Does the desktop application for Linux support responsive design such that what I see is similar to what I see when I open Telegram on my Android phone?
I know Purism is pushing for Matrix but I’ll tell you right now, having been an early adopter and foisting it on all my friends and family: it’s slow, discoverability of other people is not easy, features that delight my friends and family such as stickers are outright missing.
After playing with the default Telegram for desktop app and shrinking it on screen, it seems that it should work well on a small screen like that of the Librem 5. I guess that it will work on Wayland as most modern apps will work on Wayland. So, I think the default Telegram for Desktop app should work unmodified on the Librem 5.
Please note: This is just a hunch and I have done no actual tests besides shrinking my Telegram window on my Ubuntu machine. Actual developers could probably answer this question better than I can.
Telegram is not bad but I would suggest Wire over telegram for so many reasons. One would be the fact the end to end/client-side encryption is not only default for all functions but is the standard. There is no way to turn it off. So no need to worry about if your communication is secure. Applications for all other platforms already exist and are easy to install. This includes desktop and mobile. You have audio, video, group and file sharing too. Not only is the application software open source, so is the code for the server. And lastly, it is based in Switzerland. Please compare to Telegram.
I’ve used Wire. Notifications are extremely unreliable on the Android and iOS platforms. Signal has the same issues.
Hi @taohansen
So far I have not experienced that issue on my phone. I would imagine, hope, that a Linux Mobile version would be better.
Reminder that Telegram is not free and open source.
Do you also use an Android phone without GCM (Google Cloud Messaging) so without the Google Apps installed? I have the same issues there 
The desktop telegram client is free and open source. The server software is not. While the telegram desktop client could fall under SaaSS, I still feel that using Telegram is way better for privacy than Facebook Messenger.
Vs. Signal that is free and open source GNU-based licenses for both client and server. Eventually we should have better GNU-compatible self-hostable messaging servers. Telegram reportedly stores contacts, media, and seemingly even the damn encryption keys on the server! Message encryption is not on by default. They as non-cryptographers rolled their own seemingly unaudited crypto. I hope that I would not need to point out the absurdity in comparing anything to Facebook Messenger on a Purism forum. As Telegram actually works against forwarding privacy and security, Purism (and the security-minded) should have nothing to do with it.
I don’t want E2E encryption on by default. I want it on when I want it and off when I don’t want it
Signal is run by a person who is hostile to the F-Droid community and has repeatedly proven himself to be unkind in his communications. Signal doesn’t have a standalone desktop client.
Telegram has promised they will open source everything: https://telegram.org/faq#q-why-not-open-source-everything
Based on their recent efforts to stand up against all of Russia, I am willing to take them on their word for now.
The competition does not know how to deliver a messaging platform that is reliable, easy to use, and secure when needed. Open source should be learning from Telegram’s example.
I’ve used Wire both with and without GCM and have notification issues using either. Signal suffers from the same problems!
Can we agree that for privacy/security we want: free and open source software on both the server & client side, end-to-end encryption without server having keys, audited software/crypto-algorithms, ergonomic software/interfaces?
Granted that nothing seems to properly address all these. Even though Signal “has” a desktop client it is not really functional in my experience. And agreed that Signal has significant ergonomic issues (though increasingly improved).
Why would you not want end-to-end encryption on by default? Clearly noobs have been confused thinking they were having encrypted sessions when they weren’t. Furthermore increased properly encrypted traffic in general makes it harder for malevolent agencies to sift man-in-the-middle signal from noise.
Re signal being run by someone hostile to F-Droid…can you elaborate as I don’t know anything about this? Doesn’t sound like Moxie.
Telegram seems like a joke for security, e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/privacytoolsIO/comments/6r655i/telegram_isnt_safe/ or https://cs.au.dk/~jakjak/master-thesis.pdf It seems like cryptographers are shitting on Telegram because Telegram devs seem to not know what they are doing (marketing aside). I can’t understand why it is being marketed as privacy/security focused. “We promise to open source everything” as per their FAQ is just absurd and offensive from a FOSS/security perspective. Would this site exist if Purism said that? There is a reason why “trust, but verify” is a ubiquitous mantra.
Purism originally shipped with a proprietary BIOS and a full Intel ME. I think we can agree that a company working towards fully free is better than the alternative.
I used Telegram at one point on my journey to FLOSS. I see it as a gateway drug of sorts. Get people into Telegram and maybe then you can get them int “harder” stuff.
Hi everyone,
A short reminder on what Purism envisions to support at launch regarding IM: two applications. One for SMS and small groups within Matrix, and one for large group in Matrix. This should be based on Fractal.
Purism’s Andrea is also working on a PoC based on XMPP in case E2EE doesn’t make it to the Fractal split by the phone launch.
Anyway, I think it’s worth reminding the phone will not support notifications at launch, although it will shortly after.
It won’t support notifications at all? Or the lockscreen won’t support notifications?
In my understanding it won’t support notifications at all, but I could be wrong so don’t take my word for that.
I’ll keep you updated with the correct information 
It is ridiculous and absurd to compare Purism releasing laptops with proprietary bios made by others, to marketers of shit closed-source encryption software like Telegram promising to open source their code. Software like Telegram is not a gateway, it’s a trap.
You are welcome to your opinions and I am welcome to mine.
Please moderate your language. You’re talking to other human beings just like yourself.
Just to let you know, there already is a w9rking Telegram client for Linux mobile phones. It’s a default IM client in Ubuntu Touch and used by tousands of Linux users and developers for communication.
https://open.uappexplorer.com/app/com.ubuntu.telegram