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Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by galgalesh on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:27AM (#33452510)
Snap Maintainer here, this is because of a DMCA takedown request from lawyers representing Signal. Canonical is currently working with them to clear things up.

Canonical's communication to me was initially lacking due to issues in their process, the process has been amended and I'm back in the loop again.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ElijahLynn on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:35AM (#33452630)
Thanks for the explanation Galgalesh!

Can you post this update on the Snapcraft (https://forum.snapcraft.io/t/what-happened-to-signal-desktop...) and GitHub threads (https://github.com/snapcrafters/signal-desktop/issues/70) too?

I was going to just now and cross link back here to your comment and figured it would be better coming from you directly!

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by SSLy on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:36AM (#33452658)
They just did comment on that discourse thread.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ElijahLynn on Friday November 04, 2022 @03:26PM (#33472373)
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by googlryas on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:33AM (#33452601)
So you're saying signal requested their own program be removed from the snap store? Sorry, I'm a little confused on terms. When you say snap maintainer, are you saying you are the maintainer of the signal snap package, or that you're a maintainer of snap itself?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by galgalesh on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:40AM (#33452718)
I'm the maintainer of this unofficial snap package.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by SSLy on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:35AM (#33452642)
> are you saying you are the maintainer of the signal snap package

They are, yes. Well, former maintainer.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by aero-glide2 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:34AM (#33452616)
This snap is unofficial.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cyberphobe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:28PM (#33453489)
Wasn’t their own program. They have a binary they distribute, this was some other binary calling itself Signal without their approval.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by teraflop on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:30PM (#33453526)
If that's the issue, it's (at most) a trademark violation instead of a copyright violation, which means the DMCA complaint was filed under false premises.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by crumpled on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:58PM (#33453943)
A trademark violation is a copyright violation, because a trademark is copyrighted at first inception, before anyone adds the '™'. A company is also compelled to take actions like this to maintain the rights to thier own trademarks. That's my understanding; IANAL.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by scott_w on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:08PM (#33454108)
No, it’s not. Copyright and trademarks are two completely different things with different rules that apply to them.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by monocasa on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:00PM (#33453979)
That's not the case.

And if it were, it still wouldn't matter because the AGPLv3 source would have granted you a license to that too being a copyright license.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by tingletech on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:10PM (#33454131)
AGPLv3 allows one to add trademark terms that, when violated, revoke the copyright license.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by galgalesh on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:29PM (#33454423)
This is not correct. The trademark doesn't affect the copyright but you need both in order to publish binaries with the original name and logo in a store.

You need a copyright license to use the binary. You need a trademark license to use the trademark. See the firefox -> iceweasel kerfuffle

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cmeacham98 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:14PM (#33454202)
Link to where Signal added these terms? You've posted a variant of this claim several times on this post but as far as I can see Signal-Desktop is licensed under a pure AGPLv3 which definitely does not have such terms.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by crumpled on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:43PM (#33454657)
There's no need to downvote me, as I'm only engaging in polite conversation, just explain it. And if you can support your argument with qualifications, that would be nice.

It sounds like people are saying that a company can have their trademarks used by downstream distributors of AGPLv3 software, if the license doesn't explicitly prevent that, which just seems wrong. The codebase license is not a license to other company IP

I also don't understand why an entity couldn't do a DCMA takedown based on a trademark violation.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by kube-system on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:45PM (#33455518)
You can't (legally) do a DMCA takedown for a trademark violation. You can use a copyright license that requires a user of a copyrighted work to respect your trademark (or whatever, basically). Then if someone doesn't meet those terms, the copyright license is revoked, and they are in violation of copyright law. However, this is legally just a DMCA takedown for a copyright violation.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by tssva on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:04PM (#33454033)
I don't see where the source was being offered by the distributors of this package which would mean they were in violation of the AGPL and it was therefore a copyright violation.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jdiff on Monday November 07, 2022 @01:07PM (#33509612)
The AGPLv3 only requires that you make the source available, that can even be on request, that can be on a CD. You can even, to quote the AGPLv3 itself, charge for that CD "for a price no more than your reasonable cost of physically performing this conveying of source."

But that's not what's going on here. If the source is unchanged, it's perfectly valid (and often done) to just point people upstream. That is providing the source. And the code used to build their snap is available*, and you can see all it does is repackage upstream's official package.

* https://github.com/snapcrafters/signal-desktop/blob/master/s...

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by tingletech on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:06PM (#33454073)
Copyright license is revoked under AGPL v3 if you violate the AGPL v3 terms.

AGPL v3 specifically allows authors to add trademark restrictions that become violating.

Don't follow the trademark clauses, lose your copyright license, that becomes a copyright violation, actionable under DMCA.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by monocasa on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:40PM (#33454613)
Signal doesn't appear to have actually added those restrictions to the license though.

https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Desktop/blob/main/LICENS...

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by frontiersummit on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:27PM (#33454384)
At a naive level, this sounds like the sort of supply chain attack we've all been taught to fear. Asking seriously: has this build been replicated? is the source different from mainline? if so, what changed and who changed it?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cyberphobe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:43PM (#33454652)
Yes, this is a supply chain attack. That’s how Snap works. As far as I know, no one is alleging they actually changed anything, just that they could.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by mananaysiempre on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:43PM (#33456385)
That’s also how free software distros work, and have always worked, in general: their job is[1] to prioritize the interests of the users as they see them over the vision of the developers, so that the users can choose the distro that reflects their interests most and still be able to use the software.

[1] https://drewdevault.com/2021/09/27/Let-distros-do-their-job....

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by fweimer on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:07PM (#33455844)
What are the terms that Signal attaches to the binaries?

If unmodified binaries are redistributed, there is no trademark violation. It's nominative use, and simply not misleading the public because it's the genuine article. Any obstacle to redistribution must therefore come from the copyright licensing terms (if the binaries are available to the general public), or from an individual agreement with the original recipient of the binaries (so no direct free, public downloads even if the binaries are technically under an open-source license, and export compliance is a bit more difficult). Not sure which applies here, but it's not a trademark issue.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by galgalesh on Thursday November 03, 2022 @06:36PM (#33458868)
This is simply incorrect, we were distributing the exact binaries signal produces.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by sschueller on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:33AM (#33452593)
Yet another reason not to use Signal. The correct behavior would have been for signal to offer an official snap or to contact the maintainer. Instead they send their legal team...
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by CoastalCoder on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:39AM (#33452713)
> The correct behavior would have been for signal to offer an official snap or to contact the maintainer.

Are we sure that Signal didn't contact the maintainer? I haven't seen any statements either way about that.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by nvrspyx on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:58AM (#33453040)
From galgalesh, the snap package maintainer, in the linked forum post:

> I was just linked to this thread from our issue tracker

> As a maintainer for this snap package, it’s mind-boggling to me that, even after almost two weeks, the store team did not contact me at all. I had to find this out myself from users reporting it on our bug tracker.

> After almost two weeks, the maintainer of the snap has not received any official communication about this, but @roadmr was able to provide this tiny sliver of info in a thread on this forum.

From the original comment of this particular thread, also from galgalesh:

> Snap Maintainer here, this is because of a DMCA takedown request from lawyers representing Signal. Canonical is currently working with them to clear things up.

> Canonical's communication to me was initially lacking due to issues in their process, the process has been amended and I'm back in the loop again.

Seems pretty clear that he was neither aware of it being taken down nor the reason, so I think it's safe to assume that Signal didn't contact the maintainer directly.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by CoastalCoder on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:01PM (#33453089)
> Seems pretty clear that he was neither aware of it being taken down nor the reason, so I think it's safe to assume that Signal didn't contact the maintainer directly.

You could be right, but I think another possibility is that the maintainer did get contacted earlier by Signal, and just didn't mentally connect the dots between that and his Snap package being pulled.

Note that I don't know how realistic this is, I'm just trying to be fair in my assumptions.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by freedomben on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:02PM (#33453096)
Good thinking, but based on what GP said I don't think so:

> Canonical's communication to me was initially lacking due to issues in their process, the process has been amended and I'm back in the loop again.

