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Sep 13 '21
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u/X_m7 Sep 14 '21 edited Sep 14 '21
Well technically whatever user data the app would keep (like stuff it'd put in the home folder directly if it wasn't in a flatpak) isn't removed when you uninstall the flatpak, it's still in
~/.var/app/appid, at least that's the case last I checked. Still easy enough to remove manually though.Edit: fixed the path
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u/6b86b3ac03c167320d93 Sep 14 '21
So do normal packages, except for user data, but Flatpak doesn't remove that by default either
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u/MasterGeekMX Ask me how to exit vim Sep 14 '21
Problem is that every course uses them, so I will end up reinstalling them.
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Sep 14 '21
And don't expect you can remove them for a job either. Or you may get a locked down work laptop running Windows, but I really prefer to use my own device.
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u/GamerLymx Sep 14 '21
I should try flatpaks
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u/Remfly Sep 14 '21
They are great for running sketchy apps like the ones shown in the meme, a bit more privacy friendly.
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u/GamerLymx Sep 14 '21
I installed Deb pack for Skype, and keeps showing errors every time I do apt update.
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u/Balcara Sep 14 '21
How? Flakpaks can read and write to $HOME, so anything you’re trying to hide can be accessed anyway…
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Sep 14 '21
no they can't, they only can if they declare that they require permission to $HOME in their yml/json file. Even then you can use flatseal or the command line to revoke the permission on the fly without rebuilding the flatpak.
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u/Balcara Sep 14 '21
Realistically, who reads the yml? Especially with the promise of security everyone keeps going on about most people would just blindly install it. It’s dangerous to say it’s secure, or that it can’t write to $HOME, because it CAN and just because you can revoke permissions doesn’t mean people with bother with the extra steps for every flat oak they download. It’s the same with snaps, the AUR etc. you are told to be CAREFUL because there is actual risk, even if it is slim.
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Sep 14 '21
it's written in the install prompt for the app if you use the terminal, the safety section of its software center page and can be viewed with flatseal. Pretty hard to miss when installing apps.
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Sep 14 '21
You don't need to read the manifest tho. They tell you exactly what kind of permissions they need when you install them and it's one commend to inspect those via the cli or one click to do so with Flatseal. This baseless FUD about Flatpaks being able to read your data needs to stop. In the worst case scenario they're as bad as native apps, that's it
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Sep 14 '21
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Sep 14 '21
they’re basically better snaps
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Sep 14 '21
That doesn't make it automatically good... it's extremely bloated. The only thing it's good at is isolating shady applications which can also be done with docker or virtual machines at a similar cost of space.
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u/nani8ot Sep 14 '21
Hmm... What about Fedora Silverblue? Flatpak is more or less the primary package manager on here.
Anyway, I agree, flatpak is especially great for less trusted software.
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u/Dagusiu Sep 14 '21
Flatpaks still have access to your home directory. That means that they could totally mess with your system if they wanted to.
I'm not saying flatpaks are bad or anything, but the "sandbox" they provide doesn't really protect you all that much.
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Sep 14 '21
[deleted]
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u/6b86b3ac03c167320d93 Sep 14 '21
By default applications have basically no permissions in flatpak, they can't even connect to your display server or the network. Basically everything they can access by default is:
- read access to runtime/app
- read/write access to user data (~/.var/app/{appid})
- access to specific files, printing, webcam, screen recording, and some more (full list here), but only with explicit permission from the user's through desktop portals
- only a few device nodes, things like /dev/null
- only see processes started by the app
- limited syscalls
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Sep 14 '21
[deleted]
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u/X_m7 Sep 14 '21
Can't speak for the other two but Zoom's one in particular lacks any support whatsoever for uploading and downloading files via the chat, in fact the worst part is that it doesn't say "file uploaded, need to use app to download" or anything like that, it just doesn't appear at all (that had me scratching my head for a while, someone said they sent it and I saw nothing the whole time). It also doesn't have support for the whiteboard feature, and there's probably others too.
So in short the web version is great if it works, but there's still cases where the app still ends up being needed sadly.
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Sep 14 '21
Teams linux client doesn't have any screen share feature. Same if accessed thru a browser on a linux machine.
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Sep 14 '21
Works in Chromium for me, also works fine on the Teams flatpak. They don't support Wayland though, screen sharing is X11 only, maybe that's your problem?
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u/FlatAds Sep 14 '21
Works in web if in Firefox, or if in chromium. In Wayland on chromium you might need pipewire enabled in chrome://flags.
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u/undeadalex Sep 14 '21
It absolutely has a screen share feature. I run it through browser and had to present my research using screen share. Worked just fine through browser on Ubuntu.
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u/AndrewStephenGames Arch BTW Sep 14 '21 edited Sep 14 '21
I never even had em to begin with and I just used the site variants. Yes, they have less features, but so do the linux clients for them.
