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by Jarwain 3533 days ago
Could it be because some of your information is spun/misleading?

LibreSignal was abandoned according to their github, first of all. Secondly, the issue is that OWS doesn't want "others" using the servers that they own and maintain for Signal.[1] As far as I understand, they disapprove of people using the name Signal or TextSecure or Redphone for their forks, due to confusion by users who believe that the fork is actually the app released by OWS. He doesn't explicitly say whether "LibreSignal" is okay, but would prefer for a namechange to reduce confusion.

Afaik, he also encourages people who don't like the GCM build in Signal to swap it out with the rewritten open source one and build with that.

[1]https://github.com/LibreSignal/LibreSignal/issues/37#issueco...

1 comments

> LibreSignal was abandoned according to their github, first of all.

Yes, because Moxie threatened in the discussion you linked?

> Secondly, the issue is that OWS doesn't want "others" using the servers that they own and maintain for Signal

The issue is that Moxie refuses to federate, or allow others the right to develop third party apps interfacing with his server (Which, btw, he can’t prohibit in the EU anyway).

> Afaik, he also encourages people who don't like the GCM build in Signal to swap it out with the rewritten open source one and build with that.

Yet he threatens anyone trying to distribute an alternative build with it stripped out.

How the fuck is that open source development, if you threaten anyone forking it, and don’t allow any PRs that could make it more open, AND refuse to allow federation? That’s not any better than just using Facebook Messenger.

You're cherry-picking the bits of Jarwain's response that you like to respond to, ignoring the others, yet complain about the discussion culture and being down-voted (which is not appreciated on here) in your original post.

Moxie is taking issue with others using the name "Signal", as that would lead to confusion. Forking and using your own name and servers is totally okay with him.

And of course you can allow others from distributing apps that use your servers in the EU. There's a difference between using modified code with OWS servers (which might be okay in the EU, IANAL), and distributing apps that interface with OWS servers despite their demand that you do not (which is certainly not okay in the EU).

Forking and using your own servers is exactly one of the things about XMPP Moxie hated si much that he created Signal in the first place!

The whole point why Moxie created it is so that everyone is on the same one, to avoid federation issues.

> stributing apps that interface with OWS servers despite their demand that you do not (which is certainly not okay in the EU).

I'm not a lawyer, but:

EU law very specifically allows you to create software interfacing with third party software or services, even if they tell you not to do so, and you can even decompile their software to learn how to do that interfacing (compare §69d UrhG), as long as you don't have to break their ToS doing so. (Which I don't, the only ones possibly breaking the ToS would be the users, and there's also a legal argument that you can't prevent users from modifying the software they use to access your service (see the AdBlockPlus vs. BILD case, LG Hamburg)).