WIRE - a fully-encrypted, end-to-end, video chat & messaging app.....in 'portable' format

[mikewalsh]

Evening, gang.

I'm really pleased to find this one is still extant. I waxed lyrical about it some 3 or 4 years ago, when it was still in the relatively early stages; fast-forward to the present, and it's as good as, if not better than ever.

There was some dissent between a few of the Wire devs at the time, and lots of indecision whether to just let it lapse, or sell out to a private company. Luckily, it appears to be still going strong AS a free, open-source app.

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Wire gmBH have always had 2 things going for them. The app is fully-encrypted, end-to-end......and the entire process is regularly audited for security & compliance with the EU data-handling laws. Moreover, that audit process is totally transparent, and anybody can request a copy of the most recent audit results. By EU law, the company cannot refuse such a request, and is legally-obligated to comply.

Which all helps to improve security, and makes it extremely easy for any competent individuals to submit patches if they so wish.

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Being Electron-based, and an AppImage to boot, it was of course ultra-simple to build this one into the 'portable-app' format. Here, then, is the current Puppy-portable version of the encrypted Wire video-chat/messaging app.

Should anyone be interested, it can be found here:-

https://mega.nz/folder/7PglTKLI#HxK6Wh39wrg7ofdoQ7JI4w

As always; d/l; unzip; move the portable's directory anywhere you wish, though preferably outside the 'save'. Click to enter, click 'LAUNCH' to fire it up. Scripts let you add a Menu entry if one is required, or remove it again if needed. The 'MenuReadMe' explains how to use these.

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To keep it up-to-date, visit the Downloads page:-

https://wire.com/en/download/

.....click on 'Details' under the Linux icon, then select the 64-bit AppImage in the pop-up window. Make it executable, edit the name to match the existing one inside the portable's directory (you CAN remove the .AppImage suffix completely; these things will still function A-OK like this), and just swap 'em over. Easy-peasy.

Have fun with it. Enjoy.

Mike.

[rockedge]

@mikewalsh Good stuff! I have downloaded the portable, duplicated Launch as AppRun then dragged the portable to the desktop (Bionic64-CE) and WIRE starts right up.

I duplicate Launch in case I need it as the starter wrapper.

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[mikewalsh]

@rockedge :-

Glad it meets with your approval, Erik. I'm running this natively in Quirky64 April 701 (no need for the Xenialpup chroot with this one!); okay, I'm using Fossapup's k5.4.53 kernel, and jrb upgraded it to glibc 2.20, but this IS basically Tahrpup-era. Which is quite impressive, all things considered. We'll have to see if it runs OK in KLV. Can't think of any reasons why not.

I liked this one from the word go; in the early days, it was also available as a 32-bit AppImage, which worked every bit as well. It meant I was able to run it in all Puppies, with a common, shared .config directory sym-linked in from a remote location. It should certainly run as a RoxApp, too, without any probs.

(Of course, with the 'portable' there's no longer any need for an external sym-link, 'cos it's all part of the portable build.)

The only thing you need to watch out for is that the app is coded to allow for "installation" on up to a maximum of 8 devices at one time. Despite that the portable keeps all its data internally, every 'fresh' instance of Wire generates a salted ID hash, kept in the cloud, and linked against each Pup's unique MAC address.

Still, there aren't too many of us running that number of different Pups. If nothing else, this'll give you another string to your bow..!

I haven't used it for a while; when I last did, for a chat with relatives we have in Midwest City, Oklahoma - right smack in the middle of 'Tornado Alley', of course! - I was impressed with the quality of the call audio, and an astonishing lack of latency thereof. You'll have to let me know how you get on with it, mate......and what your impressions are. We certainly have no lack of available video-chat 'apps' for Linux nowadays; it's one positive legacy of the pandemic, I think, 'cos it's promoted development of these things to a far greater degree than it otherwise would have done, what with all the "working-from-home" that was standard practice for so many months.

Mike.

[Wiz57]

@rockedge :-

Glad it meets with your approval, Erik. I'm running this natively in Quirky64 April 701 (no need for the Xenialpup chroot with this one!); okay, I'm using Fossapup's k5.4.53 kernel, and jrb upgraded it to glibc 2.20, but this IS basically Tahrpup-era. Which is quite impressive, all things considered. We'll have to see if it runs OK in KLV. Can't think of any reasons why not.

I liked this one from the word go; in the early days, it was also available as a 32-bit AppImage, which worked every bit as well. It meant I was able to run it in all Puppies, with a common, shared .config directory sym-linked in from a remote location. It should certainly run as a RoxApp, too, without any probs.

(Of course, with the 'portable' there's no longer any need for an external sym-link, 'cos it's all part of the portable build.)

The only thing you need to watch out for is that the app is coded to allow for "installation" on up to a maximum of 8 devices at one time. Despite that the portable keeps all its data internally, every 'fresh' instance of Wire generates a salted ID hash, kept in the cloud, and linked against each Pup's unique MAC address.

Still, there aren't too many of us running that number of different Pups. If nothing else, this'll give you another string to your bow..!

I haven't used it for a while; when I last did, for a chat with relatives we have in Midwest City, Oklahoma - right smack in the middle of 'Tornado Alley', of course! - I was impressed with the quality of the call audio, and an astonishing lack of latency thereof. You'll have to let me know how you get on with it, mate......and what your impressions are. We certainly have no lack of available video-chat 'apps' for Linux nowadays; it's one positive legacy of the pandemic, I think, 'cos it's promoted development of these things to a far greater degree than it otherwise would have done, what with all the "working-from-home" that was standard practice for so many months.

Mike.

Midwest City eh? That's not far from me, unless you were walking/biking, lol! Back in my former life I worked a couple of stores in MWC as well
as Choctaw (kind of a next door neighbor to MWC, along with Del City).
Wiz

[mikewalsh]

@Wiz57 :-

[Off-topic]

Yes, indeed. Mum's cousin Jacqui met her husband-to-be while he was stationed over here at USAF Lakenheath in the 60s. When he returned to the States, she went with him, 'cos they'd got hitched during his 'tenure' over here.

Jacqui eventually became a theatre sister at their local main hospital there. Sadly, she passed away 4 or 5 years ago; Jerry, her husband, must be in his early 90s now, though still alive & kicking.

The only thing I really know about Mid-west City is its location.....right in the middle of what you guys have christened 'Tornado Alley'. Correct me if I'm wrong; I believe that's between the Rockies on the one hand, and the Alleghenies on the other?

Mike.

[Wiz57]

[off topic]

That's pretty close Mike. Funny thing is that last year (2021) Oklahoma had fewer tornadoes, which is fine with me, I don't get
scared shXXless like some do, remain watchful during stormy weather. The southeast part of USA had more tornadoes, places
like Alabama, Tennessee...even in "Upper Midwest" like Ohio and Indiana...seems these areas were in the crosshairs. Shift in
the jet stream winds? Climate change? Will watch and see what this spring storm season brings.
Wiz

[tosim]

[off-topic]
If y'all wet South on I35, from OK city until you see Wynnewood, then about 15 miles East is Roff-my old home.

[Wiz57]

[off-topic]
If y'all wet South on I35, from OK city until you see Wynnewood, then about 15 miles East is Roff-my old home.

Been down that stretch a few times, on my way to Pauls Valley and Ada...have a sister that lives in McAlester.

[tosim]

OK you "Okies"-I used to ranch in Pontotoc County-I was about 6 miles West of Roff.