LibreWolf is out there

I can see a browser called LibreWolf is out there, it looks like it's an independent fork from firefox, focusing on security and keeping user data from being exposed by any means, did anyone try it and what do you think about it?

https://redd.it/1kfi6fc
@r_linux

FileZilla vs. File managers

I used to use FileZilla for transfering files to and from my Linux-powered VPS (that is, when I felt like using a GUI tool instead of rsync or scp), but lately I found out that most (if not all) modern Linux file managers can handle remote directories via FISH.

Taking that into account, are there any advantages in using FileZilla?

https://redd.it/1kfkamw
@r_linux

VS code conspiracy

For some people I will probably sound crazy. Same project same extensions and same settings.
I start project on work PC that is running Win, vscode ram usage 4 max 5 gb.
Same project I run on my Linux with same commands and everything, vscode use 11gb of my RAM.
Like is it even possible that it need double of RAM to run project on my Linux.
I tried million tips and tricks how to make it use less RAM but it seems it is mission impossible unless you switch to Win.

https://redd.it/1kfl9gl
@r_linux

My wife has been mad at me all week for talking about Linux, now she wants me to install it on her laptop.

I am a geek, one who likes to break things, complain to my wife that I broke the thing all the time up until I fix them, then tell her how I fixed it. Poor wife.

I have been meaning to get into Linux for years, and in the past did try Ubuntu and Mint, but stayed away due to gaming and I worked in desktop support, predominately for Windows (and some old IBM tech but not relevant). So it made sense to stay on Windows.

Recently though it has been to the point where everything has been going wrong on Windows, slow down in games, buggy boots, high temps etc. I have been spending half my spare time trying to fix it. I am meant to be the guy who breaks things, not the things breaking themselves. Also I am now a software/data engineer, who of course interacts far more with Linux day to day, and has more important things to do than basically my previous roles in my spare time.

And then came the Pewdiepie video. I never watched him until he moved to Japan, then his videos had a vibe so I watch them now and again, and it came up on recommended. Don't judge me.

Immediately after I set up a dual boot on my laptop with Fedora KDE. He put me off arch and gnome/cinnamon at the same time.

So for the last week I have been tinkering, playing around. Thinking I am smarter than I am. All the while my wife has been having to put up with stories about how I needed a bigger ssd, how cloning an ssd and not following a guide was not the smartest idea. How I refused to follow a guide to fix the issue, but still did. How I nuked the system again doing stupid stuff. Again, poor wife. I even took time to explain my knowledge and history with linux to her (you don't understand anything until you can explain it to someone else has always been my mind set).

She has mentioned the fact that she never wanted to hear the word Linux again (more than once). And cursed my career and how she loves a geek. Well this afternoon she went to update Windows and boom, black screen. Geek husband to the rescue, but instead what comes out of her mouth... What would be the best Linux for me rather than this shit. I will be installing mint, but more importantly

I win.

(I will be keeping this win to myself, which is why I posted it here. Not worth the danger pointing it out to her. Also sorry if not allowed, I did read the rules and was unsure so understand if it gets deleted)

TLDR: My wife has complained all week that I keep talking to her about Linux after I finally installed it as my main OS, until she needed Linux.

https://redd.it/1kfmfvk
@r_linux

Linux became my main desktop OS - but still needs to improve

Hi,

II'll just tell my story for noobs doubting about adopting Linux, about what I found going full to a only-Linux setup, hope it's useful.

I've used Windows forever. I tried Linux between 2010 and 2014, but it never felt comfortable, too many quirks, time "wasted" on maintenance, missing features or software, and unstable drivers (I remember Nouveau crashing constantly). In the end, it felt like I was forcing myself to use it for no real reason, especially since Windows just worked.

Recently, though, Windows 11 started giving me trouble: losing performance, strange bugs (like Explorer lagging when renaming files on multiple computers), ads to disable after installation, Copilot installed without my permission, telemetry, and a general sense of bloat and unwanted changes over time.

I even considered switching to macOS with a Mac Mini M4 (600€) for a more comfortable, stable platform (also because I already have an iPhone). But before spending the money, I thought-why not give Linux another try?

I compared options and chose to go to a Debian/Ubuntu-based distro. I skipped Pop!_OS because I wanted native Secure Boot support, and Mint because I prefer more up-to-date software and didn’t like Cinnamon. So I went with Ubuntu 25.04.