Had they contacted the maintainer, then the maintainer would not have been wondering what the deal was.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by award_ on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:35AM (#33452650)
What are your others? I use signal alot personally and haven't had too many issues.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by sschueller on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:37AM (#33452676)

  - Still need a phone number
  - They refuse to post the app on f-droid (directly)
  - No 3rd party clients allowed on their servers.
  - Crypto thing they attempted
  - I don't trust Moxie, he rubs me the wrong way.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by junon on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:38AM (#33452694)
Agreed on all counts, especially the last one.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by artificialLimbs on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:42AM (#33452756)
- Backups? lol...
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by aeturnum on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:43AM (#33452769)
None of these suggest you shouldn't use signal - or that it's not meeting its goal of secure communication (except the last one I suppose).

Signal is not without flaws as you say, but if you have a phone number and can access a binary, there's every reason to believe it will securely and privately transmit your messages. You are also, ofc, free to fork their client and run your own service (as others have done).

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by krageon on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:06PM (#33453161)
There is no reason to believe it is secure, as it doesn't have reproducible builds. What you download has binary blobs embedded.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by aeturnum on Thursday November 03, 2022 @04:48PM (#33457288)
Signal has repeatedly been audited[1] so there's more reason to believe the protocol has the capacity to be secure than other options. Obviously if you believe the company is actively subverting their goal, you should use your own fork.

Edit: to be clearer - signal both publishes a protocol (that is thought to be secure) and provides a public service (that claims to use the signal protocol). Signal has claimed that the binary blobs they add to their public client (and the other restrictions) are required to run a public service (anti-abuse, etc). You are free to believe them or not - I do.

At the protocol level, which you are free to use, none of the problems you or the ancestors have pointed to apply. All of the alternatives people are pointing to here are at the "protocol" level - accessible only if you or someone you trust has setup a node. There's nothing wrong with that - it's a good idea - but it's no reason to attack signal's service for not being a protocol (which they also provide).

[1] https://community.signalusers.org/t/overview-of-third-party-...

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by gort19 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:45AM (#33452811)
What do you recommend as an alternative?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by freedomben on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:05PM (#33453147)
keybase.io has been great, although it's not without its risks either since it was acquired by Zoom. It's still up and seemingly maintained but AFAIK there's no new feature work.

I've heard WhatsApp recommended from people I trust, but I have never personally used it so can't speak from experience.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by calgoo on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:42PM (#33453692)
The legal team at the company I work for are suggesting to remove keybase and treat it as compromised as there is no way of knowing of keys and other data has not been shared with the Chinese government. No proof at all of course, just the world we live in I guess :)
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by seized on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:20PM (#33453356)
A lot of people moved to Signal because of WhatsApps changes so that advice can thought of as misleading at best.

Your suggested alternatives are owned by Zoom and Facebook. I'll stick with Signal.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by happymellon on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:24PM (#33453428)
As a Facebook owned app, I don't trust WhatsApp.

All of them being tied to a phone number is bad form.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by L3viathan on Thursday November 03, 2022 @04:23PM (#33456963)
> keybase.io has been great

> Crypto thing they attempted

well...

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by chpatrick on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:01PM (#33453087)
matrix/element.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by friend_and_foe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:01PM (#33453994)
XMPP with OMEMO e2ee. Fallback to jitsi meet for video calling, although several xmpp clients support video calling to each other.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by alias_neo on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:15PM (#33455952)
Jitsi Meet is pretty good for video, and relatively easy to self-host, though you'll need some decent resources for it. The docker-jitsi-meet project[0] can get you started quickly

Signal's "source available" infra can be self-hosted but it's huge effort and relies on a bunch of cloud-specific services which need to be replaced with self-hostslable alternatives. It's also extremely poorly documented and the code quality is fairly mediocre. I wouldn't recommend trying to host Signal infra yourself; it can be done; I've done it at work and it took some months of effort, and maintaining it is a nightmare (or was, then at least) because they'd only push one huge update to GitHub quarterly or less often.

[0]https://github.com/jitsi/docker-jitsi-meet

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ixwt on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:46AM (#33452825)
Moxie stepped down from the CEO of Signal in January of this year [0]. Other than that, yeah. Valid criticisms that their reasons are flimsy at best.

[0]:https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/10/22876891/signal-ceo-steps...

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by krageon on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:05PM (#33453150)
Stepped down maybe, but the fostered culture remains.
[dead]
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by windexh8er on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:55AM (#33452986)
I see you're new, you might want to review the guidelines:

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by dheera on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:48PM (#33453799)
Yeah the phone number thing is a bad move since it's traceable to your identity one way or another, even if you use a virtual number like I do.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ChuckNorris89 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:44AM (#33452788)
Not GP but I'm a Signal user and here are my gripes:

- No easy way to do and restore backups on Android and impossible to do backups on their PC client

- Does not support Android tablets at all (my mom loves hers)

- Fails to ring on Android when you call someone or someone calls you, later serving you a missed call notification (disabled Doze/battery optimization feature on Android and tested on 3 different phones with no cigar)

- No way to share your live location to friends

- Using its built in photo snapping and sharing function takes horrible pictures on Android (I suspect they're using the wrong API). If I want to send someone I'm currently texting a good looking picture I need to switch to my phone's camera APP, then back to the chat and use the photo upload function, instead of the in-app photo snapping and sharing function

Some of these bugs have been reported 3+ years ago, while these things work flawlessly on WhatsApp since nearly forever, meanwhile Signal is busy implementing crypto payment features.

I don't know about iOS, but at least for Android and PC, it still feels like an app in alpha that's not yet released to the public compared to how polished and feature rich WhatsApp and Telegram are.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by seized on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:38PM (#33453644)
Backups work fine on my Android phone. They consistently go to a folder and Syncthing backs them up from there.

Also no problems with it not ringing, Signal is actually the primary way that my family calls each other now and no one has experienced it not ringing when expected.

The rest I admittedly dont use or arent impacted by.

While its not perfect in all ways, I disagree with the "alpha" quality sentiment. Especially when you are comparing it to apps that dont have the same security goals or standards.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by thot_experiment on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:58PM (#33453937)
I thought it was something I did that causes it to not ring. Glad it's not just me that has the issue.

I generally agree with gp, it's not a bad app but certainly not one id ever use if I could contact someone another way. I find the lack of interpretability with my computer especially annoying. I'm constantly left feeling like a second class citizen.

Especially when it comes to seeing my history, I linked the accounts ages ago, I barely use my phone yet I'm consistently losing messages on my pc

As for the "security" I'm pretty sure it doesn't have reproducible builds, so it's basically just "trust me bro". rather trust moxie than zuck but still don't really trust either.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ChuckNorris89 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:30PM (#33455320)
>Backups work fine on my Android phone. They consistently go to a folder and Syncthing backs them up from there.

I never said backups don't work, I said they're not easy to do and restore compared to other apps where it's much more seamless and hands-off.

>Also no problems with it not ringing, Signal is actually the primary way that my family calls each other now and no one has experienced it not ringing when expected.

Can't concur, I've personally seen this issue across 3 different android phones form 3 different brands and there are countless people online complaining about the same issue. You just got lucky.

>Especially when you are comparing it to apps that dont have the same security goals or standards.

Which security goals and standards exactly? Signal's sales pitch is that it claims to be end-to-end encrypted, but so does WhatsApp, and until we have an independent security audit of Signal and its code, the claim for "better" security goals is as valid as "trust me bro". The only thing going for it is that it's not owned by Zuck's advertising empire and not owned by Russians, and that's it, but that's a very low bar to clear.

And also, how does having "better" security goals impact the issues with picture quality the app takes or the app failing to ring when someone calls you? "Security" is not an excuse for major bugs and lack of basic features. If security is done right then it should work transparently and not have an impact on any other features.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by seized on Thursday November 03, 2022 @10:31PM (#33461241)
It takes a few clicks and entering a password to enable backups. Restore also worked fine the one time I needed it. They can go to Google Drive just fine, Syncthing is only so I have the backups going to my NAS instead.

As to ringing, it seems that the six people with six different phones (mostly Pixels, one iPhone) in my circle mean that it isn't good luck on my part...

