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Which social media platforms are a good match for SailfishOS?

asked 2017-08-29 22:48:57 +0200

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updated 2017-08-30 09:53:22 +0200

jiit gravatar image

Thanks to Sailfish X, and to the Youyota tablet, it looks like some of us will soon get our hands on a SailfishOS + Dalvik device for the first time. This has started me thinking about what social media platforms would make a good match. I am thinking particularly of platforms that:

  • Work smoothly with SFOS (maybe with a native SFOS app?)
  • Fit in with the philosophy of not profiling/monetizing users, and respecting their privacy

Would some existing SFOS users be prepared to share their experiences and thoughts? I have looked in a superficial way at Wire and JoinDiaspora, and I would be very interested in hearing about how people have got on with them and also other similar platforms on their SFOS devices.

Personally, I am not interested in Facebook or Google stuff: my objections to them are what have kept me interested in SFOS for all this time.

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7

Tooter is a native client for mastodon, open source/distributed twitter-like platform

szopin ( 2017-08-29 23:13:26 +0200 )edit
1

i also found rambox as multimessanger quote interesting to watch. although i dont know if this works on a mobile platform. wire is supported, but for that - as it sounds quite nice - the question of.long term financing is still open. currently costs are covered by investors as far as i know...

kaktux ( 2017-08-29 23:16:56 +0200 )edit
5

xmpp and diaspora

juiceme ( 2017-08-30 07:40:51 +0200 )edit

@juiceme: xmpp is just the protocol, isn't it? I don't intend to do any development. What xmpp client(s) and services work well for you on SFOS? Jabber perhaps, or something else?

pakman ( 2017-08-30 11:21:21 +0200 )edit

The 4-Chan app Neliapila is a the best chan reader I have ever experienced. Have to open a browser to interact though

djhowls ( 2017-10-06 13:26:36 +0200 )edit

11 Answers

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6

answered 2017-08-30 18:04:33 +0200

BtPht gravatar image

updated 2017-08-31 15:29:25 +0200

I personally use Movim. I don't need an app since the web version is light enough for my Jolla1. The main advantage is that it works with a Jabber(xmpp) account so it is natively integrated in SFOS for the chat part. And of course this is a FOSS project which aims at providing good privacy.

It's not perfect since the XMPP library on SFOS is very limited but it does the job, and it keeps you out of the Facebook/Google system.

Next problem is to have all your mates adopting it.

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Thanks, nice tip, I'll take a closer look. As far as my mates are concerned, I'm quite happy to dig my heels in and tell them "no way" to FB/Google

pakman ( 2017-08-30 21:39:00 +0200 )edit

your diaspora-handle also works as jabber id, so you can use it with any client you want

DLQ ( 2017-09-17 05:01:06 +0200 )edit

A also use Movim. It works well in SailfishOS but crashes browser quite frequently.

Marzanna ( 2017-10-06 16:12:54 +0200 )edit

@Marzanna is it because of Movim itself ? If it's something you can reproduce you should report the problem. My browser is also crashing/closing sometimes but I think it's more because of a lack of memory than the website.

BtPht ( 2017-10-08 01:08:08 +0200 )edit

@BtPht it crashes randomly. There is no certain way to reproduce it :(

Marzanna ( 2017-10-08 01:38:52 +0200 )edit
5

answered 2017-08-31 08:20:09 +0200

Stefanix gravatar image

updated 2017-08-31 12:56:53 +0200

If you want to interact with "ordenary" people, there is not much of a choice. It is hard to get around WhatsApp. The goal should not be to introduce a new social media platform but to isolate clients of well known social media platforms well enough. One of my concerns is for example that such clients request to access all contacts. I expect SF OS to restrict the access of ALL apps to resources such as location and contacts selectively and log all their activities. For example I would allow only selected contacts to be seen by WhatsApp. Unfortunately SFOS is far away from providing such options.

