Subj : TgM: not exactly the same
To   : Charles Pierson
From : August Abolins
Date : Fri Nov 13 2020 06:55 pm

Hello Charles!

** On Friday 13.11.20 - 16:04, Charles Pierson wrote to August Abolins:

 AA>> It's the convenience (portability across devices, even
 AA>> the USB version so that you can use *any* pc that is
 AA>> handy at the time) of using Telegram is pretty cool.

 CP> That's not being made clear, I don't think.  A lot of
 CP> people seem think it's strictly an app for mobile.

I don't know if we can say "a lot of people" yet. ;)  The  
Fido/Telegram merge is still relatively young (about 2 months  
since a few english-speaking echos have been built) and  
obscure.


 AA>> Plus, the way it catalogs links and photos and files, is
 AA>> an organizer's dream. And.. all that (files, photos,
 AA>> links) is searchable.  Finding a message is based on a
 AA>> text string is handy too.

 CP> Those all sound like cool features. They aren't something
 CP> that I personally would use very often, but nice that
 CP> they are there.

Those features are not readily obvious with the tablet/phone  
apps. But in the desktop version, the program can be operated  
in full view that includes a side-panel on the right that  
provides the stats on the number of members, files, photos,  
and links. The full list of shared files/photos/links is just  
a single click away. It's practically like a built-in filefix  
for each echo.


 CP> Actually, moderator aspect aside, which is interesting
 CP> enough but I'd have to examine.

That can be arranged!  Name your echo.


 CP> It is fairly easy to get phone numbers.  There are dozens
 CP> of apps out there to do so.  I'm not saying it would be
 CP> worth someone's time to do so, but it is possible.

I looked into that too.  The services that provide temporary  
virtual phone numbers may not be completely reliable. It is  
best to have a permanent number that you can have full control  
over.  The cost of seeking addtional numbers for the purposes  
to get around a Fidonet ban could get unnecessarily costly.


 AA>> The TgM experience doesn't have to be exactly the same
 AA>> (taglines, quoting style, and other aspects from
 AA>> echomail culture)  ..but the basics for allowing
 AA>> participation in conversations is still pretty good.

 CP> I'm glad to hear you day that, since I've spent so much
 CP> time trying to explain that.

You can think of the TgM environment as just a different  
"skin" wrapped around a messaging environment designed for  
modern personal devices. The appearance can be personalized to  
the user's delight. From a visual POV, the user is simply  
accessing Stas' BBS not unlike visiting any other BBS for the  
message areas. Except that in this case, the TgM appearance is  
ready-made with some extra bells and whistles courtesy of  
Telegram technology. Stas' bot provides the behind the scenes  
hook to fidonet.

--
  ../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.46
 * Origin: The future is not what it used to be. (2:221/1.58)

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