WhatsApp for Desktop
Hardware
desktop client
SHOW HN2015
How HN took it
4 positive, 24 neutral or asking, 2 mixed, 16 critical, out of 46 comments about the project. Thread score -0.23.
Execution: 2 for, 5 againstDesign: 0 for, 4 againstIdea: 1 for, 2 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Feels like a native app and is useful as a standalone window
From 1 comment
I've just tried it, it works well. Barring the delay on opening, and a small delay on resizing, it seems like a native app on Elementary OS. Credit to WhatsApp for building an…
Brakenshire on HN
Works well on Linux
From 1 comment
Cool, I don't need to run Chrome for this. BTW, you should release some generic binary tarballs, those debs work just fine on CentOS/Fedora if you unpack them. No…
Nux on HN
Objections
Name infringes WhatsApp trademark and could be confused with an official app
From 2 comments
> You're probably going to need to deal with the WhatsApp legal team very soon. And for good reason. Remember that trademarks are a consumer protection policy to avoid confusion.…
DanielStraight on HNPretty much this. There are cases where trademarks are defended overly aggressive (e.g. recently IMAX vs arstechnica) but in this case a regular person could reasonably assume…
Vespasian on HN
Does not work on iOS
From 2 comments
Doesn't work if you have an iOS device.
Amaresh on HNSo this is indeed a very simple wrapper around the web.whatsapp.com. Just an <iframe>. I wondered how they reverse engineered the security and worked around whatsapp's SSO…
SchizoDuckie on HN
Only a thin wrapper around web.whatsapp.com with no added value
From 2 comments
So this is indeed a very simple wrapper around the web.whatsapp.com. Just an <iframe>. I wondered how they reverse engineered the security and worked around whatsapp's SSO…
SchizoDuckie on HNI see no advantage over using the --app flag on chrome. It does basically the same thing seeming as this is just a wrapper for whatsapp web anyway...
RX14 on HN
Requests
Rename the app to avoid the WhatsApp name
From 2 comments
It might've been better to do what "Reddit News" did when it turned into "Relay for Reddit" [1]. So it shouldn't be "Whatsapp" for something. But "Something" for Whatsapp. I'm…
higherpurpose on HNAs someone who occasionally has to deal with this kind of thing on the other end, please understand that the way you just described e-mailing them is from a position of bad…
saurik on HN
Support iOS
From 2 comments
I wish they'd sort that out (WhatsApp not this apps dev). It's kind of ridiculous there web app only works on one platform.
k-mcgrady on HNstill no ios support...
jaboutboul on HN
Combine WhatsApp and Messenger into one app
From 1 comment
I saw also the fb messenger for desktop - absolutely great! One suggestion though, I definitely prefer 1 single app to catch all my IMs, like adium on Mac... I'd definitely…
ecesena on HN
Questions
What advantage does it have over a browser tab or Chrome --app mode?
From 2 comments
Is it a wrapper around https://web.whatsapp.com/ ? If yes, what's the advantage over opening a browser tab ?
fla on HNI see no advantage over using the --app flag on chrome. It does basically the same thing seeming as this is just a wrapper for whatsapp web anyway...
RX14 on HN
Can it be used without a phone or with non-WhatsApp contacts?
From 2 comments
Can I use my own phone number and contacts list, chat with people who aren't on Whatsapp, and use this client to type my text messages from my desktop? If so I'll be happy to pay…
Kluny on HNMy app has the exact same functionality as https://web.whatsapp.com. You can't chat with people who aren't on WhatsApp.
aluxian on HN
Alternatives named
Chrome --app flag
From 1 comment
I see no advantage over using the --app flag on chrome. It does basically the same thing seeming as this is just a wrapper for whatsapp web anyway...
RX14 on HN
ChitChat (formerly WhatsMac) for OS X
From 1 comment
There's another OS X only client called ChitChat (formerly WhatsMac) that I've been using for a few weeks which is very cool: https://github.com/stonesam92/ChitChat
longdivision on HN
Telegram
From 1 comment
If only there would be a messenger with native iOs Phone/Tablet, Android Phone/Tablet, Windows, OSX and Linux apps... oh wait there is, it is called Telegram. And you don't even…
rhia on HN
Pidgin WhatsApp plugin
From 1 comment
There is a plugin for Pidgin https://github.com/davidgfnet/whatsapp-purple/
samsaga2 on HN