I installed it directly and was surprised: it’s responsive, uses about half the resources of Windows at idle, and feels “empty” in a good way: no ads, telemetry, or bloatware. It’s like a clean slate.

What I found:

GOOD

1. Highly customizable GUI: With GNOME, I easily set the dock to the center bottom (like Mac), made the top bar transparent, and was done.
2. Easy setup: Custom night mode, installing software (Snaps/Flatpaks), battery modes, fractional scaling (now looks great, unlike years ago), printer and NAS setup in seconds, everything straightforward and using the GUI.
3. Secure by default: Full-disk encryption is just a checkbox, apps are sandboxed, and Linux is a smaller malware target than Windows.
4. Fast and reliable: All drivers worked out of the box, sleep mode is reliable (better than Windows, which would randomly wake up the laptop, depleting the battery), and overall it just seems to work as intended. No magical things happening under your radar without your knowledge.

BAD

1. Some tasks still require the terminal: For example, setting a CPU frequency limit (in Windows was an easy GUI option, to disable boost as I don't need it and prefer the silence and battery boost, and BIOS doesn't have the option) required searching online, dealing with broken GNOME extensions, and configuring a systemd service with the command. Cloudflare Warp (VPN Setup) also lacks a GUI and needs terminal commands to install (including adding Cloudflare repos), register it and enabling/disabling the VPN.
2. Minor annoyances need advanced fixes: For example, the Caps Lock behavior is different from Windows/macOS (the key gets disabled when is liberated, and in Win/Mac when it's pressed, so in Linux, I was WRiting LIke THis SOmetimes, and people online recommended just getting used to use shift key and "it is what it is", the fixing isn’t straightforward and I only found it in a random GitHub post here. Also, touchpad scrolling is too fast, and I haven’t found a good fix yet.
3. Potential security concerns: It’s easy to install unofficial software by mistake if you don't know (e.g., Mullvad Browser flathub seems packaged by some random guy instead of officially by Mullvad), add untrusted repositories (more when using guides or software instructions), or run noscripts you don’t fully understand ("now trust me, run this: sudo bash .sh noscript", ie, WinApps installation guide). Some security features (like UFW) are disabled by default, and there’s no easy way for beginners to audit installed software for safety or any kind of software that tries to audit the system to avoid strange things from happening like in Windows. Here, you as user are

expected more than ever to keep your system secure yourself and be knowledgeable about what you install and do, and who you trust online, and good luck if the guy mantaining the Mullvad Browser flathub image makes a "XZ Utils Jia Tan" special, or the repos of the software you installed last month gets compromised, or the noscript you blindly executed contains bad instructions.

Overall, I’m impressed by how stable and smooth Linux has become, though I have some concerns about software compatibility (Office 365?), minor hardware tweaks (touchpad), and security (very easy to copy paste what you shouldn't, or end up putting to much trust in some code or software made by "XxCoolGuy69xX" in GitHub or something). Still, my experience is very positive, and I don’t see myself going back to Windows in the mid term, except maybe using a VM for Office365.

If you're a noob doubting about making the jump an trying Linux: DO IT! You won't lose more than some minutes, maybe 1-2 hours top, and I recommend giving it a try if you’re curious; it might be worth it!

https://redd.it/1kfo3tx
@r_linux

Why "ricing" is fun

As someone who migrated from Windows to Linux, one thing I particularly appreciate is the customization and modularity. Most "prime" distros that others are forked from (Arch, Debian etc.) are by default just the kernel with basic system tools and the rest is only there because you decided to put it there. The entire GUI can be changed as one wishes, with diverse options to choose from. That's unlike Windows, where modifying and taking away one component may cause the chain reaction and collapse the entire thing.

Trivial customizations like the boot splash animation, login screen or a widget style are pretty difficult to change on Windows and it requires third-party tools that might contain malware, be paid or actually be a sham. In Linux, such stuff can be easily changed with either a few commands or GUI tools supplied with the DE. And those options are pretty straightforward, so breaking something isn't really an issue. If you think the modern Windows UI sucks (as many people think so), you just kinda have to deal with it. On Linux, installing a new DE is a matter of one command. And even if you somewhat succeed doing a Windows rice, it's usually just like a make-up layer put on top of the original UI, which the next update might completely break (such as many attempts to bring the OG classic theme back to Windows 10/11).

