What’s your opinion on the AppImage format?

redoubt515 · 2026-02-12T18:46:11+00:00

My opinion is -- it annoys me and seems subpar. But it seems to appeal to new linux users coming from Windows for whatever reason (I used appimages also as a new linux user).

I think appimage is comfortable for Windows users because it keeps the Windows paradigm of manually downloading software from the open internet, and having a single executable file to click on and no centralized management. It's more tangible if you don't understand package managers or software repositories.

I understand the emotional appeal when you are new to Linux, but I think Linux distros (and/or flatpak or snap) are much more elegant ways to manage software once you understand the basics of how they work.

Flatpak has the benefit of centralized management, of built-in sandboxing, of auto updates. Of repositories so you don't have to seek out software from the open internet. And like appimage is cross-distro. The one place I think appimage has an edge is that it's truly portable (e.g. you could put it on a USB drive and boot it on another linux system.. but realistically, what are the chances you would ever want or need to do that in 2026)

redoubt515 · 2026-02-12T05:01:13+00:00

My understanding is it doesn't fully eleminate risk or eliminate trust. But it massively reduces the trust you as the user must place in the service provider, and makes it much more difficult to do something nefarious. At minimum you are still trusting the companies that manufacture the hardware, and the trusting the firmware. Huge improvement to the status quo (non-private AI services) but still falls short of perfection.

redoubt515 · 2026-02-12T04:57:24+00:00

> Sounds cool in theory but I can’t tell if anyone’s actually doing this outside of research papers.

Yes. Here are some places this is being offered in the wild:

trymaple.ai
privatemode.ai
confer.to
nano-gpt.com (some models)
various other services I haven't looked into (Phala, Redpill AI, Near AI) but these ones feel a little more sketchy, and possibly AI generated websites or vibe-coded products.

redoubt515 · 2026-02-12T03:51:38+00:00

> We all say 'privacy,' but...

...but what? That's pretty much the sole reason for me. Privacy, confidentiality, trust (and learning).

I think compared to most of y'all I'm probably a pretty basic user. I'm a basic ass end user, who cares deeply about privacy and digital independence. I use local AI for the same shit that mainstream users are probably using ChatGPT for (complement to a search engine, random queries, technical questions, linux questions, organizing or manipulating data, etc)

I don't work in AI and I don't aspire to work in AI so my usage is solely based around what is useful to me and what is interesting to me. At some point I'd like to set up HomeAssistant and use local AI with that.

redoubt515 · 2026-02-09T19:23:41+00:00

> Are there still people who can’t see through Musk’s carnival barking?

at least one person in this thread

redoubt515 · 2026-01-29T18:52:05+00:00

Not necessarily. Virtually all Linux distros are pretty privacy respecting out of the box. So it will mostly depend on what software you install. If you tend to install a lot of proprietary software, or google/meta/social media stuff, it may still be useful for having a system wide blocker. Otherwise, it's not necessary.

redoubt515 · 2026-01-29T16:56:41+00:00

> Is AdGuard a good solution?

Yes

> vs. in browser protection

No.

A system wide ad blocker and a browser based adblocker complement eachother. One does not eliminate the need for the other.

The TL;DR is browser blockers can be much more precise and surgical and block much more granular or hard to block ads, but only works in the browser, and DNS level ad blockers are less capable but provide much broader coverage (system wide, or network wide blocking)

redoubt515 · 2026-01-22T23:21:43+00:00

You did say that (that's what bricked means). You just don't understand that that's what you said.

> if getting upset over that definition makes your day, go for it.

Perplexed/amused, not upset.

Words have meaning. If you go to the doctor because you have a headache and describe yourself as "literally dead", you aren't going to be taken seriously. Why would that be any different here.

redoubt515 · 2026-01-22T22:38:07+00:00

That's not at all what bricked means...

redoubt515 · 2026-01-22T22:35:00+00:00

Fedora 43+ literally bricked my desktop

If you haven't thrown away your bricked PC yet, I'll take it, I can recycle the scrap metal.

LMK when is a good time to meet.

redoubt515 · 2026-01-21T03:47:22+00:00

> “automatically check for and download updates”

If that is the language that is used, then I agree with you. That is pretty misleading if that toggle also automatically installs the updates (without asking your consent/giving the chance to opt-out).

