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Bitchat for Gaza – messaging without internet

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Re: Bitchat for Gaza – messaging without internet

#171

Post by wk_end »

YZF wrote: post #151
jeromegv wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is entirely false, the typical propaganda narative that all is fine in Gaza and they are just faking it. All hospitals and universities have been bombed. All foreign doctors that went to Gaza and went out (about the only people allowed in Gaza because journalists are prevented by Israel) have talked of the absolute destruction and lack of medical supplies. All neighbourhoods look absolutely destroyed. Most build…

[flagged]

I very genuinely - in the interest of consuming a diverse set of inputs! - would love to see some sources that persuasively, with evidence, can demonstrate a vision of the ground in Gaza that runs counter to what seems absolutely obvious to everyone following the war.

A world of luxury cars, high-end iPhones, relaxing afternoons spent in cafés on street corners? After two years of relentless bombing, a near-total blockade on supplies, and on and on? It seems so absurd at this point it doesn't even pass as propaganda. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Re: Bitchat for Gaza – messaging without internet

#172

Post by nickff »

berdario wrote: post #160
praptak wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even in Ukraine it's quite possible to code. I worked at Google with people who stayed in Ukraine after Russia started the war. I can't say they were unaffected - there was stuff like meetings interrupted by missile alerts - but they managed to do normal work despite the ongoing war.

40% of the bombing victims in Gaza are under 10 years old https://msf.org.uk/article/gaza-msf-survey-shows-almost-half... Comparing it to the war in Ukraine ("Even in Ukraine") isn't really helpful or informative, to understand the condition under which Palestinians are surviving.

The website you linked to specifies a subtly different thing from what you’re asserting:

>”Forty-eight percent of the people who died from blast injuries among our colleagues' households were children and 40 percent were under 10 years old.”

That is quite different from saying that “ 40% of the bombing victims in Gaza are under 10 years old”.

Re: Bitchat for Gaza – messaging without internet

#173

Post by BeetleB »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #156
HumblyTossed wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is an external problem to the bitchat app.

> That is an external problem to the bitchat app Not really. If it becomes a tool of terrorist communication, it will get shut down. Legally, technically and/or kinetically.

> If it becomes a tool of terrorist communication, it will get shut down.

You mean like how they shut down cell phone networks?

Re: Bitchat for Gaza – messaging without internet

#174

Post by garbagecoder »

shevy-java wrote: post #91

I imagine Gaza may currently be one of the most difficult environments to write software code in. I happily admit that I would not be able to be productive in such an environment - my environment here in Europe is really quite sheltered (guess this also depends on where one lives; areas close to Russia may not feel as comfortable as in central Europe or Western Europe). The only distraction I have here is youtube mus…

>I imagine Gaza may currently be one of the most difficult environments to write software code in.

That you think this says a lot about our news environment. I can think of a dozen places in Africa.

Re: Bitchat for Gaza – messaging without internet

#175

Post by nikkwong »

almog wrote: post #49

Other than the cold start problem which isn't discussed (what's the userbase size in Gaza?), the main argument for Bitchat (or any other off-grid network such as Meshtastic, Briar, etc.) in Gaza when mainstream E2E encrypted messaging apps already exist and are widely used, is to not be dependent on Israel for cell service. While I do really like the idea of off-grid networks in general but for this use case, is it r…

I feel like the idea here is cute; but does it realistically work at scale? Of course, a messaging app like this—if it's going to work anywhere, is going to work in Gaza, one of the (at least formerly) most densely populated areas in the world. But bluetooth was not designed for this type of communication whatsoever; phones can only establish bluetooth connections between devices at the very most 100ft under the most ideal conditions; and is probably much lower than that in practice.

Even if people are living in open-air conditions I can imagine messages getting stuck or being delivered very late; especially at night when there may not be a lot of human movement. How well does this actually work in practice?

Re: Bitchat for Gaza – messaging without internet

#176

Post by 64756salad638 »

ryanisnan wrote: post #9

What an awesome piece of technology. I've been wanting to create something similar, just on the technical merits. We have some pretty amazingly capable technology these days, but so much of it relies on IP infrastructure, which is fine when things work and you are either aligned with your government, or live in a society where there are strong checks and balances on government overreach.

The thing that I really like about the approach taken by OP is that it AFAIK is broadcast-only, up to a certain radius. The hard part in mesh networking is routing, and broadcast sidesteps that

Re: Bitchat for Gaza – messaging without internet

#177

Post by FrameworkFred »

leosanchez wrote: post #23

Read it as bitch-at the first time :(

Same. I once registered bithole.com because I wanted a better email address then what I had at yahoo.com...and I realized my mistake as I was typing it on my resume. This feels like a similar mistake.

Re: Bitchat for Gaza – messaging without internet

#180

Post by nxor »

garbagecoder wrote: post #174
shevy-java wrote: post #91

I imagine Gaza may currently be one of the most difficult environments to write software code in. I happily admit that I would not be able to be productive in such an environment - my environment here in Europe is really quite sheltered (guess this also depends on where one lives; areas close to Russia may not feel as comfortable as in central Europe or Western Europe). The only distraction I have here is youtube mus…

>I imagine Gaza may currently be one of the most difficult environments to write software code in. That you think this says a lot about our news environment. I can think of a dozen places in Africa.

Burundi has entered the chat. Strange you're getting downvoted.
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