It's end to end by default vs Telegram which is well known to be end to end maybeish if it's explicitly setup, for private chats only. WhatsApp is WhatsApp. Maybe it's a low bar, but Signal beats those others pretty easily. And refusing to use Signal over those two due to lack of a security audit is a bit absurd... All you're getting from Telegram and WhatsApp is "trust us bro" as well.

It's not an excuse. But considering it IS transparent for many users, me included.... Not everyone is having the issues you are.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by londons_explore on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:36PM (#33453602)
> takes horrible pictures on Android

This is mostly Androids fault... For me, even Whatsapp's built in camera is terrible. When you press the button to take a photo, it starts focussing, then takes a photo before the focussing is done. So every photo taken is reliably blurry. There isn't any way to take a non-blurry photo with the main (back) camera.

The main OS camera app works fine.

I think they have per-device logic for this sort of thing, and mine is an uncommon chinaphone, so presumably they haven't tuned the logic for it.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by gort19 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:48AM (#33452865)
The only one of these that is a ‘bug’ is the failure to ring on android.

The rest are all feature requests.

That said, it’s interesting to see what people think are basic requirement for a messaging app these days.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by thrtythreeforty on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:26PM (#33453454)
If you want to be reductionist, everything is a feature. But if an app is missing something so basic as to impact usability, I might consider it a bug. It's a matter of opinion where the line is, of course.

Uncontroversial example: a calculator app that doesn't have a divide key. Technically, yes, it's a separate feature from the multiply key, but it's so basic, so expected, that its absence is a bug.

From the above list, I consider "No easy way to do and restore backups on Android and impossible to do backups on their PC client" a bug, or at least a frustrating omission by design.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by baq on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:29PM (#33453507)
The camera thing is definitely a bug, on iOS there are issues, too (eg doesn’t rotate pictures from landscape to portrait correctly).
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by happymellon on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:26PM (#33453464)
Taking poor pictures, if it is due to using the wrong API is also a bug.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ChuckNorris89 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:33PM (#33453558)
>The rest are all feature requests.

More like missing basic features. I never said all are bugs, I said some are bugs and that all these things exist and work on the other alternatives like WhatsApp or Telegram

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by gort19 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:47PM (#33453777)
Ok, but that means your criteria for a basic messenger app is something that does everything that all the other messaging apps do.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ChuckNorris89 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:39PM (#33455427)
No, that's not just my criteria, but Signal's own, when they entered the market as an alternatives to WhatsApp.

If you climb in the ring with Ali, then you'd better be able to box.

And it's also the criteria of millions of other users who have not switched to Signal because of the bugs and lack of basic features for a modern messaging app.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by gort19 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @04:05PM (#33456733)
No, they are your criteria.

> And it's also the criteria of millions of other users who have not switched to Signal because of the bugs, quirks, and lack of basic features for a modern messaging app.

You have absolutely no knowledge that this is why people haven’t switched, indeed it’s highly unlikely that it would have been as successful as it has if this were the case. People move to Signal because they distrust Facebook and telegram.

The more logical explanation is simply network effects and inertia. Occam’s razor.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by Zak on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:53PM (#33454795)
Looking at the source code, they're using the newer Camera2 API. I have no expertise in implementing said API, and a quick comparison between Signal's code and that of Open Camera suggests the Signal developers don't have a whole lot more.

It also has some questionable decisions in it like cropping to close to the screen's aspect ratio rather than using the native aspect ratio of the sensor. I never want that behavior.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by defraxi on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:21PM (#33453388)
Although I use Signal, I actually prefer Threema which you can also use without a phone number.

https://threema.ch/en/home

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by nimbius on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:44AM (#33452790)
Moxies always been fairly dictatorial about Signal. no third party clients, no decentralization. im not surprised to see a DMCA at all.

So far Signal is a centralized encrypted messaging app that includes its own cryptocurrency and wallet no one asked for, shills me for donations every other release, and begs me to invite new users despite deprecating regular SMS message support.

if youre a threat-actor the most malevolent thing you could do at this point is just watch Moxie and the team drive this project into the ground.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by bogota on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:27PM (#33453474)
This doesn’t change the fact that signal is the best option for my grandma to use still.

Moxie is no longer active in signal afaik. This is the new leadership.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jeroenhd on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:35PM (#33453593)
My grandma uses WhatsApp Web and Facebook hasn't taken down the WhatsApp Web snap yet. Both are end to end encrypted and based on the same transport but one of them used copyright law to take down a redistribution of their application.

Looks to me like Signal is the interior app here.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by bogota on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:05PM (#33454052)
If you look at anything through a narrow enough lens you can make it look good.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jeroenhd on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:23PM (#33455210)
If "a messenger that works" is a narrow lens, then sure. WhatsApp is still as secure as it ever was and everyone is already on it.

Signal had one feature it did better than its competitors and that's allowing integration of SMS. That feature is now getting killed because of RCS issues. With all my contacts on similar chat apps, I don't see why I should keep Signal installed once they remove the SMS feature, let alone why I should convince my grandma to make the switch.

"But Facebook is evil and wants to control you and wants to suck your blood" yes and so do the companies that made our phones and mobile operating systems. What's the point of Signal's openness (well, "open", they did stop uploading the source code for a while when they were adding in their crypto scheme) if you still use it on a proprietary phone.

And no, Linux on neither mobile devices nor the desktop is grandma-ready.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by croes on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:33PM (#33455358)
There is another feature of Signal.

It isn't owned by a data leech.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by snovv_crash on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:19PM (#33455998)
Ignoring UX for non-technical users is a narrow lens.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by croes on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:30PM (#33455317)
Meta wants your data, of course they wouldn't do anything that could stop that.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by the_mitsuhiko on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:30PM (#33453525)
> This doesn’t change the fact that signal is the best option for my grandma to use still.

Is it? How do you measure that? It seems like WhatsApp is a better default choice for most people probably.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by spdl on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:35PM (#33453585)
Except it's owned by Meta, who I really wouldn't trust even if they say it's E2EE.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by dijit on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:01PM (#33453999)
To be honest I don’t see a strong reason to trust signal either except better marketing.

There are so many scandals that come to mind, like not updating the FOSS code for years.

I’m no fan of Meta, and they have incentive to hoover up data.

But I don’t have a good reason to trust signal other than that everyone on hackernews seems to love them.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by yummypaint on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:52PM (#33456525)
Look at how signal vs meta make their money. Meta's entire business model is built around directly violating people's privacy, and conspiring with other businesses to violate people's privacy.

Meta is a publicly traded company. Signal is a 501c3, it's a completely different kind of organization.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by dijit on Thursday November 03, 2022 @05:42PM (#33458152)
I already said that meta has an incentive to snarf up your data.

There is credibility to the notion that signal is designed to ensure that people who are paranoid would prefer it.

The fact that it exists and is convenient prevents more secure messengers from existing as the lions share simply goes to signal, and this is what I mean by marketing. It is conventional wisdom that signal is the bees knees and looking further or scrutinising it is folly.

A lot of funding comes from the government to signal too; and since it’s an American company it must comply to the best of its ability with US law. They tell us that they can only comply in small ways, but given that there is no independent verification of the server (that it even runs the FOSS code) and the hostility in having unofficial clients on the network I am left pondering.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by palata on Thursday November 03, 2022 @08:13PM (#33459898)
You mix up concepts. The client app is responsible for e2ee, you don't have to care about the server.

So you can actually audit the client code and make sure it is e2ee, which you cannot do with WhatsApp. In other words, for e2ee you must trust WhatsApp, not Signal.

I presume that for the outdated code, you think about the server code. That's different and would imply metadata, not message content.

Signal is e2ee, and you don't have to trust them for that.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by dijit on Thursday November 03, 2022 @08:37PM (#33460121)
> Signal is e2ee, and you don't have to trust them for that.

Only if both sides are using clients that are self-compiled, independently-compiled (and audited), deterministic/reproducible or third-party.

The problem is that the network and the app are the same people, and worse than that; they send binaries and expect you to trust them.

I know lip service is paid to reproducibility but afaik the instructions for doing that are 404ing.

