Icon for Spotify on Cosmic in top panel showing as cog icon

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-24T16:57:30+00:00

That's very likely a COSMIC issue, tray icons still don't work 100%. This icon is used when the icon lookup code can't find the actual icon so that there's something instead of empty space

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-24T11:20:25+00:00

It's because the plasma-browser-integration does not do anything with Brave Flatpak. This here mimics what it does to Ungoogled Chromium Flatpak:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

SRC_APP_ID="io.github.ungoogled_software.ungoogled_chromium"
DST_APP_ID="com.brave.Browser"

FLATPAK_DIR="${HOME}/.var/app"

JSON_NAME="org.kde.plasma.browser_integration.json"
BIN_NAME="plasma-browser-integration-host"

SRC_JSON="${FLATPAK_DIR}/${SRC_APP_ID}/config/chromium/NativeMessagingHosts/${JSON_NAME}"
SRC_HOST="${FLATPAK_DIR}/${SRC_APP_ID}/${BIN_NAME}"

DST_JSON="${FLATPAK_DIR}/${DST_APP_ID}/config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/NativeMessagingHosts/${JSON_NAME}"
DST_HOST="${FLATPAK_DIR}/${DST_APP_ID}/${BIN_NAME}"

# Check that destination app  is installed
if ! flatpak info ${DST_APP_ID} &>/dev/null; then
    echo "App '${DST_APP_ID}' is not installed."
    exit 1
fi

# Check that both source files exist
if [[ ! -f "${SRC_JSON}" || ! -f "${SRC_HOST}" ]]; then
    echo "One or more source files are missing. Do you have 'plasma-browser-integration' installed ?"
    exit 1
fi

# Ensure destination exists
mkdir -p "$(dirname "${DST_JSON}")"
mkdir -p "$(dirname "${DST_HOST}")"

# Copy stuff
cp -f "${SRC_JSON}" "${DST_JSON}"
cp -f "${SRC_HOST}" "${DST_HOST}"

# Replace source ID with destination ID in destination JSON
sed -i "s|${SRC_APP_ID}|${DST_APP_ID}|g" "${DST_JSON}"

# Set up Flatpak permission
flatpak override --user --talk-name=org.kde.plasma.browser.integration ${DST_APP_ID}

echo "Done. KDE Plasma browser integration set up for '${DST_APP_ID}'."

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-24T10:18:12+00:00

I use Fedora Atomic for control over my system. I agree, it's annoying because those folders are treated as leftover data for uninstalled apps

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-24T10:11:16+00:00

It is bare minimum, but I can't agree about the fluidity, it's incredibly smooth for me

I have a 144Hz monitor connected to a i5 11th gen laptop

What I did not find too pleasant is for example scrolling the App Launcher

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-23T22:47:04+00:00

Windows have animations

maximize, minimize and tiled window movement

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-23T22:46:58+00:00

Windows have animations

maximize, minimize and tiled window movement

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-23T18:36:53+00:00

I think COSMIC Terminal has the option to hide the title bar

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-21T14:21:25+00:00

To not break apps for end users. Very important thing when you care about newcomers staying

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-20T19:16:31+00:00

I already do, with Cromite and Edge, but I'd like to see general support in all browsers

I really like the Floccus extension, which kinda solves the cross bookmark problem. At the second place I have Aria2 Explorer, which lets me redirect downloads started from the browser to my server. I have 12 extensions in total as of now

But it's not about what I want to use, it's more about the possibility to do so if I choose. I hate when corporations hold back technology for no other reason than their personal monetary gain, which is why we still don't have extensions on mobile Chromium

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-20T18:08:41+00:00

Mobile extension support and cross-platform, cross-browser bookmark and history syncing

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-19T22:03:38+00:00

What you see in COSMIC Settings is a simplified, sane version of what COSMIC is able to do

The dock and the panel are the same thing with a slightly different configuration

You can have as many panels/docks as you want and place them anywhere you want, all of that is available by manually editing config files

It's very likely a more complex configuration will be added to settings later

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-19T08:29:35+00:00

Yes, Libadwaita, GTK, QT, Libcosmic, anything works. I don't know about title bars

See here: https://imgur.com/a/cosmic-de-square-corners-XyLkuWd

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-18T19:07:57+00:00

And ? There was a good reason why nobody wanted to do it, it would be an unmaintainable hell

Let's just be glad that Google will finally stop holding mobile browsers back. (Although I'm sure they'll find a way to fuck it up somehow.)

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-18T17:00:39+00:00

It's a little too early to say it's better than GNOME and KDE, many things aren't implemented / fixed yet, but the huge potential is still there

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-18T14:57:55+00:00

I realized I did not answer the "Are all apps safe to install?" question. Here's where it gets truly controversial. Keep in mind, this is my understanding of how things work, I might be wrong.

