asked 2014-10-17 12:59:47 +0200
It just came to my attention Mozilla is going to release a "Firefox Hello" service, which is a (video) call system based on WebRTC. Since communication is peer to peer, and can be used without subscribing to a service, this goes in the direction of keeping personal data and privacy in high regard.
Since the SailfishOs browser is based on Firefox, my hope is that this should be doable with a reasonable amount of investment.
answered 2015-01-19 01:40:04 +0200
Could this be implemented in a separate app instead -since jolla doesn't seem to be looking into this. And if yes would anyone be interested in developing such an app??
I suppose so, but as the browser is open source, it would be possible to do this even without Jolla actively helping. But as WebRTC support is getting better, I think eventually, even this could be possible.
The problem is that this is not a strategically important protocol to support for Jolla -- "normal" people use watsup or skype or whatever -- but it would be useful for the privacy conscious user Jolla claims to support.
We will see how things turn out.
mikelima ( 2015-01-20 15:52:35 +0200 )editI think webrtc needs to be compiled. After all this is the same engine with Firefox. I asked in the webrtc topic if anyone compiled the browser wit webrtc but got no answer.
For an app we need more than webrtc. We also need access to the way firefox handles user accounts etc. But ultimately i would prefer it integrated in the OS. Much better experience than 100 different apps.
ApB ( 2015-01-20 15:56:37 +0200 )editAsked: 2014-10-17 12:59:47 +0200
Seen: 1,071 times
Last updated: Jan 19 '15
Oh yes. Something like "sent call link" option in the messaging app.
We also need this so upvote please > https://together.jolla.com/question/32177/webrtc-support-in-sailfish-browser/
ApB ( 2014-10-17 13:24:15 +0200 )edit@ApB - I already voted for that feature some time ago, so no extra vote from me for that one! But you are right to point out the interdependency -- people, if you like this idea, make sure to vote for WebRTC support as well.
mikelima ( 2014-10-17 15:30:51 +0200 )editGod, no! Please keep all this privacy invading features - geo-location, access to video and microphone etc., - and other such things out of the browser. Let's not try to make the browser into a super-app platform that does everything ... That's what the OS is there for - make an app for everything else ...
sifartech ( 2015-01-20 00:52:22 +0200 )edit@sifatech, most of the webrtc functionality is already there, even if it is missing some parts needed to implement this. The hello service seems to actually be serverless, peer to peer, which is actually good for privacy. Sadly, there is little use for access to GPS, as your location is easy to obtain from your ISP, unless you are using some kind of proxy.
And I would be OK to use a separate application if needed, but it looks like the WebRTC infrastructure can actually be put to good use.
What would a good alternative be for you?
mikelima ( 2015-01-20 12:58:37 +0200 )edit@mikelima - Yes, what you say is true, and I do like the fact that it makes real time communication easier. But personally, I feel it very wrong that webRTC is being integrated into the browser. In that, I appreciate that Internet Explorer and Safari are not supporting this initiative (even if the reasons are for their own self-interest) and support them. That would also be the alternative approach I would suggest for the Jolla browser too - don't allow webRTC in the Jolla browser. Or a better, pragmatic approach might perhaps be to offer two browsers - a "lite" version that only parses HTML and runs Javascript and doesn't have geolocation, webRTC etc., and a "full" super-browser version that has support for all the new found technology. (P.S: The "Hello" service still uses a middle man - Mozilla & TokBox - that gets access to some personal data. More here - https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/privacy/firefox-hello/ ).
sifartech ( 2015-01-21 00:10:20 +0200 )edit