So has anyone gotten the desktop client for Signal working? I noticed your choices are either a package downloaded with apt-get or a snap package that relies upon systemd. (I'm assuming the base package also uses it.) Trying to rig up some sort of remote Christmas thingy with the in-laws. I'm lobbying for anything but facetime (they're all on iOS.)

I suggested Zoom. It was shot down as too fiddly.

Google meet/hangout is an option that hasn't been vetoed.

Any other options I can give them? I'd like to not have to hold my phone for an hour or so. (like I said I'm the lone Mac-hater in the family.)

Hi, I use signal-desktop only for text messages (I don't have webcam), it works fine.

You can use Jitsi or BigBlueButton. You can find a room hosted by a "chaton" at https://entraide.chatons.org

Huh, cool. How did you get/install signal?

Hi

I guess from the Slackbuild : https://slackbuilds.org/repository/1...ignal-desktop/
Or ponce's one for -current : https://github.com/Ponce/slackbuilds...signal-desktop

Signal doesn't need systemd. I keep the SBo version fairly up to date, and the SlackBuilds for -current and 14.2 are identical since there's not much going on apart from binary extraction/repackaging (from the .deb). The easiest way to get it then is to use an SBo manager (sbotools, sbopkg, etc).

I've not tried group calling yet in Signal, but one-to-one calling has always worked well for me. Jitsi Meet is another good option, the Android/iOS apps are good, and there's meet.jit.si if you're on desktop.

Is Telegram an option? It now has video calling.

Threema too, I think.

mailbox.org now have video calling / teleconferencing bundled with their paid email accounts.

edit : Telegram is available as a Slackbuild.

Threema is available as an app (3.99 euro) for iOS and Android, which gives you web access to the desktop version.

As far as I remember, if you use mailbox.org for video calling, only the person initiating the call needs to have a paid account.

Cool thanks, folks. This gives me some things to work on...

For casual calls to iOS/Android users, I'd recommend Jitsi Meet, it's very low friction. Signal is great, and I'm really happy that they've recently added grouping calling, but it's more of a full messaging setup rather than just quick calls (e.g., with Signal you'd need to get them to join a group, and then I think group calls are currently limited to 5 participants). Jitsi Meet on the other hand is just joining some room name that you make up on the spot.

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Hi,

you can't use Threema for group calls. :-(

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If you have Signal on your phone and also KDEConnect running on the phone and in Plasma5,
KDEConnect will open a dialog box for you if someone sends a message in Signal.
'Tis rather cool.

But Zoom is pretty easy for a simple video gathering.
I dont perceive it as being fiddly.
I would push Zoom again.

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Jitsi Meet is easier to get going with than Zoom, no accounts to deal with.

Sorry, I'm late. I installed it from slackbuilds.org with sbopkg.