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This is true, but I am a long-standing social media refusenik and getting an SFOS device doesn't mean suddenly changing my attitude about FB etc. For me, getting an SFOS device is an opportunity to try out privacy-respecting platforms with like-minded people. As far as non-like-minded people are concerned, nothing will change: I will still look like a refusenik to them :-)

Your point about WhatsApp is a good one: now that it is owned by FB I would only consider using it if I could control what data it uploads from my phone. Wire is a better choice IMHO

pakman ( 2017-08-31 13:36:26 +0200 )edit
1

Then You Do Not need one. I did try to convince my friends to Use threema : failed

Then i did try to convince Them to Use telegram as this is a bit more popular : failed

Now i Have to Use SMS for most and telegram for 4,5

The Rest is Using WhatsApp ONLY

So i am out of...

pawel ( 2017-09-03 07:43:14 +0200 )edit

@pawel same for me with skype and whatsapp... threema & telegram is a 100% failed ("what is that !?" no time to look at these...") :-(

cemoi71 ( 2017-10-06 13:20:38 +0200 )edit

find mastodon quite attractive and flexible. but don't have the live video for conference...

cemoi71 ( 2017-10-06 13:23:26 +0200 )edit

@cemoi

I had 4 contacts on threema And 20 where maybe 5 are active in telegram

I was able to convince 5 to also use telegram

That was it

pawel ( 2017-10-06 15:14:54 +0200 )edit
3

answered 2017-08-30 08:38:06 +0200

Diaspora doesn't currently have an API, so it does not have a mobile client for any OS either. The API is work in progress so it might be coming sooner, later or not at all.

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Akasha might be an alternative to Diaspora.

vattuvarg ( 2017-08-30 10:13:25 +0200 )edit

Friendica seems to be a better fit, then (has API, IIRC).

@vattvarg: Thanks for pointing to Akasha, but they seem to pursue slightly different functionality and it is a quite young project.

olf ( 2017-08-30 22:00:31 +0200 )edit
2

Actually, Diaspora now has an API called the federation protocol: https://diaspora.github.io/diaspora_federation/

It was published last month. Time to code!

jaacoppi ( 2017-09-05 13:20:16 +0200 )edit

It has a client for Android called Dandelion, which – given – is essentially the web view, plus some integration like sharing. No native SailfishOS app though.

Blizzz ( 2018-08-16 15:42:35 +0200 )edit
3

answered 2017-09-02 23:05:24 +0200

shellkr gravatar image

Tooter (https://github.com/dysk0/harbour-tooter/) is really good and fits exactly with the philosophy... It is both distributed and foss. Jolla would be able to have their own server connecting all users + to the wider fediverse.

Riot.im and Matrix is pretty obviously good picks too.

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Trying Tooter now.

vattuvarg ( 2018-08-14 18:33:36 +0200 )edit
2

answered 2018-08-13 19:55:55 +0200

szopin gravatar image

updated 2018-08-13 20:32:00 +0200

Maybe twister?
http://twister.net.co/
https://github.com/miguelfreitas/twister-core
twister is the fully decentralized P2P microblogging platform leveraging from the free software implementations of Bitcoin and BitTorrent protocols.

It's pretty interesting as a concept, utilises blockchain for user registration (pgp signatures?) and dht/torrent for content distribution (every user hosts their own torrent of posts). Blockchain should prevent anyone from being censored like YT/twitter or similar would/could do and torrent distribution... well MPAA and similar have tried to tackle this so far no success.

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2

answered 2018-08-13 21:14:45 +0200

Spark gravatar image

What about "Delta chat"? An app which is by definition open standard because it uses emails in a chat interface. I wrote about it [here].(https://together.jolla.com/question/186761/native-mail-chat-app-available-for-sailfish-os/).

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agreed. also it kills the "everyone is using whatsapp so,you can't interact on other solutions " argument - cause everyone has an email. downside for ne still is that functions are not the same. meaning voice and video calls to my.knowledge are not possible.

another interewring solution is matrix with its bridges rhat may bring together a goid portion of the messengers your pals use.

kaktux ( 2018-08-15 22:49:24 +0200 )edit
1

answered 2017-10-06 23:21:52 +0200

Lutwolf gravatar image

updated 2017-10-06 23:30:33 +0200

Fuzzillogic gravatar image

If it is more about messenger and less about social media, I'd like to mention Briar (briarproject.org) - decentralized (only device to device, no server inbetween except the ISPs), but you must meet physically to exchange contact data. So: an encrypted messaging service like Threema without a company between two endpoints.

