@joelanman Signal is centralized. Centralized services are vulnerable to enshittification, as demonstrated by Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook.

The solution is to use a #federated platform like #XMPP instead.

The easiest way is to use it is to install Quicksy from the Play Store, App Store, or F-Droid - https://quicksy.im

For more curious users, here's a guide to XMPP, with client, server, and public channel recommendations.
https://contrapunctus.codeberg.page/the-quick-and-easy-guide-to-xmpp.html

@contrapunctus @joelanman This is the whole problem with #XMPP. You say "Signal is centralized. Centralized services are vulnerable to enshittification, as demonstrated by Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook." Don't necessarily disagree with that. But then you say, "The solution is to use a #federated platform like #XMPP instead. Ask your contacts to install Quicksy from the Play Store, App Store, or F-Droid." And my response would be, "I've never heard of Quicksy. How do I know it's free of malware? How do I know if I can even use it?"

But THEN you put the cherry on top: "Here's a user-oriented guide to XMPP, with client, server, and channel recommendations."

WTF??? I don't need a "user-oriented guide" to install #Signal. Client, server, and channel recommendations? Why the f... do I need those? You seem to think I want to have to read a bunch of crap and then try to figure out how how to make sense of it. And I don't. Very few people do. I want something I can just install and that is easy and intuitive to use. Private and secure is also great (and Signal gives you that, for now), but I don't want to have to learn a bunch of geek stuff when there are solutions I can just install and have up and running in two to five minutes.

And that is how probably 99% of people feel. I use Linux and I STILL don't want to have to mess around with any of the available XMPP servers. Until the #XMPP proponents understand that, they are just spitting into the wind (and coming off as a little preachy in the process).

@uexo @contrapunctus @joelanman Not "whining" at all, what I am trying to get across is that if you go on Mastodon and or some other social platform and just try to tell people they should be using #xmpp you are going to get nowhere, and I'm sorry if that angers you but it's true. And whenever I say that the response is either "I have helped my friends/family set it up" (yeah, but you didn't make that offer for anyone who might have read your condescending post), or "just go install this piece of software" (that almost no one has ever heard of that that may not even be available for my platform). Neither of those would convince anyone outside of possibly your immediate circle of friends.

Just out of curiosity, where are the videos that show how to set up and use xmpp that are designed for a plain user that wants nothing to do with servers, configuration files, or any geeky stuff? Oh, and that does not just assume that the user is using a phone rather than a desktop computer)?

@maple Most users _are_ using phones rather than desktops. If you'd care to open the guide you'd see that I recommend Gajim on the desktop.

And I _have_ gotten very far doing what I've done. I organize local communities (for which I use XMPP), and I've onboarded almost a hundred non-geeks to XMPP. I have more experience in this matter than most. Speak for yourself.

@uexo @joelanman