I suppose that "ricing" can count as a form of art even? Using your desktop as a canvas to express yourself and make the UI truly yours, both enjoyable to look at and comfortable to use. I myself enjoy experimenting like that. And it's impressive how far from the "stock" look people can make things look.

https://redd.it/1kfoi6s
@r_linux

All denoscription texts in top -h have the exact same length
https://redd.it/1kfsjzp
@r_linux

How can Android implement its functionality given the minimalism of its userland?

Hello, so I have been doing some reading about Unix and Unix-like OSes, especially Linux (as well as dabbling in GNU/Linux in the practical sense I know, Stallman copypasta, but given the context I feel its approperiate to make that distinction) and while I did know for a long time that Android is an OS based on the Linux kernel, I didn't know that the kernel was cut down and that the Android userland is toybox, pretty much the most minimal userland that there is for Unix-like systems.

My question is - how can Android deliver the extensive user friendly multimedia experience (including all the phone specific features) with a cut down kernel and minimal userland? Thanks for all answers folks.

https://redd.it/1kfjya9
@r_linux

Arch install, with hyprland.

Hello everyone, I've some experience using Linux from my steam deck for the past 3 or 4 years but I decided to throw arch onto my laptop, only problem is now I'm trying to install waybar and when I search for the hyprlanf config it cannot find the directory.

CD dotfiles/hyper/

This command brings up the following

Bash: cd: dotfiles/hyper/: no such file or directory

Am I to create the directory myself or am I missing a package that would normally have done it for me?

I installed this last night right before bed, it is now morning so I haven't had much time to acclimate to such bare bones (in comparison to what I'm used to) Linux. Please be gentle :0

https://redd.it/1kfyu5h
@r_linux

systemd-backlight not called after laptop wakeup

Hi,

after opening my laptop lid, the brightness is nearly always at minimum value. I suspect, that `systemd-backlight` is responsible, but never called. Manually executing `sudo systemd-backlight load backlight:intel_backlight` restores the correct brightness.

How/which system component should invoke `systemd-backlight` after wakeup or opening the laptop lid?

https://redd.it/1kg2c3s
@r_linux

Do you ever shut down your PC, or leave it on 24/7?

Yo, I was just curious, I want to know from the majority of Linux users, whether they shut down their PC, put it to sleep, or just keep it on 24/7. It interests me, because I know theres people out there with a lot of setups like having their computer act as a server.
I for example want to keep my PC on so I could use Remote Play and different storage things from far away.
My system specs are simple, a GTX 1660 Super, Ryzen 5 3600 and 16GB RAM.

I want to ask, how much power does this consume in comparison to it just being turned off or asleep? Is setting your PC to sleep even worth it?

https://redd.it/1kg40be
@r_linux

Driver Error occurs at the start of Linux Distro installations.

Hey everyone.

I'm having a really hard time installing any form of distro on my machine. Its always of the form "driver error".

Context:
I'm trying to switch from Windows to Linux

1. I tried installing manjaro, made bootable using rufus then i got:

https://preview.redd.it/ip6h4y8j06ze1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=9261ef072eb998089202f8947ed742f809d22ff8

I thought to myself it might be rufus and tried balena etcher (it didn't even complete making it bootable). I then tried Ventoy (Same result as rufus)

When nothing worked i tried different combination of bios settings UEFI with CSM, UEFI/non-CSM. Still nothing.

I then tried completely wiping my drive and trying to install cuz other times when i install linux this solved it for me (erasing my drive and changing it to mbr). Yeah didn't work this time.

I copy n pasted win10 iso on my ventoy usb trying to restore my pc cuz now its unusable. Surprisingly Windows 10 installed seamlessly. How? I don't know, i tried manjaro again to no avail.

