From df1b7ab90ab5524a075685ea8e36ac085924d29e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Mat Jones Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2024 11:19:15 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] chore(docs): linux op-ed --- docs/articles/discord-openasar.md | 111 ------------------ docs/articles/linux-isnt-for-nerds-anymore.md | 61 ++++++++++ ...nixos-last-linux-distro-youll-ever-need.md | 3 - 3 files changed, 61 insertions(+), 114 deletions(-) delete mode 100644 docs/articles/discord-openasar.md create mode 100644 docs/articles/linux-isnt-for-nerds-anymore.md delete mode 100644 docs/articles/nixos-last-linux-distro-youll-ever-need.md diff --git a/docs/articles/discord-openasar.md b/docs/articles/discord-openasar.md deleted file mode 100644 index eb3ca2a3..00000000 --- a/docs/articles/discord-openasar.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,111 +0,0 @@ -# Fixing Discord With OpenAsar - -Like many (arguably _most_) pieces of free, proprietary software today, Discord is -[really bad for your privacy](https://tosdr.org/en/service/536). Your "private" messages and even voice chats on Discord -are collected and stored, readable by Discord staff, according to their own privacy policy. -Discord's primary source of revenue is selling your data. These are just a few of many issues. - -By default, Discord also collects data on applications you open and run on your computer and build a statistical model -of what software you are likely to buy/license in the future. You can turn this off under Settings → Privacy & Safety -by turning off "Use data to improve Discord", but they try to scare you out of disabling it. - -![Discord trying to scare you into not turning off spyware](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/8648891/246507023-6f16bcaa-f19a-409c-970c-cb85cfb6d548.png) - -You also have to disable it twice before it actually does anything, at least in my own personal experience. I recommend turning off every -setting under the "HOW WE USE YOUR DATA" heading. - -# What is OpenAsar - -The Discord desktop app is built with [Electron](https://www.electronjs.org/), which basically means its a web view -running in Chromium as a desktop app. Electron bundles application scripts in an `app.asar` archive file, and `OpenAsar` -is an open source reimplementation of Discord's `app.asar`. - -[`OpenAsar`](https://openasar.dev/) is a much, much smaller file size than Discord's own `app.asar`, and it adds some -really nice additional features. - -![OpenAsar file size](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/8648891/246508384-111cc63b-0243-44d5-85aa-9dc5dda8884a.png) - -If you have a GitHub account, give the [OpenAsar repository](https://github.com/GooseMod/OpenAsar) a star! - -## What Does OpenAsar Do? - -Once `OpenAsar` is installed (see [Installing OpenAsar](#installing-openasar)), if you go to Settings in the Discord app, -you should see a new section in the sidebar under "App Settings" called "OpenAsar". Clicking this will open the OpenAsar -settings window. - -From this window, you can turn off a lot (but most likely not all) of Discord's spyware by completely blocking the `/api/science` Discord -API endpoint, disable showing others when you're typing in Discord, and apply custom CSS from the "Theming" tab. - -![OpenAsar settings page](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/8648891/246509701-d0978e27-f549-40b3-9a05-a9b8f50bc086.png) - -One of the things that annoys me the most about Discord is how aggressively they push Discord Nitro subscriptions on you everywhere -throughout the app, and how arbitrary the set of features that are put behind the Nitro paywall is. Sorry, Discord, but I will never, -ever pay money for Discord Nitro, ever. I would try convincing my friends to switch to Matrix before paying for Nitro. - -With OpenAsar, I can use the "Theming" tab to inject custom CSS and remove a lot of the Discord Nitro ads from the Discord app. - -```css -/* Hide all things Discord Nitro */ -/* "Add Super Reaction" button */ -div[aria-label="Add Super Reaction"], -/* Super Reactions others have added */ -div[class*="reactionInner"][aria-label*="super"], -/* "Nitro" section in sidebar of settings page */ -div[class*="premiumTab"], -/* The huge Nitro ads on the profile customization page */ -div[class*="premiumFeatureBorder"], -/* Discord's Birthday stuff on the profile customization page */ -div[class*="birthdayFeatureBorder"], -/* The "boost" status on Discord server sidebars */ -div[aria-label*="Buy Boosts to help unlock"], -/* The "Nitro" item in the direct messages list */ -ul[aria-label="Direct Messages"] a[href="/store"], -/* The "Discord's Birthday" item in the direct messages list */ -ul[aria-label="Direct Messages"] a[href="/activities"] -/* The "Start an Activity" button */ -button[aria-label="Start an Activity"] { - display: none; -} -``` - -## Installing OpenAsar - -If you're on NixOS (or use Nix package manager on another OS) like me, you're in luck, it's incredibly easy to install `OpenAsar` -via Nix, just by setting a package override: - -```nix -{ pkgs, ... }: { - # if using home-manager - home.packages = [ (pkgs.discord.override { withOpenASAR = true; }) ] - # if not using home-manager, install globally - environment.systemPackages = [ (pkgs.discord.override { withOpenASAR = true; }) ]; -} -``` - -Otherwise, you will have to replace Discord's `app.asar` manually. On Linux, Discord's `app.asar` is most likely -in one of the following locations: - -```bash -# native Discord installation -/opt/discord/resources/app.asar -/usr/lib/discord/resources/app.asar -/usr/lib64/discord/resources/app.asar -/usr/share/discord/resources/app.asar - -# Flatpak Discord installation -/var/lib/flatpak/app/com.discordapp.Discord/current/active/files/discord/resources/app.asar -~/.local/share/flatpak/app/com.discordapp.Discord/current/active/files/discord/resources/app.asar -``` - -For Windows, it should be in the directory `%localappdata%\Discord\app-1.0.9013\resources` which you can get to -by typing that into the address bar in Windows file explorer. - -Once you've located Discord's `app.asar`, fully quit Discord, then just replace the entire `app.asar` archive with -the version you download from [`OpenAsar`'s website](https://openasar.dev/). - -### Updating OpenAsar - -On NixOS, `OpenAsar` will update any time you apply updates via your Nix config. On Windows and generic Linux, `OpenAsar` can self-update, -but on Windows you will need to change the directory permissions for Discord's resources directory (which you located when installing) -for self-updates to work. -See [`OpenAsar`'s FAQ for more information](https://github.com/GooseMod/OpenAsar/blob/main/faq.md#does-openasar-update-itself). diff --git a/docs/articles/linux-isnt-for-nerds-anymore.md b/docs/articles/linux-isnt-for-nerds-anymore.