Unfortunately, you violated the law slightly by asking a question!

Cunningham’s Law states “the best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it’s to post the wrong answer.”

Damn, I’m glad you made this comment as that is an amazing gif!

We have firmly reached the limits of my very limited understanding of the technologies available, now! But we agree, at least, that something not tied into a walled garden is preferable.

I have a little hope with the recent time in the sun the fediverse is having.

I’m hoping RCS’ burgeoning ubiquity on Android breaks some of the walls down in Europe, at least.

Yup, hard agree with you on that last point.

That’s an interesting example, but note that in Europe, at least, WhatsApp is king. I only mention it because the walled-garden approach Apple favours isn’t necessarily a guaranteed outcome, and third-party apps can happily become the norm among non-tech people.