[mlatu]

do you want to know how to get malware?

by following this thought:

> there's always a free easy to use GUI app (like the one featured in this topic) that can be downloaded and it's nearly guaranteed to work despite its age

im not saying this tool contains malware, im saying, if it's a system function, the system should allow you to configure it. and no, i dont see missing widgets in open source settings panels as the problem since you could easily compile a better settings panel for yourself

[ChuckNorris89]

>do you want to know how to get malware?

There are a million other ways you can get malware, including via Gnome extensions. Do you think all the Linux tutorials online that involve the user cURL-ing or wget-ing something and running it as sudo are 100% safe? Then you should not use a PC or an internet connected devices if that's your threat model and do poweruser things without understating fully the risk of what you're doing with sudo/admin privs.

Regarding malware on windows apps, that might have been the case during the days of Windows XP but chances of niche Windows apps infecting you is infinitely small these days as windows anti malware is excelent at protection and malware actors have bigger fish to fry like email phishing or targeting mainstream apps that get millions of clicks like VLC or OBS form scummy Google-Ads , not some niche apps that disable the touchpad and get 5 downloads a year.

And yes I agree and that's my issue here. Basic settings like turning off the touchpad when an external mouse is plugged in should be a OS provided setting, not be poweruser setting/feature needing workarounds and external downloads with sudo/admin that open attack surfaces on your OS.

>i dont see missing widgets in open source settings panels as the problem since you could easily compile a better settings panel for yourself

The thing is, I don't want to compile anything for my OS. I used to, as a tinkerer/student, but now as a grumpy grown-up with responsibilities, I have work to do and my free time is precious and want to use it for other hobbies.

The OS for me is a tool, not a tinkering hobby project, and needs to do what I need it to do the easy way not the hard way, and I'm willing to pay for it if paid solutions exist.

I'm sorry if my POV clashes with the FOSS philosophy.

[mlatu]

not sure how that clashes with anything... and wasnt arguing for blindly following tutorials in the first place so i'll just skip over that (albeit very valid) point...

> Basic settings [...] should not be poweruser setting/feature needing workarounds and external downloads

yes.

> windows anti malware is excelent at protection

it can only be as good as its heuristics. generally speaking: antivirus is snake oil. i think instead of wasting more and more processing on detecting malware the user downloaded, users should be taught to use their machines properly. you dont expect a child to drive a car, and yet even more complex footguns seem fair game. and a child could easily do alot of (financial) damage with a computer.

> I don't want to compile anything for my OS.

that's fair. i wrote "you could". i mostly meant the capability. the actual work could be and usually is delegated to trustworthy users. (read "trustworthy" either from your pov or of the dev of the original application, if that person already is... uh... malwaring you, all this is moot of course. (also assuming a "good" dev who checks pull requests))