Reply to post: What has IMAP got to do with Facebook?

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PVecchi

What has IMAP got to do with Facebook?

Dear Andrew,

I know that being a journalist is hard especially because lots of research should be done before writing stuff.

IMAP played a good role in email servers and client for many years but we see that is anyway being replaced by Open Source implementation of MAPI and on the client side with ActiveSync as they are more efficient.

I have no idea what relation there may be between a Facebook replacement and IMAP. Maybe Laguna has a new secret extension of IMAP in the making?

While we wait to know more the rest of the world is using XMPP for chat using clients or implement distributed platform using ActivityPub or similar protocol to sync instances.

Facebook alternatives are out there, Diaspora being one of them, and the fact that billions of users aren't using them is due to the fact that people got used to instant gratification, some call it convenience, given by the fact that they can sign up and give away their private data straight away without having the time or will to consider the implications.

I'm all for an exam, lasting at least half an hour, where users have to read all the T&C of Public Cloud services, answer a questionnaire, digitally sign a waiver stating that their data can (will) be used for any profit making activity the Corporation can think of and only then allow access.

The same should naturally be applied to all sites that use Google Analytics and related services.

I bet after a while users and companies will find that is a lot more convenient to install their own chat or email server. The additional bonus is that we'll have more people that know what to do in IT instead of outsourcing everything to the so called "Cloud".

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