I assume they wanted to ship ASAP and didn’t want to build something on every platform at once. They’re capitalizing on Twitter’s dumpster fire, what’s important is getting a product out there that 1) replicates basic Twitter functionality and 2) millions of people can easily access.

I assume they did it because they consider web browsers to be a hindrance to their tracking panopticon.

All other platforms allow users to block ads and other malware on its platform. iOS is the only one that is actively anti-hacker. That's the difference.

Im using adblockers on iOS and am getting quite a decent experience.

>iOS is the only one that is actively anti-hacker

anti-hacker? I think on the hierarchical scale of hackers, people who download and deploy adblockers should be rated "script kiddy" :)

I'm using "hacker" to refer to its original, broader meaning as a term, not the meaning pop media uses. Similar to the way how this site "Hacker News" is for all kinds of "hackers" in general, not just infosec crackers.

What proportion of hackers above the "script kiddies" level do you think don't actively block ads?

It seems like it’s going to eventually have activitypub / mastodon support? I’m hoping I can just follow everyone from Threads in my existing mastodon app. (Or from the webui of the instance I use)

Lots of instances are anti-meta integration. But imo the protocol is open specifically for this kinda thing. I don’t have to use Facebook’s garbage, but I can still get content from people who do.

It will only have activitypub/mastodon till it is the number 1 player...

At that point, suddenly the activitypub feeds will start mysteriously getting unreliable/ratelimited and eventually support will be dropped and it'll be back to a silo.

You only build the walls high after you have captured everyone...

It literally is nr 1 after 5 hrs. Interoperability is needed if Meta wants run Threads in EU. ActivityPub is W3C protocole.

> Interoperability

I think privacy is bigger issue here.

> It seems like it’s going to eventually have activitypub

If you believe that, I'd like to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge. It will eventually have activitypub too!

This is an intentional strategy to work around ad-blocking and other data harvesting practices. Just take a look at the privacy information screen in the iOS App Store for example.

But it does have a website:

https://www.threads.net/@zuck

Is the website read-only or something?

Click through onto specific posts, and it reads: "Get the app to like, reply and post."

I suppose this is so it can, like Twitter, be shared and embedded elsewhere for reference.

There is no general landing page if you go to threads.net.

I can click through to post and view the replies. I'm in the EU so I can't create an account, that might explain the difference.

It shows a blank page on Firefox, though displays as it should on Edge/Chrome. I guess they simply haven't considered deploying for non-Chromium engines yet.

God that logo is abysmal.

I just run anbox so I can run android apps as desktop apps. Sometimes it actually performs better than a crappy slow react webapp.

Sometimes you get banned from apps because anbox makes you look like a botter...

internet applications which have no web app have been a thing for much longer than web apps have been a thing, what a weird thing to take a stand against.

Smartphones are the future not desktops.

Hell I know someone who bought one of those Samsung foldable phones so that he could ditch his laptop.