to Discord in increasing numbers)

Re: Signal AMA on Reddit

#64
post #57
post #49

Why do Signal releases contain an expiration time bomb? That is, why is the user forced to update in order to use the application, even if no critical security issues arose? The passage of time is not a good excuse for a mandatory update.

> That is, why is the user forced to update in order to use the application, even if no critical security issues arose? Because they’re adding new features, both security improvements and user‐facing sugar. Moxie’s thoughts on this are well‐known: he believes he can build a better and more secure messenger by keeping deployed clients as closely aligned as possible. Even if you disagree (and plenty of people disagree,…

So when Signal decides to stop supporting your device, you're left with no choice but to get a new one.

So there's no point in auditing a Signal release.

So as Signal becomes more and more disagreeable (something that's bound to happen with any actively changing software), you're forced to take it or leave it.

It's a trap.

I am a user of Signal, and have been using it for a number of years now, but this concern remains.

Re: Signal AMA on Reddit

#65
post #50

I'm a bit worried that the CEO is so vehemently against federation [0]: > It is unlikely that we will ever federate with any servers outside of our control again, it makes changes really difficult. I think as long as there is no federation there will always be the "benevolent dictator" situation, which often doesn't end up well in the long run. At the same time, I'm sure that I couldn't convince my non-tech friends t…

Honest question, I'm not a distributed person. Why can't someone turn Signal federated? Wouldn't the centralized server just be a different server? Sure, you'd need to roll a custom app but plenty of people do that. I constantly see people here complaining about it not being federated, but the server is open sourced, so what's the issue? Side note: isn't it good to be centralized while the app is quickly rolling out…

> Why can't someone turn Signal federated? Wouldn't the centralized server just be a different server?

The source code is all public and freely licensed, client and server. Anyone could pick it up, turn it federated, and run it. But it’s unlikely Signal would choose to federate with any other servers.

> Side note: isn't it good to be centralized while the app is quickly rolling out new features? Then a switch to federation

It’s pretty clear from Moxie’s words on the topic that he has no desire to federate Signal in the future. He’s solidly convinced that the agility necessary to build a userbase on top of a secure messenger will be lost if he has to spend resources bringing the rest of the ecosystem in line with new developments.

Re: Signal AMA on Reddit

#66
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honest question, I'm not a distributed person. Why can't someone turn Signal federated? Wouldn't the centralized server just be a different server? Sure, you'd need to roll a custom app but plenty of people do that. I constantly see people here complaining about it not being federated, but the server is open sourced, so what's the issue? Side note: isn't it good to be centralized while the app is quickly rolling out…

> Why can't someone turn Signal federated? Wouldn't the centralized server just be a different server? The source code is all public and freely licensed, client and server. Anyone could pick it up, turn it federated, and run it. But it’s unlikely Signal would choose to federate with any other servers. > Side note: isn't it good to be centralized while the app is quickly rolling out new features? Then a switch to fede…

> But it’s unlikely Signal would choose to federate with any other servers.

Could you communicate with both the federated version and the centralized version? If so, I don't see the issue. If not, why?

Re: Signal AMA on Reddit

#67
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it will be, we will switch again as done with WhatsApp. What’s problem? They have invested years giving it for free, now the ask the price (data) and users go away.

WhatsApp proves that switching away from an unfavorable service is not as easy as you think. It is still essential in many countries, and many users, including myself, are unable to switch. This is why companies first offer a product for free to gain a user base, and only then think about monetization.

It also proves that it will never be easy and the choice is just move away or suck it up. I decided just to move away. Like I did with Fb and Insta. If needed I will do that again - away from Signal.

Re: Signal AMA on Reddit

#68
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why can't someone turn Signal federated? Wouldn't the centralized server just be a different server? The source code is all public and freely licensed, client and server. Anyone could pick it up, turn it federated, and run it. But it’s unlikely Signal would choose to federate with any other servers. > Side note: isn't it good to be centralized while the app is quickly rolling out new features? Then a switch to fede…

> But it’s unlikely Signal would choose to federate with any other servers. Could you communicate with both the federated version and the centralized version? If so, I don't see the issue. If not, why?

How would you start a chat with someone on the central server if the central server refuses any communication with the federation you're on?

Re: Signal AMA on Reddit

#69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But it’s unlikely Signal would choose to federate with any other servers. Could you communicate with both the federated version and the centralized version? If so, I don't see the issue. If not, why?

How would you start a chat with someone on the central server if the central server refuses any communication with the federation you're on?

I guess there's something I'm missing here. I understand it is phone -> Signal server -> other phone. So don't you only need to know how to talk to the Signal server? Which should be in the OS app? So your app would just need to know which server to communicate with the right person. People that are on the Signal server get contacted through the Signal server. People on a federated server get communications passed through there.

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question. I'm really curious but I don't know much about this space. What is Signal doing that restricts you from talking to it?

Re: Signal AMA on Reddit

#70
post #27

All, Signal is a 501c3 nonprofit. Your company probably matches donations. If they don't, they are eligible to be added to your company's portal. I encourage you to throw some of your wealth their way and take the extra step to get matching. This is important.

Great call to action. With other nonprofits I would immediately agree, matching is important. Is Signal in more need than other nonprofits, though? I imagine they’re still sitting on some of the $40 million the Signal Foundation got from Brian Acton, former WhatApp CEO.
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