Re:Facebook's tentacles reach further than people think
by mixedCase on Saturday May 27, 2017 @01:55AM
(#14429091)
> The fact that they try to force me to install their messenger app
Treat it as asynchronous communication, using a client like Swipe for Facebook (for Android, don't know about iOS alternatives) to look at messages when you feel like doing it.
Use another app for synchronous purposes. Facebook's own WhatsApp is a lot more secure, for starters.
Re:Facebook's tentacles reach further than people think
by cesnja on Saturday May 27, 2017 @07:43AM
(#14429734)
If you have the option, hosting your own bitlbee instance with bitlbee-facebook plugin [1] could be even better, since you can access it with any irc client you like. The additional benefit of always being logged in (and messages being marked read as soon as the come) is that facebook has no way to monitor your passive usage of their chat service.
Re:Facebook's tentacles reach further than people think
by omnimus on Saturday May 27, 2017 @03:36AM
(#14429286)
I did it two years ago. Never been a problem. Sms and calling still exist. People started to write me nice emails. The feeling you are missing something is gone arter two weeks.
Actually only thing that is somehow annoying are events. Its facebook secret sauce. They limit the api (you cant add events through api > no automatic repost) so every event around me ends up only on fb. I am talking about public events, concerts, lectures etc. Venues are using fb as calendar so much that many of them dont even put it on their own site anymore.
Re:Facebook's tentacles reach further than people think
by erikpukinskis on Monday May 29, 2017 @02:00PM
(#14440432)
Yeah, the way they prevent you from reading public posts, sometimes cutting them off half way through to demand you make an account really pisses me off.
Same for Yelp who makes you install the app if you want to view more than 10 photos.
Re:Facebook's tentacles reach further than people think
by shinypotatoe on Saturday May 27, 2017 @04:19AM
(#14429363)
On Android there is the app Metal, which is basically a browser that shows the facebook page. It has a few tweaks to improve the user experience and because its a browser facebook cannot access contacts, gps etc. Messaging works. It's great.
The fact that they try to force me to install their messenger app by making messaging through a mobile browser difficult is particularly infuriating and reveals how much they have their intentions at centre and not the benefit of their users/products/suckers (whatever you want to call us) now that they have the critical mass that people like me don't leave because everyone else is on it.