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Open source alternatives to Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp raise funds on Kickstarter | TechCrunch (techcrunch.com)
submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by breakfastmtn@lemmy.ca to c/fediverse@lemmy.world
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The developer behind Pixelfed, Loops, and Sup, open source alternatives to Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp, respectively, is now raising funds on Kickstarter to fuel the apps’ further development.

The trio is part of the growing open social web, also known as the fediverse, powered by the same ActivityPub protocol used by X alternative Mastodon. The latter saw increased signups and use after the company formerly known as Twitter sold to Elon Musk in October 2022 and during the X exodus that followed the U.S. presidential election.

In the months and years following that sale, open source and decentralized apps like Mastodon and Bluesky (which uses the newer AT Protocol), have continued to grow their user bases, as people sought alternatives to centralized social media apps controlled by billionaires like Musk and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg.

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Edit: Link to the kickstarter

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[-] oozy7@lemmy.world 0 points 6 months ago

WhatsApp? Just use signal already!

[-] warmaster@lemmy.world 0 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Centralized. Not good. Conversations is on fdroid and is decentralized, federated, open source and uses a mature and battle tested protocol (XMPP). If I wanted something new, I would prefer Matrix over Signal.

[-] Deway@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

People act like we need an alternative to Whatsapp but XMPP/Jabber exists and is much older.

[-] nonfuinoncuro@lemm.ee 1 points 6 months ago

what happened to pidgin

[-] Deway@lemmy.world 0 points 6 months ago

Pidgin is a client, not a specific protocol.

[-] nonfuinoncuro@lemm.ee 0 points 6 months ago

I know, I just remember I used to use it with jabber xmpp but I think after everyone got gtalk and then everyone got cellphones everyone moved away from those types of clients

[-] Deway@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

Fun fact, Google Talk and Facebook used to be compatible with XMPP.

[-] viking@infosec.pub 0 points 6 months ago

Nobody but a handful of nerds uses it though. You won't get your grandparents and less tech literate friends to leave whatsapp in droves, simple as that.

[-] Deway@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

And they're not going to leave WhatsApp for Sup? either. All I'm saying is we've had an alternative for decades, even before WA was created, we don't need another one, we need the one we already have to have more success.

[-] astro_ray@piefed.social 0 points 6 months ago

Why are there so many downvotes? Dude said the truth. Signal, like whatsapp, is a single point of failure. It can be enshittified just like whatsapp.

[-] moitoi@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 6 months ago

We are on Lemmy and some are against everything who is centralized.

[-] astro_ray@piefed.social 1 points 6 months ago

With so many examples like twitter, reddit, Factbook, whatsapp, instagram etc. can you really blame us for not liking centralized services? Also, I don't hate all centralized services. I love Wikipedia, Openstreetmap.org etc. Also, the outage of OSM earlier proves that single point of failure is a reason for concern.

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 0 points 6 months ago

Not on FDroid. Not open source

[-] archchan@lemmy.ml 0 points 6 months ago

But it is open source. And there's a fork of Signal available on F-Droid called Molly.

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 0 points 6 months ago

It is not open source. That's why its not allowed on fdroid. It has parts that are open source, like most apps. But the app itself is closed source and a risk

[-] jackalope@lemmy.ml 0 points 6 months ago

The only part that isn't open source is their spam filter.

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 0 points 6 months ago

Nope. Google deps

[-] jackalope@lemmy.ml 0 points 6 months ago

Can you explain a little more what you mean?

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 0 points 6 months ago

The app requires code from Google that is not open source and has a history of being malware that invades your privacy and steals your data.

[-] jackalope@lemmy.ml 0 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I'm not aware of any code from Google it requires. What history of stealing data does signal have?

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 0 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

It requires closed source* google code yes

[-] jackalope@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 months ago

Can you link me what you're talking about? I'm searching for it and having trouble finding the thing you're describing. The only info I find is about their spam detection (which I already knew about but doesn't sound like it's the thing you're talking about.)

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 2 points 6 months ago

Search in their github issues for "fdroid". Make sure to include closed tickets.

[-] ExFed@lemm.ee 0 points 6 months ago

Not open source

There are lots of good reasons to be upset with how Signal produces builds. And maybe Signal has no good reason why they keep opaque dependencies. But by every common definition of the term, Signal is open source. Being on FDroid is not the definition of open source.

Please don't gatekeep. There are better ways to criticize Signal. This is not one of them.

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl -1 points 6 months ago

If your releases include closed source blobs, then your software is closed source.

[-] ExFed@lemm.ee 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Following that logic:

Many popular Linux distros contain closed source blobs. Ergo Linux is closed source.

[-] spaduf@slrpnk.net -1 points 6 months ago

It's not really a whatsapp alternative. More like a facebook messenger alternative. It replaces and encrypts dms from mastodon, pixelfed, lemmy, etc

[-] pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 6 months ago

incorrect

[-] NudeNewt@lemm.ee 1 points 6 months ago

Care to elaborate? Genuinely i interested as to why that is

[-] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 2 points 6 months ago

Signal is just like WhatsApp. Same features. So yeah, that’s incorrect.

this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2025
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