Live data from Hacker News

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

twitter.com

441–450 of 988 posts

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

#441

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's basically (IRC + XMMP) 2.0.

... but in which typical client sessions look like Slack sessions, and the clients are typically heavy and slow and you would not enjoy running them on weak hardware :-(

There are a number of different clients to choose from, including web-based, electron-based, native, terminal: https://matrix.org/clients/

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

#442
post #390

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've thought CBDCs ensure the opposite? Currently if you have an uninsured account at a bank, and the bank goes bankrupt, your money is gone. With CBDCs it seems to me that the money is truly yours instead of in a currency pegged to the fiat but that can always break.

I live in US and we have had FDIC as long as I remember. I'm not even sure there is such a thing as "uninsured account" in US, or if there are, why would anyone use such a bank. https://www.fdic.gov/ It's a simple equation to grok: if utility X is only available in a digitized form on a controlled and centralized platform, then that utility is subject to central controls. And as we see, these control mechanisms will…

I guess it all depends on how it's implemented and what the censorship policy is. If it's implemented with a "everyone, including the homeless, felons and racists gets access" mindset then there isn't much concern. If it's implemented with a "having access is a privilege not a right" mindset, it's different.

USPS has to service everyone, even those where they don't make any money with. If this FDIC thing is more like the USPS, your concerns would be unfounded.

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

#443

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I concur. But if we have a platform that is actually suitable for the community to work on, we can get to that point. Much like Ubuntu made desktop Linux a viable prospect for many people, after being enabled by Debian, I could see a future libre smartphone being enabled by the work done on PinePhone.

Well maybe, but even Ubuntu / Debian aren't workable for most people. I've used Linux and FreeBSD since the 90s and I'm still pleasantly surprised when my printer works out of the box. They're great for developers, but they've been unable to provide a usable and simple alternative for most people. Imo, partly because a lack of incentives since developers tend to create for themselves. Partly due to fragmentation lead…

Actually Ubuntu is not less usable than Windows 10. Ex on intel NUC - wifi on Ubuntu : out of box - wifi on windows : plug ethernet, install driver manually. Old printers works better on Linux, eg when driver do not work on windows 10. Libre Office outof box, Office : where is my key ? ...

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

#444

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The first sentence is about Element. The second sentence is about matrix.org

It seems to me that it is the other way round, isn't it? Although having matrix.org be an Element client is extremely confusing. If "matrix.org" is moderated it would seem that the whole protocol is moderated (and thus, not a neutral carrier).

Matrix.org is just one server deployment that implements the matrix protocol. You can deploy your own server or even your own implementation, and moderate it how you want. It has nothing to do with element. The apology is apt, as just like a browser speaks http, element speaks matrix.

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

#445
post #407

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not necessarily, I run a non-federated synapse (matrix protocol) server for intranet type use. It's in an environment where it has no connection to the wider internet at all. The default matrix.org servers are federated. In terms of what the default Element install presents to the user upon launch in its GUI, I think it does offer the 'official' matrix.org servers as a place to create an account and sign in, start br…

Your users still benefit from less centralization. The main matrix.org instance might ban them for whatever reason, but their access to your internal server is not touched. It's different if all of you used Signal or Discord and their account got banned e.g. for using an alternative client.

Signal is open source you can run your own non-federated signal server. You can use a custom signal client against the federated network too.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7vq4k/thousands-of-users-un...

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

#446

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I will bite: Firefox, the one that cares about privacy and open standards, even if it has a lot of income coming from a search bar deal with Google.

...and doesn't care about deplatforming. "We need more than deplatforming" https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2021/01/08/we-need-more-than-d...

The title of the article is bad, but the actual suggestions for action against extremism are quite good.

We do need research to fix social media, and we do need transparency.

Firefox is generally good; they have some identity politics, but it hasn't taken over their ethos.

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

#447

Why, when an app is "suspended", Play Store shows 404 as if it never existed? Can't Google display the app page with some status banner and a reason for suspension while disabling install button, or allow installing last known "approved" version?

Of course they can. They don't want to.

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

#448
post #3

So we got notified by the developer console at 21:45 UTC that the app had been suspended, but still haven’t had an email to explain why - it’s 02:24 now. Our assumption that this is due to someone reporting abusive content in Matrix to Google, and Element catching the blame — although this is currently speculation. To be clear: Element is a Matrix client just as Chrome is a Web browser, and just as it’s possible to v…

I'm testing Element and Matrix at American Airlines. There are big players with clout that take issue to instability such as this. How can I rely on my company using Element when it gets pulled? Not cool Google... To the element team, reach out to me if you can't get the support you are looking for.

This comment alone should be reason enough for the company behind Element to sue Google.

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

#450

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.

It is not meaningless, but agreed not something for mass use yet. Similarly like 30-40 years ago with personal computing, now also geeks start the paradigm shift into privacy-aware computing.
Post reply on HN