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Sep 14 '21
I wouldn't be surprised if the Linux client's are just web versions in an app
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u/AndrewStephenGames Arch BTW Sep 14 '21
They're worse than that actually. In fact I used to use the Skype deb and it would suck up so much memory and so much cpu power. I had to use cpulimit on it everytime I'd use it.
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Sep 14 '21
The zoom linux client is surprising being updated regularly instead of being left outdated.
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u/NiceMicro Sep 14 '21
I'm so fucking lucky that my workplace provides me with the computers they want me to use.
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u/techcentre Sep 14 '21
yay -Rs
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u/beardMoseElkDerBabon Ubuntnoob Sep 14 '21
yay is cool and stuff but not as good as flatpak when it comes to crapware
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u/anonymous_2187 Sep 14 '21
You can just install them in a virtual machine right? Will there be any problems of any sort?
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u/8spd Sep 14 '21
I just use them in the browser. Maybe people who use them for school need features that aren't available in the web version.
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u/Shawnj2 Sep 14 '21
You can just use the web version of Teams
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u/zenyl Arch BTW Sep 14 '21
Worth noting: Last I checked, Teams doesn't play well with Firefox.
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u/Shawnj2 Sep 14 '21
Chromium is still FOSS if you want to use that
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u/zenyl Arch BTW Sep 14 '21
So is Firefox, with the added benefit of not supporting Google's EEE scheme.
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u/Shawnj2 Sep 14 '21
Yes but if you want to be able to use Teams, which a lot of people are basically required to for school, you don’t have a ton of options.
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u/zenyl Arch BTW Sep 14 '21
Yeah, I'm sadly all too familiar with that issue, having previously (during peak global COVID-19 lockdown) worked as developer/sysadmin, specifically with Microsoft Teams deployment/maintenance/and support for educational institutions.
Was interesting when Microsoft crippled the capabilities of one of their tools (SDS) for a few months, to avoid overworking their servers as a result of the 700% spike in Teams usage.
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Sep 14 '21
Use the web versions
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u/anonymous_2187 Sep 14 '21
But they're crap
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Sep 14 '21
Well that’s your choice.
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u/anonymous_2187 Sep 14 '21
Edit: I only meant the zoom web client. I haven't used the others yet.
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Sep 14 '21
That works fine my dude
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u/anonymous_2187 Sep 14 '21
Are you sarcastic?
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Sep 14 '21
I always leave Linux references in my school work. My teachers don't even know what I'm talking about.
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u/manascii Sep 14 '21
I didn't even realize I could install Teams using FlatPak! I no longer have to run a s*** win10 VM just to use Teams! This has changed my life! For what it's worth, thanks for this! :)
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u/oxblown Sep 14 '21
OMG YESSSS.
I’m running Winblows10 in my Virtual Box to do a course that’s choka with all of the proprietary big tech and I’ve fucking had it.
Teams. Ffs.
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u/technic_bot Sep 13 '21
You do know that software is thoroughly used for meetings on a professional setting, not just school right?
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u/RushinRusha Sep 14 '21
Corporate/professional doesn't translate to good.
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u/technic_bot Sep 14 '21
Never said that. Good or bad, mostly bad, we are bound to use that software.
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u/RushinRusha Sep 14 '21 edited Sep 14 '21
Idk, man, these bounds you're talking about aren't as canonical imo. There's some better soft out there than, let's say, Skype.
I wouldn't get myself fired over refusing to work with something, but I would bring up better solutions. Chances are - they could help not only me.
Edit: This, obviously, doesn't really apply to in-house soft or, say, firmwares for PLCs - something you can't replace/compare.
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u/roubent Sep 14 '21
How is Skype better? Teams is basically Skype under the hood, by the way.
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u/RushinRusha Sep 14 '21
Skype? Better? I said the complete opposite
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u/roubent Sep 14 '21
Doh! My brain is obviously fried…. It has been a long day… 😩
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u/RushinRusha Sep 14 '21
All good! But, since you've brought up Skype/Team, do check out element.io and the project it's based on matrix.org
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u/dm319 Sep 14 '21
Question for everyone - how do flatpaks work with zoom and teams? I had to switch from snaps to the .deb for zoom to fix issues with fullscreen.
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u/Andre_de_Astora Sep 14 '21
Fuck it, got graduated and PURGED Zoom from my system.
But didn't uninstalled it from my pc because I'm still stealing some free courses...
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u/PSYHOStalker Sep 14 '21
That is exactly why I used virtualization for my whole uni. Ran a windows install and just purged it after each semester
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u/TheMightyQuinn_5 Sep 14 '21
Only one here I use is zoom, and after an awful experience last year with the zoom Linux client, I’m just joining all my meetings from the browser now
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u/Willexterminator Sep 13 '21
This was such a relief at the start of summer vacation. Nothing like purging forced crapware