I just get a greasy feeling from the lock-in, the heavy marketing, the fact that everyone refuses to speak critically of them unless it’s about anonymous usernames.

A truly good secure client would have worked on any network, it wouldn’t rely on transporting your data over their servers, it would be a protocol that was open to third parties to implement, it would also be reproducible or independently compiled by trusted third parties (like OS maintainers, who already audit a lot of the code that gets built and signed).

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by palata on Sunday November 06, 2022 @07:58AM (#33492082)
> I just get a greasy feeling from the lock-in, the heavy marketing, the fact that everyone refuses to speak critically of them unless it’s about anonymous usernames.

There are two things: First, say the Android apk they distribute has a backdoor, and someone realizes that (it's distributed to millions of people, could be that someone checks). Then that's the end of Signal, right? So that's a big risk for them. That's for the "mass surveillance" scenario. Not perfect, but that's something. Second, if you fear a targeted attack, then self-compile Signal. It's not that difficult if you care about it.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by 29083011397778 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:28PM (#33454403)
Beyond that, metadata can be every bit as interesting as the actual conversation. Alice only talks to Bob on the weekend. Charlie sending a message to Dave cascades to Dave talking to Eric, Francis, and Gavin. Herald is only online from this business' IP address during opening hours.

The list goes on (and on), but the point is that Facebook gets to be the good guy and claim E2EE, while gathering all that metadata.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ohbtvz on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:33PM (#33455354)
Your grandma cares about E2EE?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by bogota on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:03PM (#33454031)
I agree but the person i am replying to is talking about using matrix
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by krzyk on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:16PM (#33454230)
Default should be sms, it is on every phone.

As for web/desktop one can use also Telegram.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by krzyk on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:09PM (#33454119)
Why not use sms? No need to install apps.

My parents use that. I use that.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by munk-a on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:42PM (#33454634)
It's extremely expensive outside the US and can't be sent over wifi - so if you're communicating with someone abroad it's not a very convenient option. You're also missing out on E2EE and, lastly, Apple has corrupted the utility of it as a communication method for half of the devices out there.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by krzyk on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:41PM (#33455461)
I'm not in US, and unlimited sms is included in monthly subscription.

And years before that sms was cheaper than data.

Also sms is cheaper when roaming in Europe (in my case it has zero cost besides the monthly subscription price).

Sure IM are etter if you need group chat or communication abroad. But that is not the case for majority of population where 1 to 1 communication is used inside a single country.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by bogota on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:11PM (#33454161)
Missing the point. Sure pen and paper works great still.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by krzyk on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:49PM (#33455576)
It is more like comparing pen and pencil.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by bogota on Friday November 04, 2022 @12:29AM (#33462205)
Im talking about writing a letter
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by johnisgood on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:19PM (#33455148)
What about Element?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by kodah on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:12PM (#33453240)
Honestly not what I expected to hear about Moxie. Any more tales that back this up? If this line of behavior is true then I think it's time to move on.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by hammycheesy on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:16PM (#33453309)
Reading this thread is what convinced me to switch away from Signal and investigate Matrix:

https://github.com/LibreSignal/LibreSignal/issues/37#issueco...

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by kodah on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:23PM (#33453411)
Thanks, this was illuminating.

Ironically, from his website:

> In general, I hope to contribute to a world where we value skills and relationships over careers and money, where we know better than to trust cops or politicians, and where we're passionate about building and creating things in a self-motivated and self-directed way.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by esaym on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:33PM (#33453554)
Curious what all you had to do to switch from Signal to Matrix.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by capitalsigma on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:43PM (#33453708)
I was ready to grab my pitchfork after that first comment, but farther down:

>>Some time ago you federated with CyanogenMod. What has changed since then?

>What changed was going through that experience. It seriously degraded the UX for our users and held us back in the development process at many times. I'd estimate that all told, we lost about 6 months to a year of progress. It's something we'll probably never do again, and has fully convinced me that federated protocols are a thing of the past in this world of ours.

That's a pretty reasonable take: we tried it and it hurt velocity too much.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by Zak on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:31PM (#33454473)
There's a time for high velocity, and a time for stability. Federation, at least officially-supported federation is difficult when it's time for high velocity. Having used Signal in 2016 when that thread was written, it makes sense to me that Moxie felt it was a time for high velocity.

I'm not convinced that's still the case in 2022. There are a couple issues I'd like to see polished in the Android client, but I have not noticed bugs or missing features that seem likely to require breaking changes.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by gkbrk on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:59PM (#33453969)
Ah yes, velocity. I want my secure and encrypted messaging app to have development velocity so they can add sketchy cryptocurrencies, stories and giphy integrations instead of making a stable and polished app that can send messages and pictures.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by rch on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:15PM (#33453290)
Yeah, I regret ever mentioning the project to people.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by 411111111111111 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:59AM (#33453063)
I thought moxie moved on from Signal? Is he still in the loop?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cyberphobe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:25PM (#33453447)
The anti-signal crowd loves to blame moxie for everything. Just part of their overall commitment to being fact-free
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by berkes on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:35PM (#33453592)
Moxie was fairly controversial in his stance on several issues. That's not "fact-free".
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cyberphobe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:38PM (#33453636)
Moxie is no longer involved in Signal. Blaming him for things Signal does now is pretty free of fact
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by dijit on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:02PM (#33454010)
Other than that he set things up to be that way.

He’s not blameless for the fact it’s not federated, for example. Even if he’s not involved anymore.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by palata on Thursday November 03, 2022 @08:20PM (#33459962)
Federating is hard, and Signal is trying hard to solve the metadata problem in a fundamentally different way (which I happen to believe is better).

I see you want federation, that's fine. I want private metadata. Don't use Signal if it doesn't do what you want, but maybe try to accept that not every project should do what you want. They have their preferences too.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by kybernetyk on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:24PM (#33453432)
Wait? Really? I've been out of the loop regarding Signal. But "crypto punk/anarchist" Moxie Marlinspike is using DMCA takedowns and doesn't like decentralization and 3rd party clients? I'm flabbergasted.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by palata on Thursday November 03, 2022 @08:14PM (#33459902)
Moxie is not at Signal anymore.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by dheera on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:51PM (#33453833)
> no third party clients

Isn't their client open source? If I compiled it myself, is that a third party client?

If they don't let me compile it myself, how can I trust their official version is using the source they published?

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by alias_neo on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:03PM (#33455783)
You can build their client and use it yourself, but they don't want you to distribute it and they don't want you using their infra and API from a third party client.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by maccam94 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @10:33PM (#33461253)
They don't want people distributing unofficial builds that claim to be Signal due to the risk of supply chain attacks against users.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by RektBoy on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:13PM (#33454182)
Also HQ in US, rofl.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by kevin_b_er on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:11PM (#33453219)
What this is is also another reason not to use Snap.

This is a multi-level failure.

1. Signal-Desktop is AGPLv3: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Desktop

2. The snap package metadata is AGPLv3: https://github.com/snapcrafters/signal-desktop

So, this looks like a fraudulent DMCA claim by Signal, as the snap package maintainers and Canonicial have an open source license! This shows malice by Signal.

3. No-one from Canonical contacted the package maintainer(s) about the DMCA, so they have no opportunity to counterclaim or defend.