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Not quite what I had in mind when I asked the question, but a really interesting approach all the same. Thanks for sharing, and I might make use of it. A native SFOS version would be very nice.

pakman ( 2017-10-07 01:25:33 +0200 )edit

is voice and video call possible with that? cizldnt find anything about it. but as the usual conparison would.be to whatsapp (funtions that is) this would be nice to know. i currently look at wore- although you can find some posts about security issues there and the financing for the future is unclear.

kaktux ( 2017-10-08 11:34:14 +0200 )edit
0

answered 2017-10-06 12:42:31 +0200

szopin gravatar image

https://www.scuttlebutt.nz/
with a matching maritime theme to boot

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0

answered 2017-10-08 01:59:21 +0200

joschobart gravatar image

I use libresignal from jolla store. It seems to be a stable apk, everything works smoothly and hasslefree. The maintainer seems still to be somewhat active, at least there are recent comments in the comment section in the store. I was even able to convince some real friends to join me on signal. Whatsapp and co. are a total no-go for me. No google services involved and libre software, can't complain at all!

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It's still a centralized service, run by a single company. You could run your own server afaik, but there is no federation between servers. Also, is there any multi-device support at all?

Fuzzillogic ( 2017-10-08 04:51:48 +0200 )edit

I agree it is a compromise, in a perfect world the ideal solution would win the race. Still peronally I've chosen to go down that route. Signal as an app is comfortable enough for people to be convinced to use it while the people behind it are somewhat trustworthy. Multi-device is no big deal for me, I try to use even signal as less as possible, basically to write friends abroad who don't have budget for proper telecommunications.

joschobart ( 2017-10-08 11:08:42 +0200 )edit
0

answered 2020-01-20 12:22:36 +0200

Ad_ gravatar image

Hello Jolla ( CC for the community)

Where is the Whatsapp alternative ?

For me, Sailfish is about privacy issues and breaking internet dominance by Google and Facebook. So I don’t wanna be sent to the Google Store and to Facebook for support.

I've been looking for days, weeks, month to find alternatives ... but not in the Google store and not on the territory of Facebook just because I don't want to be there.

I found KonTalk, Signal, Wire, Linphone, Jitsi, Tox, Movim or Ring? ...But nowhere tI see hat it works well on Sailfish OS While communication is the most important when using your phone….

So...I hope you are gonna offer this support after your five or six year Jolla battle. I hope Sailfisk didn’t change its vision? Or do you now focus on business and government as your most important customers, while we as citizens are increasingly less able to trust IT companies and our government?

Please show that you still have your ideals !! Please choose a simple whatsapp alternative and support this app on your platform, so I can communicate with SailfishOS, IOs en Android users, send Photo's and (small) video's … and that's all !!!

Regards, Ad van Kooten

Quote: "Ahoi Sailors, I'd really love to have a native Kontalk app for Sailfish. I have a few problems with the android version. For example emojis can't get selected anymore because the native keyboard overlays the emoji keyboard of Kontalk. I'd love to donate 100$ if someone is willing to do that. As far as I know this is the only real open source encrypted messenger Threema is closed source Whatsapp closed source Telegram closed source servers Signal closed source servers imho this is the only real solution for encrypted messaging. Happy Sailing Ray "
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@Ad_

There is no alternative 'Whatsapp' for SailfishOS.

Mitakuuluu (what's up?), is a Whatsapp clone, but Whatsapp blocked users who used it, so it is no more.

As I answered recently to another user, if you do end up using Whatsapp, then download it directly from Whatsapp, no Google Store/Play/etc required for that one.

https://www.whatsapp.com/android/

Spam Hunter ( 2020-01-20 13:17:01 +0200 )edit
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Asked: 2017-08-29 22:48:57 +0200

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Last updated: Jan 20 '20