Crazy stuff: sudo snap install signal-desktop
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Hi,
Today I just figured why not try:
sudo snap install signal-desktopAnd I realize it just works! This is crazy. With this simple command I can link my device and see my chats. Well it is certainly not a responsive interface (but not terrible either, there's just the left menu coming in the way) and the keyboard does not show for now. But I can consult messages, and this is major.
It means:
1°) We can certainly create quite easily a version of Signal-Desktop that is adapted to mobile display (with few patches to the interface to make it responsive), and that we can get a full-fledge signal client on Ubtunu touch, that way.
2°) That Mir2.0 will certainly help with that.
Ps: I guess the first easy thing to make it usable as a consul-only stuff is adapt the scale, which I guess must be easily doable.
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Craziest thing:
The calls are partially working out of the box!!!!
Which means we can certainly get calls working one day! -
Yeah, snap is now preinstalled on 24.04 Noble.
We really need new Mir to get better Wayland/Xwayland support. Flatpak would also be cool and we'll be able to use desktop apps or apps in other mobile Linux distros. Nix can also be used with Crackle. -
@kugiigi said in Crazy stuff: sudo snap install signal-desktop:
Yeah, snap is now preinstalled on 24.04 Noble.
I don't think that's the main point of the post. The main point seems to be that, specifically, Signal for desktop can be installed on UT as a snap and works.
Which is pretty impressive! -
@Moem Oh okay.
Then I'm just commenting in general context of snaps
For example, you can also do this with telegram. It even has a scaling setting to make it more usable on the phone. It also doesn't show the OSK though
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Do you know how to adapt scaling of a snap app in Ubuntu Touch, or how to easily pass it parameters like ?
GDK_SCALE=2
Normally I would pass it in the .desktop file but snap constantly rewrites the .dektop file
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@Moem
Honestly I see 4 simple steps to make it a usable client at least for basic chat:1°) Adapt the scale (normally it should be easy)
2°) Show the keyboard when clicking on an input (I'm supposing Mir2.0 might help with that)
3°) Adapt UI to hide left menu when in chat view (Should be doable with minimal patches)
4°) Connect to content Hub to Import/export files. -
I've actually succeeded to start the app with acceptable scaling by creating a dummy unconfined app with simply a .desktop file with the launcher:
Exec=env GDK_SCALE=2 /snap/bin/signal-desktop --no-sandbox %U
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Maybe @ChromiumOS-Guy can help us figure out how to enable keyboard, as you did it with uWolf ?
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Nice find!
Unfortunately its the desktop app which cannot be a "main" app, as in you always need to keep a separate phone.
@pparent said in Crazy stuff: sudo snap install signal-desktop:
I've actually succeeded to start the app with acceptable scaling by creating a dummy unconfined app with simply a .desktop file with the launcher:
Exec=env GDK_SCALE=2 /snap/bin/signal-desktop --no-sandbox %U
That might be worth a guide/instruction with steps on how to do.
Samsung Fold5
will switch to
Volla Quintus UT 24.04-1 -
@t12392n said in Crazy stuff: sudo snap install signal-desktop:
Unfortunately its the desktop app which cannot be a "main" app, as in you always need to keep a separate phone.
Or you install it in waydroid in the same phone and open it from time to time only.
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@t12392n said in Crazy stuff: sudo snap install signal-desktop:
That might be worth a guide/instruction with steps on how to do.
I will publish a repository and a .click file for signal-launcher, pretty dummy stuff, but it can help making it usable for reading messages only, until we find a way to make the keyboard usable.
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Here you are: [USE AT YOUR OWN RISKS]
https://github.com/pparent76/SignalLauncher/releases/tag/Initial
https://github.com/pparent76/SignalLauncherThe 2 clicks versions correspond to scaling x2 and x3
Note that it is just a temporary hack, this repo is to disappear when we have a proper support
