Open Stack

> 
> > I also have technical questions about 'wechat' (like how do you
> > use it without a smartphone?) and the relevance of tools we
> > currently use, but this will open Pandora's box, and I'd rather
> > not spend my energy on closing that box right now :D
> 
> Not that I was planning on running it myself, but I did look into
> the logistics. Apparently there is at least one free/libre open
> source wechat client under active development but you still need to
> use a separate mobile device to authenticate your client's
> connection to wechat's central communication service. By design, it
> appears this is so that you can't avoid reporting your physical
> location (it's been suggested this is to comply with government
> requirements for tracking citizens participating in potentially
> illegal discussions).

This is correct from my experience. There are one or two desktop clients I have
found out there, but there is no way to log in to them other than logging into
your phone app, then using that to scan a QR-code like image in order to
authenticate. As far as I know, there is no way to use Wechat without
installing a smartphone app.