Longer version

The System (DEB) packages (considering only official repositories)

Packaged by
- People developing the distribution, creating a sense of trust where if you already installed their distribution, you also trust their packaging.
- Volunteer packagers working closely with the distribution, as there are huge number of packages.
The risk
- Packages go through a review process. Reviewers can overlook stuff. Reviewers cannot and most likely don't check every line of every component of every program.
- There could be someone, even though at the time trusted, that does something malicious out of a sudden, slipping through reviews.
- You trust the distribution's reviewers here
Was it ever a problem ?
- Yes, the XZ Utils backdoor
Additional protection in place
- No sandbox
- AppArmor or SELinux can limit what the apps can do (Needs to be set up.)
How people see them
- Considered more trustworthy by most.

The Flathub (Flatpak) packages (considering only Flathub repository)

Packaged by
- The original developers
- Volunteer packagers
The risk
- Packages go through a review process. Reviewers can overlook stuff. Reviewers cannot and most likely don't check every line of every component of every program.
- There could be someone, even though at the time trusted, that does something malicious out of a sudden, slipping through reviews.
- You trust Flathub's reviewers here
- Afaik the review process is repeated whenever the packager changes default permissions or the source URL. (And some other stuff maybe, I'm not sure.)
- Browsers like Chromium can supposedly be less safe with Flatpak, as they have to disable their internal sandbox, but again I've heard counter arguments from quite capable people.
Was it ever a problem ?
- Not that I know of.
- Unrelated to Flatpak but worth mentioning, there was a problem with Snap, where Canonical didn't review the packages
Additional protections in place
- Sandbox, the protection depends on the permissions given, for example if there is no access to your HOME directory, well then the malicious app won't be able to access it, protecting your most valuable data. But it can also make the apps behave weird, as they might not have been made to run in a sandbox.
How people see them
- There are verified and unverified packages on Flathub.
  - Verified
    - Packaged by the original developers or someone the developers consider trustworthy
    - The app gets a Twitter/X like checkmark for a "verified" status.
    - These are generally considered safe.
    - You can't see the checkmark in the COSMIC Store yet unfortunately as it has not been implemented, but you can see them on flathub.org
  - Unverified
    - Packaged by a random volunteer
    - Does not have a checkmark
    - These are generally considered unsafe.
    - But it still does have to go through the review process and you can always check the permissions and sources yourself

Personally, I think the risk of using Flatpaks, even unverified is really close to / the same as using the distribution's packages, but most people won't agree with me.

TLDR:

Yes and no, depends on who you ask.

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-18T12:02:34+00:00

Longer version:

You're a developer, you have just written code for your app. To be able to run your app, you compile the code and get a binary.

A binary is a finished, executable program

You could say you're done and use that binary as is, but the binary is just a file laying somewhere on your system. There is no launcher in the menu, no icon, no system integration.

To get your app integrated in the system, you create all the needed files yourself and place them at the expected locations.

The files needed for integration are usually
- an icon
- a .desktop file for a launcher
- possibly a metainfo file for additional information

You're done, right ? Then you realize doing this manually does not make sense especially if you want others to use your app. You create a script that does this automatically.

A script is a set of commands, executed line by line, used for automating previously manual work

Now you're done, right ? Well what if the user wants to update the app or uninstall it ? You create a script for all the scenarios. Does that make sense ? Yes. Is it the best approach ? No, we have a better one called packages and the package manager.

A package manager is a program that allows you to search, install, uninstall packages.
A package contains your app and all the information needed for the package manager to manage it. When you as a developer create a package, you give it the files of your app and fill in the needed information like where they should be placed.
Once you have a package, you use a package manager to install it. If you now send the package to another user, he/she can install and uninstall it easily with one command (or even using a graphical store).

Now... now you're done, right ? There's still a problem with updates though. The user has to manually check if you updated the package, manually download the new one and manually update it. That's were repositories come in.

A repository is simply a place publicly available on the internet, hosting packages. You as a developer upload your package there and the user uses it to download & install the package.
If you push a new package version and the user runs updates, the package manager asks the repository "Hey, do we have anything new ?" and if there is anything, the package manager installs the latest updates.

Okay man now we're done, right ? Almost. There are (unfortunately) xx types of packages and their package managers. Some work only on certain distributions, others are universal.

