• @whitecapstromgard@sh.itjust.works
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    382 years ago

    Telegram is a suprisingly good app.

    • Open source clients
    • Decent Linux client on the laptop (whatsapp desktop is just terrible)
    • It can be downloaded without Google’s appstore.

    I wish other apps were half as good as Telegram.

    • @smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.de
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      172 years ago

      Telegram has the best clients ever. But those clients need to connect to something and this is where we encounter a big problem.

      • Virkkunen
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        42 years ago

        But isn’t that the whole point of a messaging service? Connect to something else that’s not local and have your messages exchanged?

        • @Muehe@lemmy.ml
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          152 years ago

          I think smileyhead is alluding to the fact that Telegram servers are not open source, just the clients are.

          • @smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.de
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            32 years ago

            Not open source, centralized servers that store messages mostly without E2EE. By using Telegram we are locking ourself in situation where they can turn the knobs as they like, while we can’t do anything about it.

          • ඞmir
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            22 years ago

            Why would it matter if the servers are open source? How would you ever verify they are running the exact build they claim they are?

            • @Muehe@lemmy.ml
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              32 years ago

              It’s not about what build they are running. It matters because somebody just glancing at it might misinterpret the situation as “Telegram is open source”, but it actually isn’t because the server isn’t. Just some clients are, which is pretty useless if you can’t run a server to talk to them. Just for arguments sake, let’s say Telegram gets busted tomorrow in an international sting operation and all their servers get taken offline. The clients will be entirely useless at that point, somebody would have to reverse engineer the server.

            • TheEntity
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              32 years ago

              I’d like to at the very least be able to run my own server. Not even necessarily federated with the original ones. Just run my own instance if I don’t trust the main one runs what they claim.

            • @Muehe@lemmy.ml
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              22 years ago

              That’s kind of an apples an oranges comparison, WhatsApp doesn’t even try to present a facade of being open source. Telegram does, betting that the distinction between server and client code will go over most peoples heads, which it probably does to be honest.

              • @whitecapstromgard@sh.itjust.works
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                2 years ago

                There are two realistic alternatives with hundreds of millions of users. Whatsapp has a closed source client, Telegram has an open source one. The choice for me is easy.

                • @Muehe@lemmy.ml
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                  02 years ago

                  That sounds like a false dichotomy and I’m not sure why you even think the number of users is relevant. Why not choose something fully open source?

    • Clot
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      11 year ago

      yeah it is too good for just to be called a messaging app, hope it will be more privacy focused

    • @axo@feddit.de
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      12 years ago

      Well, thats also easy since telegram clients dont do much more than displaying messages stored on a server. Its more a viewer than a full client.

      And that compromises hard on privacy and security, which Signal and Whatsapp dont do, they have proper Clients that have to really handle and store incoming messages. And the E2EE makes it harder, developing an independent desktop client, like Signal always had and Whatsapp recently got. But both are mediocre at best, sure.

  • Engywook
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    352 years ago

    The shitty forced “stories” did me question seriously this once wonderful app. If I’d want to look at crappy TikTok-like shorts from other people, I’d be on TikTok.

  • No_
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    42 years ago

    Uninstalled and moved to signal. But no one I know is on signal 🤡

    • Engywook
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      82 years ago

      Why there is always the guy that tell others what to do? People should use what’s best for them, be it IM apps, browser, OS, whatever.

      • Virkkunen
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        62 years ago

        These people also don’t live in the real world. “Hey buddy, I know all your friends are using this chat service, but just stop using it and move to this barebones, extensively complex to setup service and everyone will follow suit, trust me”

        • @bloubz@lemmygrad.ml
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          2 years ago

          Well you can start using Matrix and still talk to your contacts on all centralized platforms via Matrix bridges so it’s really easy to move to that. You will at least remove mobile apps trackers from your life and already start gaining extra privacy for every contact that does move to Matrix afterwards

          Also, it’s not at all complex to start using, like all things you download an app and create an account (I can suggest Element or Beeper)

      • @bloubz@lemmygrad.ml
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        12 years ago

        Because you’re on Lemmy and people here care about privacy, so my comment was a reminder and an advice, not a rule. You do you

        • Engywook
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          02 years ago

          If they already care about privacy, they don’t need your reminders/advice (or they don’t care). Recommending/“reminding” what to use/avoid, without even being asked, is both arrogant and annoying.

          • @bloubz@lemmygrad.ml
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            22 years ago

            I learnt about all of that here on Lemmy. I think it’s beneficial to talk on a social media platform, and have discussions

      • @bloubz@lemmygrad.ml
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        22 years ago

        It’s centralized. And like all US based companies they have to conply to Patriot Act and Cloud Act, meaning US government agencies have everything not encrypted (dynamic map of all messages and social links).

        Plus Signal has been founded by the CIA organisms (indirectly), it’s really shady

      • @MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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        12 years ago

        Session is the only one that comes to mind but they did such an overkill when it comes to privacy and security application is downright unusable.

    • @totallynotfbi@lemm.ee
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      12 years ago

      This week, TON Foundation announced that it’s forged a partnership with Tencent Cloud, which has “already successfully supported TON validators and plans to expand its services further to help meet TON’s high compute intensity and network bandwidth needs.” Validators, in web3 lingo, are participants that help authenticate transactions in a blockchain network.

      It looks like the partnership with Tencent only extends to their Web3 blockchain thing, and there doesn’t seem to be any partnership in the main app so it’s not the end of the world - at least, for now.

      Also, what even is this TON blockchain? I never knew Telegram had anything to do with crypto :/