This is an open sign Snap should not be used. Because utterly unjustified DMCA claims will result in the removal of a package without any way to contest. This is compounded by Canoncial's controlling methodology with Snap where it is ostensibly open-source but Canonical controls what is permitted with snap through a closed-source server.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cyberphobe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:22PM (#33453402)
AGPLv3 does not somehow permit trademark violations. Signal has taken issue with third parties building binaries and calling them Signal, and I can’t really blame them. This is the same reason Signal isn’t in F-Droid
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by kevin_b_er on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:36PM (#33453607)
And the DMCA is about copyright. Where's trademark mentioned?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by tingletech on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:59PM (#33453956)
Violating trademark triggers AGPLv3 license to be invalid, thus the copyright claim.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by Murrawhip on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:42PM (#33454636)
No, AGPLv3 allows for adding an additional term regarding trademark. Signal-desktop is using the default APGLv3 without such a term.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by Zak on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:46PM (#33453755)
DMCA takedowns are for copyright only, not trademark. Requesting or demanding removal for trademark reasons is legitimate, but using the DMCA takedown process when there is not a copyright violation is fraudulent.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by tadfisher on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:19PM (#33454268)
Because the AGPLv3 allows for trademark restrictions, violating the trademark revokes the copyright license.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by monocasa on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:42PM (#33454644)
AGPLv3 allows for adding trademark terms, which signal has not done.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by nicce on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:25PM (#33453450)
And snap store backend is walled garden, you can’t really even make official snaps as external packages. Everything depends on Canonical.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cyberphobe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:24PM (#33453426)
Signal offers an official deb. The correct behavior would have been for third parties to not distribute trademark-infringing binaries and call them Signal
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by kybernetyk on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:28PM (#33453500)
Binaries are just condensed source code. So when the source code is AGPL I sure as hell can distribute binaries if I like.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by bheadmaster on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:39PM (#33453654)
> I sure as hell can distribute binaries if I like

As far as I understood the argument, you're free to distribute binaries, you just can't call them "Signal", since it's a trademarked name (?).

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by bubblethink on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:29PM (#33454416)
You can't modify it and still call it Signal (i.e., misrepresent the trademark). You should be able to redistribute unmodified binaries.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by bee_rider on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:52PM (#33454792)
Regardless of whether you actually should* be able to, "should" and "can" don't always match.

* I'm sure Signal would object to you redistributing binaries under their name, even if you claim they are unmodified, but they can't verify that fact. And honestly such an objection seem pretty reasonable.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by bubblethink on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:55PM (#33454822)
Modification of binaries of open source projects is a common and perhaps the only issue from a trademark standpoint. Firefox and debian used to have this too until they resolved it at some point.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by MrsPeaches on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:35PM (#33453598)
I think the point is that you can't call it Signal. Is that correct?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cyberphobe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:37PM (#33453615)
Yup, also can’t really prove it came from the same source code.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cyberphobe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:34PM (#33453577)
What is GNU IceCat (formerly IceWeasel) then?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jdiff on Thursday November 03, 2022 @05:03PM (#33457515)
Firefox's license did not permit use of trademark. Eventually an exception was made, and now GNU IceCat is mostly a relic.

Signal's license on the other hand, does permit use of trademark. If nothing else this means that using the DMCA for this is wildly inappropriate.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by forgotpwd16 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:53PM (#33453856)
Yeah, checking on IA the snapcraft page, before Sep there was no notice (one was added early Sep) this was an unofficial package and the link just below the package name was/is link to Signal homepage with tooltip saying developer. Think the issue was the lack of such notice before. Because on Flathub the equivalent package exists fine: https://flathub.org/apps/details/org.signal.Signal
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cyberphobe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:00PM (#33453974)
Signal has historically taken issue with 3rd parties distributing binaries and calling them Signal (understandably so). Most prominently with another serial trademark violator, F-Droid
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by nottorp on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:36AM (#33452657)
This deserves a lot of publicity. Why send a DMCA takedown instead of contact the people involved?

Will they do the same if some vulnerability is found in Signal? Lawyer up instead of fix the problem?

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by hyperhopper on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:40PM (#33453667)
Exactly, using lawyers first is a very bad sign. I don't know why often people say "oh it was just the lawyers" like that makes it okay.

No, those lawyers are paid for by and directed by signal. Signal is responsible.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by dheera on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:47PM (#33453781)
Hey signal, maybe fix this

    $ sudo apt-get install signal
    Reading package lists... Done
    Building dependency tree... Done
    Reading state information... Done
    E: Unable to locate package signal
and we don't need to resort to unofficial snap packages
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by tssva on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:00PM (#33453982)
The name for the Signal Desktop package is signal-desktop and Signal provides instructions on their website on how to add their deb repository.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by dheera on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:07PM (#33454100)
Too difficult. Their install instructions are also too complicated and involve reading about 5 lines of comments and 4 shell commands.

It should NEVER be more than 1 line of shell or 2 mouse clicks to install anything. This is 2022, not 1995.

It's faster to just search for "signal" in the snap store and hit "Install".

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by tssva on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:27PM (#33454385)
Unfortunately, this is the world Signal lives in. For binary debian packages to be installed securely directly from a vendor requires the installation of gpg keys which is what 2 of the 3 commands are regarding. If Ubuntu had spent resources to develop a convenient way for developers to directly provide binaries to the users of their OS instead of developing a system where they are gatekeepers and distribute all packages Signal would now be able to provide an easier secure method of installation. If you were providing a privacy focused product which in some uses that privacy can be the difference between life and death, would you want to turn over supply chain protection of that product to a 3rd party?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by turminal on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:42PM (#33455466)
You're already trusting debian/ubuntu maintainers with your entire system. Why would trusting them with one particular app make any difference?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by drran on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:26PM (#33456118)
> If Ubuntu had spent resources to develop a convenient way for developers to directly provide binaries to the users of their OS

No way. I will never trust your binary.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by mechanical_bear on Thursday November 03, 2022 @05:31PM (#33457983)
Lol, like you audit the thousands of lines of code when you compile from source.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by 411111111111111 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @07:33PM (#33459476)
What made you think they'd be willing to compile from untrusted sources?

There are a lot of users that prefer the established trust model of a Linux distribution. They're willing to trust the mostly unpaid debian maintainers for example... but not John Doe, the temporarily set back billionaire who's just about to make it big

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by drran on Thursday November 03, 2022 @08:19PM (#33459954)
Yes, I look at code. I'm professional developer. I will spend 1-2 minutes at scanning per thousand of lines.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by mechanical_bear on Saturday November 05, 2022 @11:32PM (#33488624)
I’m a developer too. Currently job title “senior enterprise systems engineer”. It would take me much longer than that to ensure the code is ok. Additionally without modelling the code (and proving it correct) in something like COQ, you will never understand the calculus of inductive constructions behind the code and have no guarantees as to its correctness.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by irthomasthomas on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:38PM (#33454585)
It's 5 lines. Took me 30 seconds. Well worth it for the performance gains.

wget -O- https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt/keys.asc | gpg --dearmor > signal-desktop-keyring.gpg && cat signal-desktop-keyring.gpg | sudo tee -a /usr/share/keyrings/signal-desktop-keyring.gpg > /dev/null && echo 'deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/signal-desktop-keyring.gpg] https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt xenial main' |\ sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/signal-xenial.list && sudo apt update && sudo apt install signal-desktop

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by marginalia_nu on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:58PM (#33454862)
Yeah, let's teach users to paste sudo commands into the terminal. That's great.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by hsbauauvhabzb on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:22PM (#33455203)
Unless you audit every line of code the one liner executed, reviewing that one line doesn’t add much value.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by rosnd on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:03PM (#33454931)
What alternative do you propose?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by marginalia_nu on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:10PM (#33455026)
What if there was some sort of a store of snaps where you could download vetted packages with a graphical interface. A snap store, if you will.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cyberphobe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:22PM (#33455191)
Sounds great as long as they get proper permission to distribute the software they’re distributing. Otherwise it’s just another untrusted party in the supply chain
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ChuckNorris89 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:02PM (#33455781)
>Yeah, let's teach users to paste sudo commands into the terminal. That's great.

This is also one of my fears with pushing non tech savvy people away from Apple/Windows and onto Linux without the Snap, Flathub, or other such curated stores that ship with the distro, without which they would need to touch the terminal and run commands found on the internet.

GNU/Geeks will keep shouting religiously how insecure Windows is because "grandma can download a dodgy .exe pretending to be a game and get viruses", but on Linux it's the same shit or worse, all you have to do is to convince a user new to Linux to paste and run a sudo command in the terminal as instructed by some scammy tutorial he found on Youtube when searching for "how to install Fortnite on Linux" and it's game over for him, since Youtube removed the downvote counter and the user had no idea he was running into a trap.

After all, for most Average Joes, copying some text feels far less dangerous than downloading and opening a strange file.

