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Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

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Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#601

Post by drchaos »

mrighele wrote: post #440
Santosh83 wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HSTS preloading blacklists may at some future point, block PWA as well. The real problem is indeed how much power society has given these corps. It's time to take back some power or we will never be able to.

Even easier, the website used by the PWA can end up on the blacklist of Google Safe Browsing [1] [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25802366

In the medium/long term, this would just train people to ignore those popups. Or to use a patched browser.

There is simply no way to suppress content as long as there's enough demand. Somebody's always going to find a way to deliver. That's even true for really illegal stuff like drugs, copyright infringement or child abuse material, but so much more for content which is legal.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#602

Post by sigwinch28 »

alfyboy wrote: post #590
ulzeraj wrote: post #510

Ironically this move finally made me to consider Matrix. I'm thinking about spinning a server on a non FAANG provider like Vultr or Linode and setting IM services bridges from there. Nowadays I use lots of different communicators to talk to different people and most of these apps track me. If I setup a Matrix server somewhere that allows me to use those networks without having their software installed on my devices t…

I'm in the process of setting up a Matrix homeserver myself. It seems like there are some missing features. From their github: > Is Dendrite stable? Mostly, although there are still bugs and missing features. If you are a confident power user and you are happy to spend some time debugging things when they go wrong, then please try out Dendrite. If you are a community, organisation or business that demands stability a…

Use Synapse.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#603

Post by someonehere »

So what happens if people start flagging Google chat products as abusive? Will Google pull its own apps? Probably a big fat no.

I was so close to proposing moving off of Slack and onto something like Element/Matrix. Unfortunately this will be a harder sell to my management considering Google or Apple can just shut down any chat client businesses use.

This is ridiculous.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#604

Post by jacquesm »

toyg wrote: post #544
mkl95 wrote: post #315

Within a day, Google have removed 100k Robinhood reviews and suspended this application. I wonder if these arbitrary actions will become a daily thing soon.

They already have been, since the very first day of the Apple AppStore (and hence its copycat Play Store). But they typically hit smaller developers with no recourse. Occasionally they hit the “wrong” crowd and shit flies for a few days, until some bigwig goes “okay, I guess these particular cats deserve a pass, just approve and move on.” Google and Apple stores are like nightclub bouncers. If they don’t like you, yo…

Some normies simply don't like going to those particular nightclubs because it makes the owners even more powerful and puts money in their pockets.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#605

Post by poisonborz »

oji0hub wrote: post #415
unethical_ban wrote: post #399

Don't forget that F-Droid is a thing, and Android still has at least that much freedom - to install your own software. Who would have thought 30 years ago someone would be saying "People can run any code they want on their computer" as a shocking thing.

Installing software outside of play store is technically possible, but if something contains enough hurdles, most people won't do it, which results in no users and a meaningless platform.

The same was said of purchasing stock options.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#606

Post by neop1x »

GordonS wrote: post #558
grishka wrote: post #525

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> there doesn't seem to be a way for alternative app stores to silently update software Yes — because that's something reserved for privileged system apps. You have to root your device to take advantage of that, or make a custom ROM with the alternative store in it. Having that ability as a permission you could grant to any app is an immense security risk. But then there are "device administrator" apps that can liter…

If you root your device, doesn't that mean you will no longer be able receive Android OS software updates from the phone manufacturer? > Unpopular opinion: well-made software that serves its user doesn't need to be updated very often. Remember how you bought a program on a CD and used the exact same build for years? Sure, I'm even old enough to remember this but on cassettes and floppy disks! But - software now is mu…

> If you root your device, doesn't that mean you will no longer be able receive Android OS software updates from the phone manufacturer?

It often means that. :( But it is not that bad for some devices. Geeks from Lineage community regurarly update closed vendor code in the LineageOS. So if you are lucky and Lineage is well-supported on your device, you can still have root nowadays with up-to-date vendor blobs.

For example I rooted my Xperia XZ2 Compact and I am quite happy with it. By using Magisk and Magisk Hide, I am still able to use Google Pay. At the same time, I can use Titanium Backup and f-droid root extension to let f-droid install updates automatically. I hope this device will last me for a long time as I don't see many alternatives - most other phones are too big for me, too old/slow or unsupported.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#607

Post by awwaiid »

oji0hub wrote: post #412
Shared404 wrote: post #379

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm optimistic that PinePhone may finally be the one to do it, at least to an extent that it's usable if you're willing to hack on it.

> usable if you're willing to hack on it Most people need things just work.

An important lesson from my openmoko days - "sorry I didn't get your call sweetie, see I needed a new video driver for my window manager animations so I recompiled my kernel and that broke the modem..." ....... turns out to not be a good excuse for missing significant-others calls on a regular basis!

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#608

Post by bogwog »

grishka wrote: post #458
oji0hub wrote: post #415

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Installing software outside of play store is technically possible, but if something contains enough hurdles, most people won't do it, which results in no users and a meaningless platform.

There aren't that many hurdles. 1. You download the apk 2. When you try to install it, it tells you it's from an unknown source and the installation was blocked to protect you 3. You tap "settings" and flip a switch to allow installing apps from your browser 4. You go back and tap "install". That's it. It's done. And you won't need to go to the settings the next time, it'll just work.

99% of consumers will stop at step 2. 80% won't have the technical skills to make it past step 1.

But even if 99% of people could figure it out, it'd still be an unnecessary hurdle whose only purpose is to provide Google with an unfair competitive advantage.

Until all of that bs goes away, side-loading and secondary app stores will be nothing more than a hobby for enthusiasts.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#609

Post by ptero »

ttt0 wrote: post #538
ainar-g wrote: post #528

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As long as Chrome is not the default in the overwhelming amount of the operating systems, this might even stay like this, which is why I'm extremely unhappy that Android ships with Chrome these days and not with a thin gui on top of the system webview, like it used to. That is also why I was rather sad when Microsoft announced that they won't develop their own browser engines any more. I disliked IE as much as anyb…

> With Edge switching to Blink, essentially becoming yet another partially-degooged Chrome Now it sends half of your data to Google and the other half to Microsoft. That's an improvement, they decentralized spyware.

Its 75% each way. And they will for many years work to reduce spying by lowering this percentage, to 50% in the asymptotic case.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#610

Post by XorNot »

waheoo wrote: post #588
geofft wrote: post #570

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me get this straight - you're saying "true libertarians" are people who decide to stop caring about advancing libertarian causes because someone else exercised their right of free speech, and now cheer for the loss of liberty of people they don't like?

No, I'm saying true libertarians have been getting ostracised by polite society for years now. I'm a massively left leaning libertarian, if it weren't for its consistently proven failures in practice I would be a commy. But here I am, over the years of commenting online I've been labeled a trump supporter, a Republican, alt right, white, male privileged, white privileged, racist, pseudo intellectual, biggoted, transp…

Aren't libertarians all about the absolute sanctity of private property over all other concerns?

How is a pro-business ideology remotely justifying government intervention in the practice and moderation decisions of a private company? Wouldn't the rectification involve the government specifically dictating their business behaviour?

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