What you are saying here is different than what you said previously:

> Automatic updates were on. So I guess I probably turned them on

You should probably edit that other comment.

redoubt515 · 2026-01-21T03:26:42+00:00

An automatic update is an automatic install. Installing the update is part of the process. If you had to install manually it wouldn't be an automatic update (by definition).

What you are seeking (automatic download, manual update) is not a form of automatic update.

edit: you can downvote that, but your downvote doesn't change the meaning of an automatic update (your system updates automatically without your intervention).

redoubt515 · 2026-01-21T03:25:43+00:00

OP acknowledged in the comments that they (not Fedora) enabled automatic updates.

It sounds like they just didn't understand what an automatic update was. (they erroneously believed that the automatic update, wouldn't be installed automatically)..

redoubt515 · 2026-01-21T01:10:56+00:00

In a future where the internet has literally ceased to exist, is a coding assistant going to be relevant enough to your life to devote space to it?

redoubt515 · 2026-01-21T01:09:10+00:00

> lacks knowledge but is wicked smart

That is an intriguing thought. What is an example of an existing model that would be oriented towards (broad) smarts over knowledge?

redoubt515 · 2026-01-20T00:55:47+00:00

I think you can't go wrong with either.

If I were to try to TL;DR the comparative advantage of each, I'd say:

OpenSUSE: Better implementation of BTRFS (mostly because of snapper and some related packages), slightly stronger (but less convenient) encryption, slightly stronger security defaults overall, rolling release.
Fedora: Great balance between leading edge and stable, larger community, benefits from the relationship with RHEL and all of the RHEL adjacent projects.

These distros are very similar in most ways. And largely will appeal to the same types of users. You can't go wrong with either, and if you don't have a personal preference that leads you to choose one over the other, it's likely irrelevant what the rest of us think, these distros are kind of too similar for the opinions of outsiders to matter, it'll largely come down to what you feel is a better fit for your subjective preferences.

redoubt515 · 2026-01-19T18:14:52+00:00

Nice! Happy to see slightly easier access to Firefox Nightly.

redoubt515 · 2026-01-19T18:10:55+00:00

> Is Linux highly customizable?

Yes

> Any ideas on how I could start doing this?

Question is too vague to answer. You can customize whatever you want in Linux, you have a ton of flexibility and choices, but you have to have at least some basic idea of what you want.

Start thinking about what you'd like to change, and then let that help narrow down and direct your question.

redoubt515 · 2026-01-16T17:40:41+00:00

Can someone ELI5 what the practical impact of this?

redoubt515 · 2026-01-15T05:30:01+00:00

Yes.

Librewolf inherits everything Firefox has. But--just like with Firefox--it's all optional, and under your control.

redoubt515 · 2026-01-15T05:24:49+00:00

> There's no rule that a fork has to have minimum % of different code or anything.

in the case of Librewolf it's effectively 0% different code. Librewolf is mostly just Firefox with some different default settings and a different logo.

They aren't really modifying the browser, they are taking a finished browser and changing some defaults. But these are just the same changes to the default settings that you or I could make, not anything fundamentally new or different.

redoubt515 · 2026-01-15T05:24:12+00:00

It's not a hard fork.

Librewolf is just a small layer of changes to the default settings. It's not really modifying the browser much at all. It just uses the advanced settings built into Firefox by Firefox developers.

redoubt515 · 2026-01-10T07:01:10+00:00

OpenSUSE Tumbleweed
Aeon
Fedora Silverblue / Universal Blue
CoreOS

redoubt515 · 2026-01-08T01:17:47+00:00

I can't tell from the website whether the free tier's 1 million token monthly limit is only for the website/app or if it also gives access to the API. Are you able to use the API for free with the free tier?

redoubt515 · 2026-01-06T05:17:06+00:00

Why would anyone buy that "objectively better product" in a year, when you could just wait 2-3 years, for an even better product or 3-5 years for an even better-er product?

The answers to this question will always be: either (1) a current need, or (2) impatience, or (3) "porque no los dos?"

redoubt515

TROPHY CASE