At least Windows Defender will most likely catch that malware you downloaded and warn you about it being harmful, but on Linux you have no such guardian nanny to save you. With sudo, it will do whatever self-destructive thing you tell it to do and not complain.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by marginalia_nu on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:54PM (#33456566)
I've seen this extremely sketchy variant a few times

  curl -sfL www.marginalia.nu/install.sh | sudo sh -
Even without sudo, this is extremely sketchy.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by rosnd on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:57PM (#33456597)
Is it meaningfully sketchier than downloading a .deb and calling dpkg -i on it?

Or cloning a git repo and building it?

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jdiff on Thursday November 03, 2022 @04:44PM (#33457240)
Yeah, it's possible for a web server to detect and change the returned data maliciously. Even with user agent and all other factors changed to match, it's possible to detect even the difference between being piped into another command vs being redirected to a file.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by rosnd on Thursday November 03, 2022 @07:42PM (#33459573)
It's also possible for a web server to selectively serve you a backdoored .deb or git repo
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by drran on Thursday November 03, 2022 @08:03PM (#33459775)
So what? I can inspect downloaded code and find the backdoor, or a trojan, or an error. I did it few times already in last 30 years. If you cannot do that doesn't mean that nobody can. But I cannot do that with `curl | bash`.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by rosnd on Friday November 04, 2022 @12:26PM (#33469345)
If you can't save the output of curl into a file, you certainly aren't one of the few people capable of meaningfully inspecting anything you download.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by drran on Sunday November 06, 2022 @01:24AM (#33489773)
I cam do that on MY machine. I cannot do that on your. I can download code, inspect it, install, and then create a RPM package, which can be installed in a safe way by DNF package manager, but I cannot do that with `curl | bash` method of installation.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by rosnd on Thursday November 10, 2022 @06:00AM (#33544812)
>I can download code, inspect it, install, and then create a RPM package, which can be installed in a safe way by DNF package manager, but I cannot do that with `curl | bash` method of installation.

But you can?

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by electromech on Thursday November 03, 2022 @08:49PM (#33460216)
It helps that Signal uses an HTTPS apt repo and includes "signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/signal-desktop-keyring.gpg" in the apt list entry. If their download server were compromised, (and assuming the hacker didn't also get the private gpg key) the attacker would have to provide malicious archives selectively to avoid detection. Anyone who installed the old key (e.g., me) would notice the key validation errors.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by marginalia_nu on Thursday November 03, 2022 @04:45PM (#33457244)
The difference is that the stream coming out of curl and entering sh is ephemeral. With this device, there is no checksum or signature (as with apt). If you pipe curl into sh, you also leave no trail of what you've run. A malicious actor can also hinder analysis by serving different payloads per user-agent, per time of day, per subnet; or only serving the malicious payload intermittently.

With .deb-files you're expected to verify the checksum. Maybe you don't, and even if you don't, you can theoretically go back and verify after as part of a forensic process. This checksum is also typically distributed across different mirrors, making bait-and-switch attacks difficult. It means that if you're going to do a supply chain attack, you must do it in the open.

Compiling from sources is a bit sketchy, but it is also the vector that is easiest to analyze, so I think they cancel out.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by rosnd on Friday November 04, 2022 @12:28PM (#33469379)
>Compiling from sources is a bit sketchy, but it is also the vector that is easiest to analyze, so I think they cancel out.

Is it really meaningfully easier to analyse? I get that it feels better, but I'd bet that the people saying this would fail to catch the backdoor every time.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by codedokode on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:00PM (#33455746)
This is not secure at all because you just gave Signal root access to your system. By adding their keys you also have granted a permission for Signal to replace any packages on your system.

I would instead manually download and unpack the app, create separate user for it, and run it in chroot. Much safer than your method.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by electromech on Thursday November 03, 2022 @08:29PM (#33460056)
Respectfully, I don't think that's correct, or possibly I am misreading your comment. IIUC, placing a key in /usr/share/keyrings does not allow those keys to sign any package, only the packages designated with "signed-by" in the apt list.

Sadly, plenty of applications still take the old "apt-key" approach of adding the keys globally (e.g., installing keys to /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d), but I think Signal's installation process is the correct/recommended approach for distributing apt packages securely.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by codedokode on Friday November 04, 2022 @05:18AM (#33463812)
Yes, I made a mistake about the key. Adding a key is safe by itself. However by adding third-party repository you are granting Signal a permission to replace packages on your system (unless you manually whitelist package names in apt preferences), and by installing a package from Signal repository you grant it root access to your system.

Sadly debian-based distributions do not respect the principle of least privileges and grant unnecessary permissions to installation scripts.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by iakov on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:13PM (#33454180)
All that time you've gained on the installation will be lost during the lethargic start of snapped application :P
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cyberphobe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:19PM (#33455136)
It’s true, they should distribute a .deb that ensures the repo and key are installed so it gets updates. However, your suggestion that they should just capitulate and allow 3rd parties to violate trademark seems like a pretty bad take.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by politelemon on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:37PM (#33455407)
> It should NEVER be more than 1 line of shell or 2 mouse clicks to install anything.

If it is critical or has the potential to compromise security, it should take however many lines that are required to ensure a safe installation. The landscape today is far too complex to expect simple deployments (one liners) to be safe. A few extra lines is a small tradeoff in that case. I shudder when I see curl|bash type installations being normalized.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by galgalesh on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:10PM (#33454135)
I don't think there is any reason for publishers to force users to download their software from the internet now that the Snap Store and Flathub exists.

I've had so many bad experiences with broken third party packages or worse, "installers".

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by tssva on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:38PM (#33454597)
I can think of a lot of reasons why publishers of privacy and security related software would want to direct distribute their software rather than relying on 3rd parties if it is avoidable.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jcastro on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:15PM (#33455087)
There's also just as many reasons to not give Signal root on my PC by installing their .deb package.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cyberphobe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:53PM (#33455638)
No one is forcing you to use their deb
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by michaelmrose on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:57PM (#33455697)
Signal is secure communications used not only by nerds but in situations in which privacy is a requirement for safety. In this singular case do you think its a greater security risk that someone may compromise signal and ergo your computer or that one or more of 97 different stores/repos with a multitude of different maintainers get attacked and used to first compromise your communications and then probably your computer as well?

Remember you are expecting the maintainer to not only be honest you are expecting them to secure his own machine as well.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jcastro on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:24PM (#33456077)
I agree that policing a bunch of third party rebundling of apps is problematic but the entire idea of just giving up and letting user applications splat all over my system because that's how linux always has been doesn't work.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by irthomasthomas on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:26PM (#33454382)
I just expunged the snap system entirely from my ubuntu. It feels much snapier without it. I've never tried flatpacks, my preference is to AppImages, they seem to perform much better than other systems I've tried.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by turminal on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:36PM (#33455389)
Why doesn't signal have a package in the official debian repo?

I don't want to add random deb repositories for software like that.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by michaelmrose on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:44PM (#33455509)
Presumably for the same reason they don't want someone else packaging snap for them its another party to attack in order to attack their users in a way that would destroy trust in their product given its sensitive nature.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by turminal on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:36PM (#33456265)
I'm already trusting debian to provide the rest of the system without backdoors. Why would getting signal from somewhere else help in any way?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by michaelmrose on Thursday November 03, 2022 @07:33PM (#33459473)
It's presumably signal not trusting 97 different stores not Debian's in particular not to get compromised.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by woodruffw on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:45PM (#33455523)
It's not a "random" repository, it's their official repository. They seem to be doing everything right (or as right as possible), including providing a signing key (which you can independently verify) and using an HTTPS host.

What's your threat model here? Trusting Signal to provide the binary and host the servers, but not distribute the binary that connects to the servers?

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by bostik on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:36PM (#33456268)
This threat model was at the heart of Maemo's and later Meego's app store criteria. Both APT and RPM repository trust model is flat: all repositories have the same privileges to make packages available for upload, and can declare any dependencies they choose in their packages. This allows a third party to override any package in the system.

Doesn't matter who provides the repository, because ownership can change. Even if you trust the current owner to be diligent and fair you have no control over what a future owner does. (Incidentally, buying widely used but badly maintained browser extensions and using them to distribute malware is a real thing.)

