SavvyWolf

Oooh, I get to say an “Umm… Actually” fact. File names are not case sensitive in Linux nor are they case insensitive in Windows.

It’s entirely possible to have a case insensitive filesystem on Linux (I think ext4 supports a mount option for it now). Likewise, there’s a bit you can set on folders in Windows that makes its contents case sensitive. So realistically, case sensitivity is a property of the folder, not the OS.

Yes, that’s as annoying as it sounds.

I think the onboarding and new user experience for Mint could be better, but I think there’s one important thing that I think makes Mint a good intro distro: Its Ubuntu base.

If you look up guides for “linux” it usually gives instructions for Ubuntu, which usually also apply to Mint. Likewise, if you look for software downloads you tend to find Ubuntu debs.

I know flatpak fixes these issues to an extent, but I think we’re not there yet.

I like flatpaks and flathub, but this is just something they do badly. I think as well they also have “probably safe” which is just as unhelpful… And what does “access certain files and folders” even mean!?

I think they should just follow the example of every other app store; list the permissions in an easily understandable list and let the user decide whether or not they are comfortable with it.

Did they have to go with such a loud shade of blue? It would look so much better on the eyes if it was a nice deep dark blue.

Tbh I don’t even know why it needs to be blue or any colour at all.

… I mean, you can actually probably go without a computer entirely for a month.

So aside for a few wording and technical issues, something stuck out to me. Using “special” to refer to neurodivergence is a bit problematic and potentially dogwhistley because of the historical contexts it’s been used in to dismiss and look down on people. And even if it wasn’t, it’s a bit ambiguous; can someone who feels that they are in touch with their “spiritual side” consider themselves to have a “special brain”?

If you’re wondering about neurodivergence, probably better to just ask “Are you neurodivergent?” rather than using euphemisms.

Maybe we’d be warmer towards AI if it wasn’t being used as a way for big companies to steal content from smaller creative types in order to fund valueless wealth generators.

Big surprise that a group consisting of people rather than corporations is mad about it.

I checked, and according to Statcounter it’s at 3.3%. So if Mozilla did go hardball, it’d affect an insignificant amount of people.

Realistically though, I don’t follow world politics much but I assume that “blocking firefox” probably wouldn’t be the worst optics they’ve had in the past few years.

It’s either get the addons removed, or get the whole addon store itself blocked. You can just install the extension from an xpi file.

Mozilla really isn’t in a position to fight the Russian government over this and win.

Tbh, I’d rather they use the money to make Linux distros better. Valve made the Steam deck a winner not through advertising, but through making a good quality product and supporting the ecosystem.

I have no interest in people making Linux popular beyond the minimum required to get companies to support it. If it’s good, people will naturally learn about it through word of mouth.

Also, directly attacking Microsoft feels like they could get sued for libel or something like that.

Steam probably.

For standard use, ext4. If you want to tinker and use fancy features, btrfs (or maybe zfs?).

Out of interest, what is your use case? I’ve not seen a gui app that requires root that doesn’t prompt for it when you start it up.

Just a heads up: I’ve noticed that Steam tends to require a bunch of spare space beyond the size the game takes up.

L
o
o
k
s

c
o
o
l
.

Yep, the antivirus might need a compression library to manage its database. :P

An antivirus wouldn’t protect against the xz exploit. Imagine it did pull down the database of hashes and found a malicious xz binary, what is it going to do?

It can’t quarantine it, because that would break programs. It could update it, but shouldn’t your package manager be the one in charge of that? So the best it can do is notify you of the exploit… Which also feels like a thing the package manager should be doing.

I think instead of an antivirus, we should have a stricter permissions model. Certain applications can identity locations as “private” which blocks untrusted applications. So a random file you downloaded won’t be able to read your browser cookie jar or Discord session.

Random files you download from the internet should be executed in an unprivileged context which requires a “do you want this application to have access to this?” prompt whenever it does something sketchy.

Interestingly, afaik, Valve already runs Windows games in a secure container when using Proton. Fun fact.

Imagine a country made up of flurbs and blorbs. Flurbs make up the majority of the government and don’t recognise the existence of blorbs.

You are writing open source census software, do you include blorbs?

If you do, you get labelled a blorb sympathiser and the government stops funding development. Maybe throws you in prison.

If you don’t, you get labelled a member of the Flurbian autocracy and are orchastrated from the hugely blorb open source community.

If you add a togglable option, you’re still seen as sympathetic to the Flurbs because you are participating in oppressive regimes. And also supporting a blorb uprising by making them think they have a voice. Staying “neutral” is still picking a side.

So basically, you are forced to pick from a number of options based on your political (or strategic) view.

I mean, we’re in the Linux community not a gun rights community. Downvotes should be used when the post doesn’t match the community, which applies here.

We don’ like ya system dee types 'round here. * cocks a Gnu/Gun *