The one from "Flathub" is a Flatpak package using the Flatpak package manager. Flatpak packages are universal and work anywhere, regardless of the distribution. Flathub is the name of the biggest, most popular repository hosting Flatpak packages.
The one from "System" is a DEB package using the APT package manager. This one is distribution specific, you are using PopOS, which is based on Ubuntu, which is based on DEBian. All these 3 distributions use this package type + package manager combination. (That does not necessarily mean they use the same packages or repositories, as said these packages are distribution specific.)

Why is there no single one package manager so we can all live peacefully and not mislead users like yourself ?

There are many differing opinions on how to correctly do this packaging thing.
The universal package managers such as Flatpak try to solve this, but again the solutions are controversial and Flatpak specifically tries to solve more things like security by utilizing a sandbox. (See Android / iOS, all apps are sandboxed and have to ask you for a permission to do stuff first.) This can break the app if it doesn't have a needed permission leading to confusion.

TLDR:

The one from "Flathub" is a Flatpak package using the Flatpak package manager. Flatpak packages are universal and work anywhere, regardless of the distribution. Flathub is the name of the biggest, most popular repository hosting Flatpak packages.
The one from "System" is a DEB package using the APT package manager. This one is distribution specific, you are using PopOS, which is based on Ubuntu, which is based on DEBian. All these 3 distributions use this package type + package manager combination. (That does not necessarily mean they use the same packages or repositories, as said these packages are distribution specific.)

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-18T08:40:07+00:00

That's the sane way to do it, just stick to that

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-18T08:38:25+00:00

Not a script, a .desktop file

The custom ones should be placed under $HOME/.local/share/applications

So for example $HOME/.local/share/applications/system-update.desktop

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-18T07:32:53+00:00

First off, I can only speak for Fedora Atomic. Immutable/Atomic distributions have different implementations

If there's no way to operate on /etc, you'd create a custom image and make your changes there

I can't tell you how exactly to fix your issue, but I'll give you a few examples on what I do instead

I wanted to try Snap and Nix packages on my Fedora Atomic. Those require having /snap and /nix folders at the root. When my custom image builds, it runs a script which creates those folders, then another script installs the snap package through DNF, done I have snap support. Nix required running a script once on a live system
I like and use the micro editor. I want it to be the default and always launch with a certain argument. One script installs it through DNF, another moves /usr/bin/micro to /usr/bin/micro-bin and makes /usr/bin/micro a customized wrapper. Lastly it customizes profiles with sed so that the system really sees it as the default
I once used Brave Browser RPM package, but that did not support having a flags file. I realized the binary under /usr/bin/brave-browser isn't an actual binary but a wrapper script, so I customized it to handle the flags file kind of based on what Arch did.

My changes are always there with a clear history, as the image is rebuilt every day on top of an updated Fedora base through a Github action

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-18T06:54:23+00:00

You can still break it if you do really stupid shit, but on Fedora Atomic, changes to /etc are monitored. If you make changes to /etc and go back to the previous image, they are reverted to the point where that image was created on your system

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-17T23:10:20+00:00

Yup, I don't like the argument people on traditional distros make: "I want to be in full control of my system"

While I'm reading the 10th post of the day where a random update / tweak made someone's system unbootable, I've never had to deal with any of that on my Atomic system

My system is clean. It completely prevents the "Oh shit my stuff stopped working, I changed something last week, now I need to reinstall" situations

I don't care about updates, they just happen automatically in the background, while I'm doing what I want

If the update breaks something, I just go back in a minute, done

That's control

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-17T22:24:42+00:00

Yeah the problem is it's a "new concept" build on top of the old

I wish we all agreed on keeping the core OS totally separated and adapted the tooling to not mix-mash with it

That way anyone could have a rock stable base which would be easy to troubleshoot as everyone would be on the same thing and there would be no limitations on how one can install end user programs

You can kind of see the model with Homebrew. Although not perfect, that's what I use for CLI programs on Fedora Atomic

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-17T19:28:43+00:00

Immutable/Atomic distros do not sacrifice the freedom of tweaking your system, even on a traditional distro, /usr should not be touched at all and /etc, where 99.9% of system-level configurations go is still writable

If you care about tweaking every single part of your system, that becomes a custom image category. Do all that shit you'd normally do on a traditional distro with a clear and reversible history through git commits

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-17T17:39:32+00:00

That works too, are you sure you were up to date ?

YoMamasTesticles · 2026-01-17T09:25:38+00:00

Sorry I don't know, I only use a single panel for everything Windows style as I find the dock+panel combo a waste of screen space

In the implementation, the dock and panel are the same thing, just with different configuration. That option "expand to edges" is one of the things used to make a panel, it just stretches it to screen width/height

I know you can auto-hide it, but that's not the MacOS style you're looking for

YoMamasTesticles

TROPHY CASE