For example: the software everyone cares about is in a repo. The company uploads a version of a core library, such as glibc or libstdc++ in their repo and set it up with a very specific version number. Then they wait a bit, and upload a version of the much-cared software that declares a dependency against the specific library version. When the end users upgrade their packages, they also get a compromised core system library and all of a sudden ALL the software on their system is affected. The software you added the repo for has not been tampered with. But a backdoor from the core library is now present everywhere.

I worked with Nokia and Intel before and during the Maemo/Meego fusion. Back in 2010/2011 I had an early draft patch against libzypper that would have allowed to set certain package priority levels behind a fixed signing key, and made the above attack impossible. (Others were looking at how to confine the install scripts.) I went to a holiday in January 2011 and during that time, Elopcalypse happened. When I came back, the project no longer existed and my RFC patch never saw the light of the day.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by woodruffw on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:45PM (#33456418)
I think I addressed this in the adjacent reply[1].

Yes, there's a legitimate risk (and accompanying threat model) when trusting package repositories. But I don't understand the specific threat model that involves not trusting Signal's package repository while (1) trusting a random third-party package that (2) just redistributes (in the best case) the official binary.

[1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33455836

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by rlpb on Thursday November 03, 2022 @05:57PM (#33458366)
Snaps run sandboxed. It's not perfect, but it's a whole lot better than debs.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by bostik on Sunday November 06, 2022 @08:06AM (#33492164)
The threat model here isn't about trusting one third-party repo and distrusting another. It's about trusting any third-party repository without exceptionally good reasons.

I trust Signal, the company, as an author of specific type of communications software. I hesitate to trust them with root on my systems. The company and their intentions are, for the best of my knowledge, benign - but I have seen far too many well-meaning packaging snafus over the past 25 years to add even them to my sources.list.d; and in fact, I believe that with the actions of the company over the past ~three years they have squandered lot of the goodwill they had built up. I'm sorry to say, but the theme to me has felt like one of miscommunication combined with a lack of foresight.

I do trust they have had good reasons for everything. But optics are important, and for stewards of such a critical piece of software Signal have come up with questionably announced surprises. In a domain where boring is the characteristic everyone looks for.[ß]

A bit more context. As of now, there are only two third-party APT repositories that I can stomach. The official Postgres repo, and the Deadsnakes PPA. Both are maintained by the actual package maintainers, so they benefit from the assumed baseline and robustness.

ß: btw, I understand the SMS stuff. From an engineering effort perspective it makes sense, given what shitshow the SMS/MMS protocol stacks are. And with RCS, future integration would not be guaranteed at all. But it still came as a surprise.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by codedokode on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:57PM (#33455707)
Adding third-party repositories is actually dangerous because they can replace packages on your system (for example, bash) and run scripts with root privileges during installation.

Sadly many Linux distributions do not have user-friendly ways to install third-party applications and as a result we see instructions on running curl via sudo bash.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by woodruffw on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:06PM (#33455836)
Yes, I suppose Signal could replace other packages on your system by updating their package lists with versions newer than those on the official index.

But again: what's the threat model here? If you're worried about someone stealing your messages, then they don't need root access -- they just need to give you a malicious build of Signal. That's way easier in an unofficial ecosystem like Snap than it is with a third-party package repository that Signal's developers are signing for.

(My understanding is that you can also configure apt to limit packages on a per-source basis, but I won't recommend that since I don't think anybody bothers to do that.)

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by codedokode on Friday November 04, 2022 @05:21AM (#33463825)
> what's the threat model here?

By installing signal-desktop you give Signal not only access to your messages (which is fine), but root access to the whole system which allows reading and modifying any file. Even if Signal doesn't have malicious intents, they might have vulnerabilities in their installation or configuration scripts.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by progval on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:55PM (#33455662)
Trusting Signal to provide the source and host the servers.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by woodruffw on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:02PM (#33455769)
Okay, but that's not what any of the parties in this current case are doing: the Snap in question is a third-party build, not a source distribution.

My understanding (as an outsider) is that Signal doesn't object to you building yourself a copy of Signal Desktop for source, but they do object to anybody building it for others, especially when they brand it as "Signal." That doesn't seem especially unreasonable to me: E2EE is a domain where trust is established exactingly; a proliferation of unreviewed third-party builds compromises environmental trust.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jdiff on Friday November 04, 2022 @05:23PM (#33473972)
The Snap's build instructions do nothing but download the .deb and repackage it into a Snap.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by progval on Sunday November 06, 2022 @04:57AM (#33490920)
I already trust Debian's repositories with my system; so getting Signal from Debian's repositories would not make my system or Signal more vulnerable. By adding Signal's deb repositories, I need to also trust Signal not to mess with the rest of my system.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by hiq on Thursday November 03, 2022 @06:08PM (#33458518)
One potential reason is that their release cycle is too fast for the official Debian repositories, and they don't want to slow it down. Supporting old versions is a cost they don't want to bear.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jdiff on Friday November 04, 2022 @05:24PM (#33473980)
All of their builds have shelf lives of 90 days. You must update at least that often or your app will stop working, so it's a non-starter for inclusion in the official Debian repos.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by nsxwolf on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:52PM (#33453844)
Oh, snap!
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by charcircuit on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:42PM (#33453700)
That is what a DMCA takedown is. You contacting the people involved to get something taken down.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by mort96 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:46PM (#33453763)
No. A DCMA takedown is your lawyers contacting their lawyers and saying that you're invoking a law which forces them to immediately take something down or risk severe legal ramifications. Isn't it better to reach out without invoking a DCMA and see if the other party is willing to cooperate first?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by bpicolo on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:02PM (#33454005)
If their explicit goal is having it taken down, and the law gives them explicit ability to do so, why would they waste the time? A DMCA isn't rude, it's just a strictly outlined process.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by Karunamon on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:42PM (#33455465)
I think a great many people would disagree that taking legal action first is anything but rude.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jdiff on Friday November 04, 2022 @05:28PM (#33474032)
The law doesn't give them the ability, as the DMCA is for copyright and with an unrestricted free software license, there is no copyright issue. The takedown itself was illegal.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by charcircuit on Thursday November 03, 2022 @09:47PM (#33460764)
>Isn't it better to reach out without invoking a DCMA and see if the other party is willing to cooperate first?

That would still be your lawyers talking to their lawyers. The channels for handling DMCA takedowns are much more efficient than channels for handling something custom.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jdiff on Saturday November 05, 2022 @08:16PM (#33487354)
Those channels are illegal to use outside of the copyright issues they're intended for. It's not just a free "hey take this down for me, will ya?" button.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by charcircuit on Sunday November 06, 2022 @03:29AM (#33490440)
If there was an icon, that could have be what was copyrighted. Perhaps it's from the usage of the deb package. The creator of a project that uses the GPL can actually have a download link to that software which is under a different license that is not freely distributable.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jdiff on Monday November 07, 2022 @01:04PM (#33509553)
The icon is in the repo covered by the AGPLv3. Signal-Desktop does not have a CLA that would enable them to license the built binary anything but AGPLv3, as they do not have sole copyright over the code. They themselves are also bound by the AGPLv3.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ddevault on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:54AM (#33452961)
Typical behavior from Signal. They have a track record of hostility that we as a community should really not be tolerating. I do not use Signal and I tell my friends not to, either. Play nice or don't play at all.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by enriquto on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:57AM (#33453026)
Problem is, I already moved my friends and family to Signal and removed Whatsapp from my phone. It was an uphill battle that I don't want to fight again. What do I do, now? As much as there's a lot of questionable stuff on Signal, that's nothing compared to whatsapp. Do you suggest a Signal alternative that is significantly better?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ddevault on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:25PM (#33453452)
I don't have an answer which is likely to satisfy you. I'm still a grumpy old IRC user. I communicate with non-technical friends and family via email, SMS, and Jitsi Meet. I allowed myself to be persuaded to try Matrix earlier this year and so far I've regret it.

goodpoint's answer is probably the best longer term answer: someone needs to fork Signal and manage it properly. But it's not as simple as just rebranding the software, it needs lots of difficult technical work to fix its many problems.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by forgotpwd16 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:06PM (#33454078)
>try Matrix earlier this year and so far I've regret it

Why is that?

