Signal released a stand alone Desktop Client. What do you think about it? Will it run on the Pyra?


Askarus

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In case you are interested:
Some days ago the stand alone Signal Desktop client was released: https://signal.org/blog/standalone-signal-desktop/

So we now have an other alternative to Telegram supporting that feature.
I would prefer Signal over Telegram as it's more secure and open source.

Unfortunately they officially only support 64-bit Linux .deb packages.
I would be happy if someone with more knowledge than me could look at the git to check whether we will be able to run it on the Pyra and Pandora?
If it's a mayor reason for me not to use it.

Oh, and by the way, I don't mind some debates about Telegram vs. Signal as I'm interested in you opinion.;)
Lots of people here seem to prefer Telegram over Whatsapp despite Telegram's own heavily debated encryption.
So why do I never read about Signal here?
 
I would be happy if someone with more knowledge than me could look at the git to check whether we will be able to run it on the Pyra and Pandora?
If it's a mayor reason for me not to use it.
Wrong link? I was able to naviage to their github from there but they don't make it direct. I had to click on their 'raise an issue' link which they're hosting on github, then click through to their code page from there.

Looks straightforward enough, and I'll take your words for it when you say it should be easy to build on Pyra, but looking at the language stats, 96.9% Javascript? What hot new kind of hell is this?!?
 
Looks straightforward enough, and I'll take your words for it when you say it should be easy to build on Pyra, but looking at the language stats, 96.9% Javascript? What hot new kind of hell is this?!?

Isn't it made with this famous method "pack Chrome and webapp"? IMHO these applications for me are like saying "f.. you" to users and this will end locking them again in Prodigys, AOLs and CompuServes, this time with another names and more pixels. Not saying about wasting energy from running two RAM-hungry and CPU-hungry browsers, and this is important in battery-powered device.
 
@PCXT yes, just had a quick look at their github and it is an electron app, so bloat included.

Still I am glad that there is a signal desktop app at all
 
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bloat included, yes, but multiplatform... (VSCode is also atom based, so bloated, but handy and working easily on on the Pyra for example).
 
I have some peeps on telegram, that's why I use it. Nobody I know on signal.
As for underlying tech... I am sure there is a backdoor for the gov, on both the apps.
 
I would be a bit afraid using a security-oriented application which has such exaggerated runtime with so many places to hide backdoors, intentionally or not. Being multi-platform is not an excuse, After some modifications even Qt application may be multi-platform. I know about a large FE simulation environment in which a complete pre/post-processor was rewritten in Qt the way that it built on Windows and Linux without any change in sources (however, meshing library was not portable thanks to enormous amount of terrible Fortran hacks).

The backdoor for the gov is in hardware, it's more convenient and harder to detect there.
 
bloat included, yes, but multiplatform... (VSCode is also atom based, so bloated, but handy and working easily on on the Pyra for example).

Good to know :)

I would be a bit afraid using a security-oriented application which has such exaggerated runtime with so many places to hide backdoors, intentionally or not. Being multi-platform is not an excuse, After some modifications even Qt application may be multi-platform. I know about a large FE simulation environment in which a complete pre/post-processor was rewritten in Qt the way that it built on Windows and Linux without any change in sources (however, meshing library was not portable thanks to enormous amount of terrible Fortran hacks).

So is it better then to use Telegram?

Anyways I'd rather have a software with a backdoor, than one that collects extensively metadata like Whatsapp does.
 
Personally, I don't use both.
There is still a good software for encryption any data transmission, however it requires control over the computer which is not accessible for an average user trained at "IT lessons" how to click on websites (read: requires actions in command line, in any OS). The problem is again in education, instead of teaching how things work, the school/academic is focused on purely using things.
And although these solutions are used, they are used by small amount of IT-oriented people who know what they're doing.
 
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