The reason a very small subset of users love it*
All the downloads making it the top app in the app stores are from people using their centralized service. The people behind these downloads have no clue that you can run it locally or can even start to understand what that would even mean. It is this usage the article is addressing.
Like the thread starter, I am also confused to why this in particular draws so much hate.
Could you elaborate on what you mean by that?
I have automatic redirect (with the LibRedirect-plugin in Firefox) of any YouTube-links so that they open in Freetube. Set up on my phone as well, and it works nicely.
But is it viable? I know very little of browser development, but my impression is that it is a lot of work to develop and keep the browsers secure. If Librewolf separated completely from upstream Firefox, would they be able to keep the browser secure without significantly expanding their team?
I ask in earnest, as I said I know very little about this.
Brilliant list! Starred this to go through it in detail later.
EDIT: A good deal of overlap with me on the type of applications I already use, so looking forward to discovering other hidden gems I haven't yet found.
It is assuming this is implemented in a way that forces all existing messaging services to implement this or shut down. In that case, you would want to build it from source from a point in time before it was implemented (or shut down). If that is not the case, then this wouldn't be much of a problem to begin with, right?
I am not sure what you intention was with your reply, so maybe I am misreading it.
"... that respects your privacy" is most of the post title. I was simply asking whether a keyboard application could be privacy disrespecting, if it doesn't have network access. It was genuine question that I want to learn the answer to, and I was hoping that somebody might be able to provide a sensible answer.
Genuine question: is there any way for any keyboard application to be privacy disrespecting if their internet access is blocked off by a firewall?
This is so nice!
Yes, they are unfortunately not as opposed to surveillance by governments as they are by that of megacorporations. While I appreciate that they are trying to keep the likes of Google and Meta in check, I also very much dislike the several attempts to enforce data retention and essentially encryption bans.
That the Data Retention Directive was eventually annulled by the Court of Justice of the European Union gives me some hope that the legal system within EU can withstand these attempts, but maybe I am being too naive? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Retention_Directive
That's simple and smart. I had played around with the thought of storing encrypted versions of my password manager vault freely available, and making the password a Ceasar cipher of the first letters of each chapter of some book I am sure to find freely online. Not so simple and smart, but at least some fun. Except maybe when you actually need to use it.