[m_mueller]

We need a multi step process to get out of this whole communications calamity:

0) Acknowledge there is a problem.

1) Have a client/service based on open standards and frictionless end-to-end encryption for ALL major OSes (Mobile + Desktop).

2) Get people to use it by building a lucrative business model around it (without giving up openness) and throw money into advertising.

3)-5) Repeat for Voice.

6)-8) Repeat for Video.

Right now we're still at step 0) with TextSecure being the most promising at reaching 1). Each subsequent step becomes less and less likely to succeed, so I wouldn't bet any money that we have anything like that in the future. Maybe if MS released Skype as Open Source (which doesn't seem so unlikely anymore after yesterday's news).

[pjc50]

"open standards" pretty much equals "no business model", unfortunately - at least for something end-user orientated like this.

[m_mueller]

I'm not sure about this - it could also be that the medium simply isn't mature enough yet. I mean look at the international phone network - they somehow managed to get everyone in the same boat - you don't need some special service just because you want to call up Australia. Yes, they don't all have the same standard, but at least they are interoperable.

Similarly, why do we need proprietary standard to charge money for a service? As a consumer I don't care about whether a protocol is open or closed, instead I care about a) what percentage of people here and abroad it can connect me to and b) the reliability of their servers. Making it proprietary is just detrimental to (a) in the long term while gaining the provider some mid term benefits by shutting out competition.

[gcb0]

> Most promising at

Never heard..

[m_mueller]

My foreign language skills tend to increase between the second and third coffee, sorry about that..

[gcb0]

The language was fine... Just saying I've never heard of the one you say is most promising regarding adoption numbers

[m_mueller]

Point 1) wasn't about adoption numbers but functionality in terms of clients. TextSecure are the only OSS ones with an easy to use client I know that have as one of their goals to create iOS / Desktop clients. That's why I wrote we're at stage 0) right now, with some hope at reaching 1).