this post was submitted on 12 May 2024
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Linux
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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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@pastermil @linux I use both. There are packages where the website officially lists snap packages, no flatpaks.
Unless the project website has a link/install instruction recommending flatpak, I prefer either the distribution package where available, or snap otherwise - this is more from a supply-chain perspective - since snap requires the original developers of the package to package snaps.
If the developers have officially listed flatpak on their site, that however, is good enough for me.
I would take this with a grain of salt. For me, as long as the package is available and functional for my prefered installation method, I'd go with that.
Take cerbot for example. For some reason, the cerbot developers uses snap in their installation guide. I've been using apt on all my projects that requires https, both personal and professional (yes, I get paid to do this, among others). Never had any issue with it.
@pastermil @linux the attack surface for something that isn't officially maintained by the developers, and that doesn't have more vetting (e.g. distribution packages) opens up room for malicious actors.
e.g. #arch / #aur recommends verifying scripts manually before installing, and malicious scripts have been found and removed.
There are actors like #jiatan out there. An unofficial #flatpak needs manual verification before install - that's why I just go with #snap if the flatpak isn't official
@thegreybeardofthetree @pastermil @linux
FYI FlatHub uses GitHub Actions, you can check how they build their apps and some of them support reproducible builds, just in case you want to verify GitHub isn't acting maliciously.
FlatHub and AUR can't really be compared in terms of security. Flatpak apps also don't modify the host OS, while AUR packages can.
Personally, I only trust distro packages and FlatHub.