this post was submitted on 01 Jan 2024
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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'm on Ubuntu 23.10 (I think)
There indeed is an app store from where I installed few apps before. I need to check if they have Mullvad there. I do much prefer installing apps thru a GUI. While I know how to follow instructions and copy & paste these commands into terminal, it's frustrating as I have no idea what any of these does. I might just aswell be unknowingly installing a keylogger or something.
I'd say learn the commands, but another way is to copy paste them into chatGPT, it'll tell you what the command does.
That is a good mindset and you should hold on to it. Of course a gui can install a keylogger for you just as easily if not more so.
Trusted install sources, usually called repositories, are the way. Chances of malware exist, but they would require some spectacular shenanigans or conspiracies to set up.
With a GUI you also don't know what it does. Its the same situation, you just click a button that runs the code instead of copying and pasting the code in the terminal. (And I would say the latter is safer because it is more transparent (for those who want to figure it out)).
This actually applies to windows GUI installers just the same. You really don't know what you're installing either, although you do usually give it administrator permission to make changes to the system. In some way it's even worse, it's "running commands" and hiding it from you.