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ddevault on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:12PM (#33454163)
Very bloated and unreliable.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by zaik on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:16PM (#33454240)
Have you tried XMPP? The server and client implentations are both a lot more resource efficient.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ddevault on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:15PM (#33455084)
I have tried XMPP. It's not much better, but has different problems.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by goodpoint on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:01PM (#33453090)
Support a new, well managed fork of Signal
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by A4ET8a8uTh0 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:01PM (#33453997)
This. It was hard enough to migrate people from Whatsapp ( as in, for all my privacy gripes, it is hard to argue that it just works very well in most instances ).

It is not like most of my social groups are me-centric, which forces me to pick battles carefully. Now that I moved people to signal, I need to do what I can to try moving signal to my ideal space ( no phone requirement being one of them, 3rd party clients and so on ).

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by zaik on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:20PM (#33454286)
Sounds like sunk cost. What are your chances to influence Signal leadership in any way? A better idea would be to use internet standands for messaging to avoid vendor lock-in.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by A4ET8a8uTh0 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:29PM (#33454429)
I agree in general, but can you offer a current project that is reasonably secure, relatively easy to install and use and built on actual standards?

That list is still short. I would love to be able to return to pidgin days, where all I had to connect my various accounts >.>

I do not know if the issue is that some the features are just incompatible with standards?

Sadly, the biggest problem is inertia.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by zaik on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:34PM (#33454521)
https://snikket.org/ could be the thing you're looking for.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by A4ET8a8uTh0 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:38PM (#33454584)
Thank you. I will test it out. It actually may hit the spot.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by tapoxi on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:10PM (#33453210)
What's the alternative? My mom onboarded my entire extended family to Signal, and she's not technical. I'm not sure of anything else, outside of Meta-owned WhatsApp, with that kind of simplicity.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by luckylion on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:00PM (#33453983)
Telegram is super easy, but there's the whole "not e2ee by default" thing that some people care about.

Threema is liked for security. I haven't used it, but my mother's tennis group is using it, and they're all 65+.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by Barrin92 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @04:34PM (#33457118)
I personally do not think this is user hostile because users have an interest in being able to distinguish between official and unofficial distribution of software, in particular in a security relevant case like this.

I used this snap package thinking it was an official one, if I had known that it isn't I wouldn't have installed it.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by forgotpwd16 on Thursday November 03, 2022 @12:10PM (#33453204)
>this is because of a DMCA takedown request from lawyers representing Signal

Whoa. That's unexpected.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by brianacton on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:46PM (#33454687)
Correct. We spoke to our attorneys and found the breakdown in communication. We are working to rectify and reinstate signal-desktop ASAP. Sorry for the confusion.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by cyberphobe on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:08PM (#33454997)
Will a similar line of communication be established with other open source distribution platforms (such as F-Droid) that would also like to distribute binaries and call them Signal?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by fazfq on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:55PM (#33455673)
Why is Signal, a company that prides itself in being tech-centric, allowing lawyers to send DMCA requests without consulting anybody?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by lcnPylGDnU4H9OF on Thursday November 03, 2022 @06:10PM (#33458546)
I don't get why Signal being tech-centric (whatever that means) should disallow their lawyers from sending DMCA takedown requests.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jdiff on Thursday November 03, 2022 @07:26PM (#33459395)
Because it means their lawyers are firing off in random, uninformed directions. There's no copyright issue, as the maintainers of the Snap have a copyright license (the AGPLv3) to do what they are doing.

You could argue that it's a trademark issue, except that if it was, this makes a DMCA request illegal as it's not a tool to enforce trademark issues. And in addition, while the AGPLv3 has allowances for trademark carve-outs, Signal makes none.

It's not a good look for the lawyers to be completely in the dark on an issue so core to their company's business.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by lcnPylGDnU4H9OF on Friday November 04, 2022 @05:17PM (#33473903)
Well, okay, but that's not answering my comment.

> ... a company that prides itself on being tech-centric ...

I can't see why this matters. Wouldn't it also be a worthy question for $NOT_TECH_COMPANY if their lawyers send a DMCA takedown request in such a manner?

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jdiff on Friday November 04, 2022 @06:50PM (#33475104)
I'm not sure I understand your confusion entirely, would appreciate some clarification.

It's bad in any case, it's worse when you're uninformed on an issue core to your entire mission. This is an area their lawyers should be exceptionally experienced and informed in, where it'd be potentially easier to forgive a lawyer completely green on FOSS making a mistake on something they thought was straightforward.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by lcnPylGDnU4H9OF on Friday November 04, 2022 @08:30PM (#33476217)
I think a lawyer that's completely green on FOSS and working for any company I've heard of should never have been hired. Maybe I'm naive but that sounds insane to me.

To clarify, any lawyer working for any company with a publicly available physical (read: non-software or computer hardware) product or service that I've heard of should ever make this mistake. That's why I wouldn't think it's especially weird that the company in question is one who offers a software product.

Anyway, you do otherwise make a good point. I can understand that someone sees it that way. (And thanks for explaining your perspective!)

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by tinyspacewizard on Thursday November 03, 2022 @08:49PM (#33460217)
Because when you ship a security product it's important to control who distributes it under the official name.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by Waterluvian on Thursday November 03, 2022 @03:01PM (#33455753)
If possible and reasonable, it would be great to get a short post-mortem on this (because they shouldn't always be for technical issues!)

Trying to prevent legal from being overzealous while not chilling their ability to do their job seems like a very challenging problem.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by spullara on Thursday November 03, 2022 @01:51PM (#33454758)
You didn't realize what you were doing was against the license?
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by ohbtvz on Thursday November 03, 2022 @02:31PM (#33455328)
How terrible of them, packaging open source software for their distribution like so many package managers do.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by caeril on Friday November 04, 2022 @09:51AM (#33466676)
I'm the last person to defend lawyers, DMCA takedowns, etc. But Signal has very strict build processes in place to ensure (to the best of their ability, anyway) that the official binaries are devoid of side-channel attack vulnerabilities.

Putting my tinfoil hat on, all it takes is one unofficial Snap maintainer to be approached by one Glow-In-The-Dark with an offer they can't refuse to infect a hundred thousand users with key material compromise.

I hate to say it, but Signal is doing the right thing, here.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jdiff on Thursday November 03, 2022 @04:40PM (#33457181)
It wasn't against the license. It's AGPL v3, about as open as it gets.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by spullara on Thursday November 03, 2022 @08:00PM (#33459748)
You don't get the license without respecting the trademark.

e) Declining to grant rights under trademark law for use of some trade names, trademarks, or service marks; or

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jdiff on Friday November 04, 2022 @05:22PM (#33473949)
Read the full context of that rule. The entire section allows those provisions to be applied, it does not make those provisions. The APGLv3 disallows any further restrictions beyond the license to be applied, except for a handful of exceptions. That's one of them. And if such an exception is made, further instructions are provided to inform downstream users of them. Signal did not follow those instructions and didn't make any of the permitted exceptions.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by spullara on Sunday November 06, 2022 @09:19PM (#33500283)
Even without that, this is on their website.

Signal’s Rights. We own all copyrights, trademarks, domains, logos, trade dress, trade secrets, patents, and other intellectual property rights associated with our Services. You may not use our copyrights, trademarks, domains, logos, trade dress, patents, and other intellectual property rights unless you have our written permission. To report copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property infringement, please contact [email protected].

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by jdiff on Monday November 07, 2022 @01:06PM (#33509596)
They own it, sure, but they license it out freely. They've released their work under a license that allows anyone use of their trademark, as long as they stick by the AGPLv3. The AGPLv3 is written permission.
Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by spullara on Tuesday November 08, 2022 @11:51AM (#33521167)
Can you point me at the part of this document where 3rd parties are allowed to use your trademark?

https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Desktop/blob/main/LICENS...

I think what Signal is objecting to is that the snap looked like it was packaged and distributed by Signal when the files included could have been modified with a backdoor or whatever.

Re:Snap Store administrators removed signal-desktop from Ubu... by xtat on Thursday November 03, 2022 @11:30PM (#33461762)
idk not a great look for signal