[logic]

I'm about to receive a librem5, and Signal is going to be one of the biggest stumbling blocks for me to switch over. The electron desktop app can't serve as a replacement even if it could run properly (it needs to be tethered to a phone that can run the Android or iOS mobile client, with the SIM for your number installed), and open source reimplementations are few and far between (and then there's the issue where they don't want third-party implementations or forks talking to their servers, and they don't federate, so it's not like you can actually run your own server and continue to talk to anyone).

I'm sure the librem5 community will eventually scaffold something to make this work, and it might even be somewhat user-friendly, but I can't imagine a scenario where Signal themselves are positive about it.

So, it's back to SMS for me. And convincing my more technical friends to give Matrix a try again, in the hopes that the UX issues aren't as bad for them in late 2019.

I wish Signal the best of luck, I really do; their goal is laudable, most of their source is open, and they're smart folks. But a very limited developer community (and open hostility to the kind of community that might result in broader platform options) means I've stopped suggesting it to folks, because I won't even be able to use it myself very shortly.