Hello, I've been in the free software cult for about a year now, and yet, I feel more lost than ever.
I have pretty much switched to all free software other than Whatsapp, which I only use to contact family and people that ignorantly don't care.
I'm having troubles finding a mobile alternative to Signal, which I can talk to people with, but everything I've found is only available on computers.
I use my phone for communication, chess, searches, and navigation, so I'm tied to a device that actively spies on me, and unlike normies, I can't ignore it.
Solution for all would simply be to just let them go, but I'm already in a shit-hole socially, so that'd just make things worse.
I'm still using a 5 year old lenovo thinkbook I got as a present, and I have plans of replacing it with something I can put GNU boot and use a functioning system with parabola on like a Lenovo Thinkpad T400, T500, X200, and X200T. However, I do mechatronics, so I'm going to have serious issues with CAD, compiling, and ethical machine learning, which I have to do for most projects. Even with a lightweight suckless dwm setup, it's going to suck at everything.
That's not even considering the security risks, which are especially bad considering I do activism on topics that are outright banned in countries that I live in / visit.
Have you experienced such a phase? I would really appreciate your advice on getting past this roadblock and finding a device to switch to both mobile and desktop for better privacy.
Edit: user asudox infromed me that matrix was available on mobile, so now I'm using a client called fluffy chat available on both andriod, IOS, web, and GNU+Linux systems which is great.
That is true, but the clients have been audited by crypto experts and it is probably way more secure than a random chat application just by the sheer amount of eyeballs on signal
With that logic, whatsapp is more secure than a random chat application just by the sheer amount of of eyeballs on it. It just doesn't work that way
What? Whatsapp clients aren't free software. What even is your point
To clarify my original reply to this more, I thought you were just comparing chat platforms in general and not considering if it was libre or not. Again, total misunderstanding from my side.
It seems like there's been a misunderstanding, I'm speaking of signal alternatives not whatsapp alternatives. As much as I limit and isolate whatsapp, I need to use it to communicate with my family. However, it is possible to replace the main chatting program that I use.
I think what they're saying is that, to a lot of people (myself included), Signal is currently the best option despite being centralized. The decentralized options have UX issues, too small a user base, or aren't well known enough to have gone through robust security/privacy reviews. While you can't see what's running on the signal servers, the app is open source and so far it looks to be encrypting the information correctly and it's not sending anything but the minimal data to their servers.
'A lot of eyeballs on the code' is only relevant for open source apps. They were making a comparison between Signal and the many other open source mobile messaging apps.
You might also find this chart helpful if you're looking for other alternatives. Personally, I found Signal to be the best one to get my friends and family onto
https://www.securemessagingapps.com/
I got you now. Before, I misunderstood what was initially said. I believed that the point being made was just speaking from a user perspective not from a foss one. The UX doesn't really bother me since I just need a bare-bone messaging platform to just speak on. I found this matrix client called fluffy chat available on all the platforms that I see relevant.
Regardless, thank you for you assistance.