HACKER Q&A
📣 badrabbit

If there is a replacement for email, what should be the requirements?


HN,

Email is one of the most revolutionary internet technologies. However, both in terms of feature and security, a lot could be done today if it was designed from the ground up instead of pieced together over 30 years.

If you will indulge me and pretend for a moment that I somehow have the power to magically make an email replacement happen and I am asking you to define your requirements, both as technologists and users, what would those requirements be?

Beyond delivering a text message from sender A to recipient B, what are your specific requirements?

Keep in mind, it has to be a passive and somewhat reliable messaging system (i.e.: Not an IRC replacement).

  👤 jqpabc123 Accepted Answer ✓
...what would those requirements be?

Privacy.

If someone sends me spam, I want the ability to easily reject any further mail from either the specific address or the entire domain. It would be nice if this applied universally, on every device. Basically, a user controlled spam filter at the server.

Also, a standardized form of encryption --- to be easily invoked as needed for sensitive data. 98 percent of email doesn't need encryption --- but that last 2 percent does.

Basically, privacy invasion via email needs to be eliminated.

👤 dane-pgp
Requirement 1: It should be backwards compatible with existing email systems.

As examples, consider Delta Chat and the Autocrypt specification it's built on.

https://delta.chat/en/

https://autocrypt.org/

👤 yuppie_scum
End to end Encrypted

Private (figure a way to prevent pixel tracking, etc)

Trusted (figure out how to prevent unsolicited spam - opt-in “friends only” model?)

Overcome file size and type sending/sharing roadblocks

Overcome embedded malware issues

Treat groups the same as individuals at the delivery/trust level

Instant delivery

Easy import/export/transfer/backup/cleanup

First class integration with calendaring

👤 collinthecorgi
I think most importantly would be privacy, then the features of sending files and maybe spam blocking is highly recommended.
👤 logicalmonster
I think Apples data detectors features for email are pretty cool. It does some minor things like recognize dates in emails or certain things like recognizing phone numbers. I think some kind of advanced system that does a much better job of letting you sort through emails’ content or taking action with this data in some structured format would be useful.

If I’m trying to remember the name of somebody I talked to years ago, I should have an option to see the first names of everybody who I ever communicated with.

If I’m trying to find an old receipt, I shouldn’t have to search through receipts for half an hour to find out that the word I should have looked for is invoice instead: it should be smart enough to sort through all similar data.

If an email mentions a location, it should automatically be marked in a map. Etc.

I don’t use it myself but hey.com has some interesting and sensible quality of life functions. https://www.hey.com/features/

👤 d--b
Pay to send (maybe?)