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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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I have a question about flatpak (lemm.ee)

submitted 3 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

32 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I see that it can be slower because of having all the dependencies included with the flatpak itself instead of relying solely on whats installed on the system. I read that this means it isolates or sandboxes itself from the rest of the system.

Does this not mean that it can't infect the rest of the system even if it had malware?

I have seen people say that it isnt good for security because sometimes they force you to use a specific version of certain dependencies that often times are outdated but I'm wondering why that would matter if it was truly sandboxed and isolated.

Do they mean that installing flatpak itself is a security risk or that also specific flatpaks can be security risks themselves?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

There are vulnerabilities found in Flatpak's sandboxing all the time so it's pretty much broken. The opening speed on HDD systems is really really bad too. That's why I only use Flatpak to install software that's not available in my distro's repos. Though I use Arch (btw) so distro packages being old isn't an issue for me.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

It's still better than no sandbox at all, isn't it? And who installs their OS on an HDD in 2024?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

It's still better than no sandbox at all, isn't it?

I guess so.

And who installs their OS on an HDD in 2024?

Those who earn less than $5k a month (aka 80+% of people in the world).

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Nearly all of my friends make less than $5k per month, and all of them have SSDs as the boot drive in their computer.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

Yes. 1TB SSDs can be bought new for 50€, 500GB for even less. For some people this is expensive depending in the region (e.g. I also know someone who uses an HDD). But given the price of other pc parts it isn't something to cheap out on (a 1TB/2TB HDD is also 50€).

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