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0 pointsjbverschoor3y ago0 comments

Doesn’t tell me anything.

How does it work? What apps are compatible? How is the connection between devices set up? Wire guard? If not, then what? How does it control apps and receive notifications?

At first it sounded to me like an alternative X11 thing

I hate it when projects/products only state what you can do (or at least what they envision), and not explaining the actual workings. Especially when data and access gets more and more important.

Same with I think it was postbox.. nice app, but they didn’t tell you that they need full access to your account, store “securely” on their server.. no thank you.

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4 comments · 3 top-level

cycomanic3y ago· 1 in thread

I am quite the opposite, many projects now just have a wall of text about the technology they use, but completely utred to explain in simple terms what it does. It seems some devs assume that everyone can guess from the tech stack. By all means have a page explaining the technology, but the front page should tell me what I can do with it.

jbverschoorOP3y ago

Well you need both.. What does it do and why. And then how. The how needs to be somewhere if it's not something super standard, and even then I think it's best to explain. Because things are simply not obvious.

chupasaurus3y ago

> How does it work?

KDE framework has KIO library which provides network-transparent file access (that's why Konqueror works a file manager and a browser simultaneously). IIRC the author of KDE Connect was tinkering over sending notifications to a phone app and found out you can make much more with it.

> How is the connection between devices set up?

The server part uses 1716/UDP for broadcasting it's presence and 1716-1764/TCP to communicate with clients. The client had to be paired with server (like in Bluetooth), the communication is done via TLS, file browsing works over SFTP.

> How does it control apps and receive notifications?

Everything is done via plugins, both sides choose which ones are enabled and some have their own control schemes (i.e. whitelist of apps to sync notifications from phone).

jcelerier3y ago

> How does it work? What apps are compatible?

it integrates in the desktop UI (and standard protocols, e.g. D-Bus, the "share as..." feature, etc) & phone UI (and standard protocols, e.g. MPRIS, the Android "share" feature, etc), it's mostly not about apps but about the shell, although some apps have nice additional integrations through extensions, like firefox.

For instance:

- when I copy on my linux desktop I can paste on my phone

- I can share links, files, etc between phone and desktop trivially (through the usual android feature on the phone, and through right-click in my desktop)

- when I have media playing either in my desktop media player or in web browsers I can control the playback from the phone

- I can use my phone as a remote control when I give talks & presentations

- I see my phone notifications on my desktop

etc

It's really the only thing that makes Android remotely tolerable for me.

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