Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by coldtea 19 days ago
>This is what happens when you run an OS controlled by some random big corporation

You get a channel for installing apps, where someone vetoes random apps that want to have access to control your whole computer and potentially steal sensitive data?

>Install some GNU/Linux distro and you can do whatever you want.

And any random app can get total control and steal your data, unless you know how to enable restrictions. I'd rather have restrictions as the default, and for the most naive users who'd follow every app prompt, and then cry about their lost work/private documents/money, no way to bypass them.
2 comments
realusername 19 days ago
> I'd rather have restrictions as the default

Then don't install apps and use the web, mobile sandboxing is much weaker compared to any modern browser.

link
Danox 19 days ago
Wrong answer...
link
realusername 19 days ago
How so? The accessibility API which is causing data exfiltration here doesn't even exist on the web.
link
coldtea 18 days ago
It also doesn't exist if you close the computer and take a walk in nature.

But we're talking about a case where you also want/need to use native apps. Not necessarily browser. Even if "it's the same" in this case, not all apps are equally viable as browser pages.

Not to mention performance/privacy/etc wise web apps are a regression.

link
realusername 18 days ago
> Not to mention performance/privacy/etc wise web apps are a regression.

Privacy-wise, web apps are also much better than native apps, less apis to exploit and also you can use an adblocker to kill tracking which as far as I know, doesn't exist on any mobile platform at the moment, even on GrapheneOS (I'm not talking about basic DNS shenanigans but actual automated native tracker removal)

I'd only agree about the performance part and even then, with the regression of mobile performance in the last few years (Material 3 / Liquid glass), it's not as clear cut as it used to be.

> But we're talking about a case where you also want/need to use native apps

Well if it's your only criteria then, the bar to get accepted in your average mainstream Linux repo is much much higher than any current mobile platform.

link
Muhammad523 19 days ago
It's not true that any app can get total control of your system. If you install them via flatpak, the apps are sandboxed. Also, unless you log in as root, the apps can't do much. Wonder why the most important systems in the world and big tech's servers run GNU/Linux? There's a reason

I dont wanna start a war over this btw, even though it may not seem :)

link
coldtea 18 days ago
>Also, unless you log in as root, the apps can't do much.

On a personal computer, they "can't do much" to the things you can trivially re-create by reinstalling anyway. Apps, system files, etc.

They can however do everything to your own files, steal your documents, bank account data, and more.

That a progran run as you without root "can't do much" made sense for multi-user Unix services, not for a personal computer and your own files.

>Wonder why the most important systems in the world and big tech's servers run GNU/Linux? There's a reason

Yes, and it's not because "unless you log in as root, the apps can't do much" on your personal laptop.

link
SSLy 19 days ago
> unless you log in as root, the apps can't do much.

https://xkcd.com/1200/

link