posted in Technology
Hope you like RCS, because Google Messages plans to remove this easy way to turn it off
www.androidauthority.com/messages-rcs-disable-3719799/
Replying to @Mustachius_Grumpius@thelemmy.club
I like RCS. I hate it was kidnapped by Google and they’re the only ones hosting the servers instead of the carriers as it was supposed to be. Instead of the agnostic infrastructure we were supposed to have, we got another corporate monopoly hell scape.
Replying to @dustyData@lemmy.world
Was it kidnapped? Or did the carriers basically dump it on the fire stations doorstep? Not really googles fault if every carrier was too lazy to run their own RCS servers…
Replying to @CameronDev@programming.dev
Then federate, decentralize it, or abandon it to die. Let’s not pretend Google is saving something sacred like a baby’s life. They took up RCS to compete with Apple. This is not a tragedy, it was made this way by design.
Replying to @dustyData@lemmy.world
Google didn’t develop RCS, GSMA did. All google did was purchase the startup that actually developed a good implementation of it.
This isnt some gatekeeping exercise from google, they had nothing to do with RCS’s initial design and release. The carriers are entirely to blame for dragging their feet, although some are finally implementing their own servers (China is entirely RCS without google).
As for “federate it, decentralise it”, thats how it already is. Its called “hubbing”, but its basically federation. The networks run their server, and the federate messages between them. It isn’t centralised at all.
Replying to @CameronDev@programming.dev
Never said they developed it. They bought it for a reason though.
Can we self-host a RCS server and hub with all the RCS network?
Replying to @dustyData@lemmy.world
They bought an implementation of RCS, the standard is still open. They even sell there implementation to a few telcos.
You cant self host it because you need to be a telco, it has telco specific protocols.
Your looking for a conspiracy/monopoly that for once, doesnt exist due to Google being malicious. It exists because telcos are shit.
Replying to @CameronDev@programming.dev
Two entities can be shit, and also malicious, at the same time.
Replying to @dustyData@lemmy.world
Google has historically done a lot of good things. Today they simply do evil, but pushing for RCS adoption when telcos refused to is one of those good things they did.
You can still hate Google and want them to disappear, I do, but that doesn’t mean you automatically hate everything ever touched by them. Their motivation may have been strictly to compete with Apple, but e2ee messages are a net positive if you must use it. Use signal and matrix when you can, use RCS when you must.