WhatsApp mac app is Electron wrapper over web chat. And it still requires your phone to be present and on battery to chat.
That's a cheap price to pay for E2EE only.
It also has a pretty solid API[3].
One downside for JS haters, though, is that while the application isn't a wrapper for the site it is still Electron.
1. https://wire.com/en/security/ 2. https://github.com/wireapp/wire-server 3. https://developer.wire.com
Solid crypto (Megolm)[1], open source, federated.
One other issue I have with Matrix is the fact that they're in the process of completely rewriting their reference implementation in Go despite the fact that - as far as I remember - the first one, in Python, isn't entirely complete[2]. Combined with the app-bridge song and dance[3] there's too much in flux for me to recommend in good conscience.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly (speaking as a "regular" user - the type needed to achieve mass adoption), the client is horrendous. This is especially apparent when compared with Wire, but I'd go as far as saying it's apparent even when compared with some IRC clients. At least Signal's UI/UX is passable. Encryption didn't catapult Telegram to 200 million monthly users. A slick UI, a half-decent UX, and some good marketing did.
1. Your link - https://about.riot.im/security/
Edit: Aside from that, while the Telegram UI is nice, it doesn't even try to compete with the interfaces commonly found in IRC clients (i.e. no bubbles, one or more lines per message, can actually fit more than a handful of messages without scrolling, and so on... see qwebirc).
2) Synapse (python impl) is however “complete” (for implementing the Matrix 0.3 spec at least, and newer stuff) and has been for several years. We should spell this out better in the README.
The reason for Dendrite (go impl) is to escape the python GIL and switch to a multidb/multiwriter architecture to keep up with the load on massive HSes like matrix.org’s.
3. I have no idea what the “app-bridge” song and dance is that you’re complaining about: bridges are one of the most powerful and fun bits of Matrix. Perhaps you don’t like the config used to provision them? I’m not sure how this impacts normal users.
4. You may need to give more info on why you feel Riot is “horrendous” so we can fix specifics :)
Once they're all linked you don't have this issue again so it's kind of a one-time thing.
It may be cheap for you.
But why not let me make that decision? You're assuming
- a) everyone has a phone number
- b) everyone has ONE phone number
- c) everyone has a phone
- d) everyone has ONE phone
- e) said phones have a good battery life, lots of storage, and are always on a fast unlimited internet.
- f) you want to give your phone number to everyone you want to talk to
For some of my chats, I'd want that sure, and the price in those cases is cheap.
For many other cases, no, I'm not willing to pay that price. I'm not willing to keep my phone on and with me all the time and provide it with fast expensive internet, just so I could say hello to some people.
You might say that I can find another service, or that I don't understand the price I'm paying. I did and I do. I'm only debating your claim that the price is cheap and putting it into general perspective.