Why is the default install Microsoft store?

[illspirit]

I thought this app was for privacy focused individuals? I understand the .exes can be found on Github but I'm just wondering why Microsoft store is involved at all? I have most of the store functionality removed and MS servers blocked via DNS.

[Rexogamer]

The Microsoft Store is easy to use for a lot of users (auto-updates, easy access/app management etc) and is entirely optional. Our main aim is to provide Revolt as widely as possible, and this helps with that - in addition, it's basically identical to the "normal" builds, and does not include/lack anything compared to them.

You are more than welcome to use the executable files or Winget and block connections to Microsoft's servers - the MS Store is provided as an entirely optional method of installing the app, and I certainly think having it as an option for those who want/need it while not impacting those who don't is valuable.

[Rexogamer]

I agree with what Lea said below - if you're this worried about privacy, why use an operating system that has been widely criticised for its data collection and related practises?

[EdgelordUltima]

It's false dichotomy. "Either you fully obssess with anonymity, or you give up on all security".
Everyone wants privacy, but there's a spectrum of how much hassle a person is willing to go through for it.

Those willing to install Linux will always be an extreme minority - but that's besides the point, which is that, there are people willing to switch from Discord to a more privacy-oriented platform, and they are your primary audience, yet you fail to actually provide any privacy.

I'm not obsessed with privacy. I asked my friend on twitter for his discord, and since he's cautious, he introduced me to Element.
Your product is more user-friendly than Element, but that's not enough for me to be able to recommend Revolt to that friend, because it's very clear that you guys care about privacy much less than your competitor, or else you would have long added E2E to DMs and servers.

[insertish]

I just want to comment on a few things:

• I don't see how the default option on the website is relevant to any privacy-conscious individual. For those people, I imagine they would instinctively seek out and check if there is an alternative way to download the app if they do not wish to use the Microsoft Store. (I don't see a problem with this.)
• Our audience is not exclusive to privacy-oriented individuals, we are catering to a general audience, and distributing through the Microsoft Store offers the best end-user experience. (I also don't think you can assert that privacy-oriented individuals are our primary audience. This is not to say that it's not a core principle or anything but it's not something we market using either, because like you've said, we don't have e2ee yet so I feel it's misleading to promote the platform based on that hence we don't.)
• If you want an explanation of why e2ee isn't here yet, it's just because we're a very small team, other things like usability and basic feature parity (with other platforms) is taking priority right now. It is however, slated to come after voice/video calling on the roadmap.

[EdgelordUltima]

I appreciate your response.

• I find it hard to believe that "general audiece" prefers using Microsoft Store over downloading an executable from a website.
  Github scares them away, and Microsoft Store is additional service required, and is thus an extra hassle.
  A few clicks to download an executable from a website's home page is much easier and attractive to a general audience, hence my confusion.

• My issue isn't so much with e2e not being implemented in DMs yet, as much as with the fact that user servers aren't mentioned.
  Why are e2e plans limited to DMs and Group Chats? Will it eventually be added to user servers?

If that is the case, then I sincerely hope to see that in the future, whenever that may be.

[IAmTomahawkx]

A few clicks to download an executable from a website's home page is much easier and attractive to a general audience, hence my confusion.

According to whom? If there's actual data to back that up I'd be interested to see it. We believe that the MS store provides an easy way for "non-techy" people to get access to the app, and it provides them with built-in tools like auto update and app management (like rexo said originally). The Microsoft store is already part of windows, we're not asking you to download third party app stores (or use the store at all). Users who don't care can simply click a button and get the app in the easiest to use form factor. More advanced users are absolutely free to download binaries directly off of GitHub.

Why are e2e plans limited to DMs and Group Chats? Will it eventually be added to user servers?

Scaling encryption is Hard(tm). Most services limit the size of an encrypted chat to sub-one-thousand users. We've not put servers on the encryption roadmap as we have not figured out a way to do it in a way that satisfies our needs. That being said we haven't put many resources into it yet, as we've not been focusing on encryption. It may end up on the roadmap once we start putting more effort into encryption and find a good way to do it.

[illspirit]

I thought the idea behind the app was privacy. It's a branding and image thing. I guess I thought this was a privacy oriented alternative to Discord. Reading through the website I can see it's definitely focused on data collection like all the other big ones.

E2E isn't even a thing for DMs?

What is the meaning behind the name? What are you Revolting against? It's certainly not against big corporations.

[Rexogamer]

Hostility aside:

• we do not collect any extraneous data and aside from one of the options for installing the app being an app store you dislike I don't see what gives you this impression
• not yet, but we do not claim otherwise anywhere and very much intend to work on it after other features/rewrites are done
• again, just because one of the options for downloading Revolt is an app store owned by Microsoft doesn't mean we're suddenly Evil Spying Big Tech Corporation No. 238 - we simply want to make the app available to more people by distributing it via stores they use.

[sussycatgirl]

In addition to this, you wouldn't be seeing the Microsoft Store as default option if you weren't using Windows in the first place. I think it's a bit hypocritical to get mad as us for offering it as an option while using the Microsoft products you despise so much yourself.