I copy n pasted Fedora, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu into the ventoy usb and tried each and every one of them. (Didn't work)

I read some reddit post with simmilar problem to mine and some dude said to use fedora media writer and that worked for the op. I used that too but still i'm getting the error:

FAILED Failed to start rsyslog.service - System Logging Service.
FAILED Failed to start systemd-vconsole-setup.service - Virtual Console Setup.
FAILED Failed to start gdm.service - GNOME Display Manager. FAILED Failed to start NetworkManager.service - Network Manager.
FAILED Failed to start rsyslog.service - System Logging Service.
FAILED Failed to start virtqemud.service - libvirt QEMU daemon.
FAILED Failed to start gdm.service - GNOME Display Manager. FAILED Failed to start NetworkManager.service - Network Manager.
FAILED Failed to start rsyslog.service - System Logging Service. FAILED Failed to start NetworkManager.service - Network Manager. FAILED Failed to start rsyslog.service - System Logging Service. FAILED Failed to start NetworkManager.service - Network Manager. FAILED Failed to start rsyslog.service - System Logging Service. FAILED Failed to start gdm.service - GNOME Display Manager. FAILED Failed to start gdm.service - GNOME Display Manager. FAILED Failed to start plymouth-quit-wait.service - Terminate Plymouth Boot Screen. FAILED Failed to start virtqemud.service - libvirt QEMU daemon. FAILED Failed to start virtqemud.service - libvirt QEMU daemon. FAILED Failed to start virtqemud.service - libvirt QEMU daemon. FAILED Failed to start virtqemud.service - libvirt QEMU daemon.


This occured when trying to install fedora using fedora media writer


Please someone help me I'm losing my mind.

https://redd.it/1kg4zr4
@r_linux

Password Manager for SSH? (for su or escalating privileges, not logging in)

Hello! We use ssh keys for logging into servers, but in order to use sudo we have to enter the account's password. I don't want to add the non-root user to the sudoers list, and I don't want to use the same password for every server.

Does anyone know of a password manager or other tool that can either run on the servers themselves, or, preferably, something local that can forward the password to the open terminal session?

My approach might be incorrect, so if anyone has other solutions or advice I'd be grateful.

Thank you!

https://redd.it/1kg6lbt
@r_linux

Linux Graphics Stack and HDR

What is left on the stack to get HDR working from Wine Wayland driver to the Windowing System that needs to be added to support the Wayland Color Protocol? Mesa 25.1 added support for the Wayland Color Protocol but it still does not work and the color space does not get passed. The only way I can get it to work is to add the VK-HDR-Layer. I was just curious to know what is left so we don't have to do workarounds like the VK-HDR-Layer. Is it a Nvidia thing or does it work on AMD just fine?

https://redd.it/1kg7qfx
@r_linux

If you want to stress test or monitoring your system, try OCCT, is awesome :) I've used many times in windows and now is native on linux, appimage from their website
https://redd.it/1kg8wgt
@r_linux

Memory-safe sudo to become the default in Ubuntu
https://trifectatech.org/blog/memory-safe-sudo-to-become-the-default-in-ubuntu/

https://redd.it/1kg9t4f
@r_linux

OpenOffice still being recommended – despite year-old unfixed security issues
https://fosstodon.org/@libreoffice/114457065586781781

https://redd.it/1kgca37
@r_linux

Idea for a weird distro / mod

Hi. I was recently watching some video about Baldurs Gate 3. Now I know nothing about DnD but a funny idea popped into my head. A distro which makes you roll a dice on everything. Do let me know if this already exists!

But you roll a dice and if you fail - no go. Like you are trying to install an app and fail a roll you can't ever install it again. Or you try to boot a game and you need to roll a 2 on d20 and you roll 1 - bad luck, no more booting that game.

See how far you could go on your PC. Gamify your day to day PC use. I would definately install it on a secondary PC for kicks and giggles but some lunatics for sure would daily drive it. Right?

https://redd.it/1kgdc0w
@r_linux

Ah,small and interesting thread.....Modernize memset() functions
https://lore.kernel.org/all/CAHk-=whvLzKeEvw3W0NTJp97jgr0qK=0WGDMgCgvdrbroWq61A@mail.gmail.com/

https://redd.it/1kgfhd3
@r_linux

Is XodoSign the best for e-signature on Linux?

I've been trying out Xodo Sign lately for signing PDFs on Linux, and honestly, it's been pretty smooth. It's web-based, so no native app, but it works well in Firefox and Chromium for basic e-signatures, names, dates, initials, and even some form-filling.
While it's not open source, the UI is clean, fast, and convenient for occasional signing tasks. Might be a good option if you want something quick without installing heavy tools.


https://redd.it/1kgbdf7
@r_linux