CubeOfCheeseJun 24
Trey Hunner 🐍

A friend is building an app to help immigrants detained by ICE.

It's a web app currently, but is intended to be a mobile app.

Anyone have experience building and deploying mobile apps and interested in volunteering time to help a new app with a good cause?

Feel free to share with others or boost for reach.

Editing to link to the current repository:
https://github.com/habeas-project/habeas

DM me for a Signal username you can use or contact the email at the bottom of the README file.

#AndroidDev #iOSdev

GitHub - habeas-project/habeas

Contribute to habeas-project/habeas development by creating an account on GitHub.

GitHub
Jun 23 at 9:08pmWeb
Show threadMClareJun 23

@treyhunner Maybe check out beeware (if it's python based)?

https://github.com/beeware

I'd lean toward just making a responsive web app so you don't have to deal with app store nonsense.

BeeWare

Write Python. Deploy everywhere. BeeWare has 69 repositories available. Follow their code on GitHub.

GitHub
Show threadTrey Hunner 🐍Jun 23

@mclare I agree.

The web app part is already written, but rewriting using Beeware for the sake of mobile support may still be worthwhile.

Thanks for the idea.

Show threadJenniferJun 23
@treyhunner i don't but boosted. You might want to add some hashtags so it will show up in feeds.
Show threadHashRaydamonJun 23
@treyhunner if is an app also find a way to sideline the app stores, I'm pretty sure Apple and Google will have no problem deleting it if Ice tolds them
Show threadCyberFrogJun 23
@treyhunner I've had some experience with this... getting it approved for the app store would likely be almost impossible, they're horrible about reviewing everything and are likely to reject it entirely on internal policy grounds, this effectively means anyone using it has to install it manually (which is insecure and bad usually) or via third parties

these app stores review every single update you push too, independently, and can revoke approval at any time for your app

working with mobile app stores is by far the worst experience I've ever had as a software vendor, they're truly horrible
Show threadskryJun 24

@froge @treyhunner Talk to https://eff.org about this. They may be helpful with resources, advice, distribution, etc. @eff

Contact OTF and ask about rapid response for security auditing or funding. https://www.opentech.fund/funds/rapid-response-fund/

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Defending your rights in the digital world

Electronic Frontier Foundation
Show threadskryJun 24

@treyhunner Also, if you don’t have a UX designer onboard it’s important to do so ASAP to help ensure people can use what is being developed.

I can help direct the call for OSS user experience design help if you want to give me a contact email and a bit of info for that. Ideally UX works closely with a frontend developer.

Show threadSteve LeachJun 24
@treyhunner As someone who refuses to ever install "apps" - I have to ask: why? Is there some reason that would actually be desirable? And is the plan to take away the web page (accessible by anyone) and make it only accessible to the "app" users?
Show threadTrey Hunner 🐍Jun 24
@stevenaleach some features may be easier/quicker to bring up in an emergency via a native app. I believe it's intended to be usable as a web app as well, as a fallback if nothing else.
Show threadAlex Furey (TheFakeInYellow)Jun 24
@treyhunner I would look into making it a progressive web app if it isn't already. Publishing on an app store is a pain; I wouldn't recommend it unless your app absolutely needs features that are only available to native apps.
Show threadaburka 🫣Jun 24
@treyhunner I highly recommend that your friend move this to somewhere besides GitHub, they work with ICE and will take this down immediately if it becomes at all well known
Show threadAral BalkanJun 24
@aburka @treyhunner I can recommend @Codeberg – they’re not-for-profit and anti-fascist
Show threadDavidJul 5

@aral @aburka @treyhunner @Codeberg

Gitlab is real too

Show threadaburka 🫣Jul 6
@drdrowland @aral @treyhunner @Codeberg not so much unfortunately https://www.theregister.com/2019/10/16/gitlab_employees_gagged/
Blood money is fine with us, says GitLab: Vetting non-evil customers is 'time consuming, potentially distracting'

Code-hosting biz also bans staff from talking politics at work

The Register
Show threadRyan the Design LionJun 24
@treyhunner I’m a designer, I design apps for iOS, Android, and the web, and I’d be open to helping.
Show threadDenis 🌏Jul 5

@treyhunner I'm with all the other suggestions that this might be better off as a PWA than a native app (for all the reasons mentioned, particularly app store approval etc).

A PWA can be totally local to the phone, once installed (except for sending the info off to a backend).

I'd offer to help but my time is very tight for next month or so because of a cross-country move. But I'll keep tabs on this (altho React Native is not my fave 😆)