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..a04158a8 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/articles/linux-isnt-for-nerds-anymore.md @@ -0,0 +1,61 @@ +# Opinion: It's 2024 and Linux Isn't Just for Nerds Anymore + +Linux was once, and to some extent, still is, considered an operating system meant only for tech-savvy individuals and computer enthusiasts. +But, the truth is, Linux is now more user-friendly and easy to use than ever, and there are plenty of reasons you might want to replace Windows +with an alternative operating system. + +## The Rise of User-Friendly Linux Distributions + +An incredible amount of effort has gone towards making Linux easy to use for everyone, even beginners who aren't comfortable +using the terminal or command line interfaces. Fedora, Mint, Manjaro, and Pop!\_OS (my personal go-to recommendation) are just a few +of many examples of such distributions. Pop!\_OS comes with the Pop! Shop, a graphical software "store" (nearly all of the software there +is free) from which you can install much of the software that basic users might need, without ever touching the command line. + +It's 2024 and today it's completely reasonable to use Linux without ever touching the terminal or any command line interface. + +## Gaming on Linux: A Massive Leap Forward + +In just the past few years, Valve's development of [Proton](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton) has made incredible progress +for making gaming on Linux incredibly seamless. Simply [enable Steam Play](https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561) +in the Steam client for Linux, and tens or hundreds of thousands of titles will "just work" on Linux. + +Anecdotally, I've been gaming on Linux exclusively, both on desktop and [Steam Deck](https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck) (the world's greatest +portable gaming device) for several years now, and I can probably count on one hand the number of games I wanted to play that I couldn't get working +on Linux. + +## A Friendlier Alternative to Microsoft's Windows + +It seems like almost a weekly occurance now that I see some tech news article about a new place that Microsoft has managed to +shove ads into the Windows interface; the [start menu](https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/24/24138949/microsoft-windows-11-start-menu-ads-recommendations-setting-disable), +[system notifications](https://web.archive.org/web/20231118121625/https://old.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/16opnfo/windows_11_gives_you_ads_as_notifications_in_the/), +even _[full screen popup ads on your desktop!](https://www.extremetech.com/computing/microsoft-displaying-full-screen-windows-11-ads-in-windows-10)_ + +With this knowledge, it will probably come as no surprise that Windows is spying on you in order to serve you these targeted ads; by default, +Windows reports any time you launch an app to Microsoft via a "feature" called "Windows Activity History". In fact, there is so much of this +type of spyware in Windows (what Microsoft calls "telemetry") that privacy tools like [NextDNS](https://nextdns.io/), a privacy and security +enhancing DNS server, offer native Windows tracker blocking functionality. + +![NextDNS Windows Tracker Blocking](https://private-user-images.githubusercontent.com/8648891/325272446-fee6eda0-6380-4177-9c46-72f2c83cb9f4.png?jwt=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.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.nOAwvioiBn1Q_R5nfQSym9Z2NZ-UuZudqOlwBJkxxaE) + +The Free Software Foundation even has [a page dedicated to all the pieces of malware Microsoft has introduced as "features" to Windows over the years](https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/malware-microsoft.html). + +> "If you do want to clean your computer of malware, the first software to delete is Windows." - _The Free Software Foundation_ + +Most Linux distrubutions, by contrast, give the user full freedom and control over their system; it doesn't abuse the user, doesn't spam them +with ads on the desktop of their own computer, and doesn't share your app activity with Microsoft. It's important to note, however, +that not all Linux distributions are created equal. + +For example, I highly recommend _against_ using Ubuntu, as the developer, Canonical, +has lost user trust by behaving in a similar manner to Microsoft; the most infamous incident is a "feature" called +[Amazon Lens](https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/11/how-to-install-a-dedicated-amazon-shopping-lens-in-ubuntu) that, by default, +sends what you type into the system launcher (basically like Linux's version of the start menu) to Amazon. While I used to recommend +Ubuntu as the best beginner-friendly Linux distribution, over the years I've changed my recommendation to [Pop!\_OS](https://pop.system76.com/). + +--- + +It's clear that as we enter 2024 and beyond, Linux isn't just a niche operating system for nerds anymore. +Today, there are plenty of beginner-friendly, very easy to use graphical Linux distributions to choose from +to take back your freedom and privacy from Microsoft. You don't have to tolerate their abuse anymore; using Linux +is easy, even for beginners. + +It's time to end your abusive relationship with Microsoft. diff --git a/docs/articles/nixos-last-linux-distro-youll-ever-need.md b/docs/articles/nixos-last-linux-distro-youll-ever-need.md deleted file mode 100644 index 7ce4f1b0..00000000 --- a/docs/articles/nixos-last-linux-distro-youll-ever-need.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3 +0,0 @@ -# NixOS is the Last Linux Distro You'll Ever Need - -