the connecting with a majority of people using the same closed source platform
The platform is open, including the part that connects to other closed source platforms. It's just Matrix and open source bridges after all. And making the client app closed souce doesn't help with any of that.
I'm sorry if I'm a bit pedantic about this, but it seems like you're describing an upside to closed source software that's just not there.
You're definitely right that people are a bit too doom-and-gloom about it, Beeper did do a lot of good over the last few years!
But I also find it a bit odd that they talk so much about the importance of open source in messaging, and then release a closed source client without at least adressing the topic. Add the fact that they've been aquired by another company on the same day, and it starts to smell like another instance of openwashing.
Idk, we'll have to see how it plays out I guess.
I can answer that: itβs the βI donβt care about security as long as I can send memes and inappropriate messages to most peopleβ experience.
Closed source doesn't help with that though, you don't have to care about privacy in open source.
except you do know that the bridges are decrypting all messages anyway
They are working on on-device bridges that preserve e2ee, but making the client closed source kind of defeats the purpose here.
The thing is, we are talking about the Beeper service here. Yes Matrix is good, yes Beeper bridges are good, but a closed source Beeper app is bad. That's what the criticism is about, and it doesn't help if you deflect that by arguing about all the other things they are doing or that no one is forced to install it.
That's not the point. An app doesn't become good because you can just not use it.
What is this "closed source experience" you are talking about? How would making the client open source hinder that in any way, especially when their stated goal is to earn money with premium features instead of the app itself?!
Imo being open source is a VERY big deal for an e2e encrypted chat client! I don't really care whether most of their stack is open if the app I'm actually using to type and encrypt my messages is not. This makes the whole thing look like a trick, pretending to be open when key parts are not.
This is not applicable here, since Beeper is "just" Matrix + Bridges + Simplified UX!
I have flickering issues with some Electron apps. Everything else seems to work fine, including a 2nd monitor. But I still dual-boot Windows for games, I'm waiting for HDR support to fully make the switch.
Looks dope, but it seems like the Docker container has some very unfortunate limitations:
- Does not support desktop and mobile application connections, only supports use on browsers
- Export to PDF, HTML and Word formats is not supported
- Import Markdown file is not supported
This kinda makes it unusable for me. :/
Edit: I just installed it and ... you have to login and pay for a subscription in order to sync between devices. RIP
Edit 2: It's not a subscription, just a one-time payment. Might be worth it for some!
Nothing about what you just wrote has anything to do with closed source software though. You could just as well say that closed source helps them predict the future or draw shinier unicorns. It doesn't!
Maybe you mean tightly coupled, stripped-down, preconfigured or vertically integrated, but you can do that just as well with open source software. No one is forcing them to make a general purpose chat app or offer the ability to choose a different server. It's just a matter of being able to see, verify and modify the code.
This is the only thing that comes close imo. But they stated specifically that they don't want to make money with the chat app itself, so it doesn't really work as a justification. They could easily offer server-side premium features or create a closed source premium-only version or extension, it's no reason to make the base app closed source.
They don't have to do that, and they don't afaik. Matrix itself can do proper e2ee just fine, and Beeper is pretty open about the fact that bridges hosted by them have to break e2ee to translate between platforms. They'd only need theater if their closed source app actually has some bad code in it, which is kind of my point.
Again: Their Matrix server and bridges are open source right now, and it wouldn't stop them from doing what you're describing.
I just can't help it. π