this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2024
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Imagine your friend that does not know anything about linux, don't you think this would make them not install the firefox flatpak and potentially think that linux is unsafe?

I ask this because I believe we must be careful and make small changes to welcome new users in the future, we have to make them as much comfortable as possible when experimenting with a new O.S

I believe this warning could have a less alarming design, saying something like "This app can use elevated permissions. What does this mean?" with the "What does this mean?" text as a clickable URL that shows the user that this may cause security risks. I mean, is kind of a contradiction to have "verified" on the app and a red warning saying "Potentially unsafe", the user will think "well, should I trust this or not??"

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[–] chris@lem.cochrun.xyz 12 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Yes, but also... It's true. Browsers are the number one way folks get viruses.

[–] refalo@programming.dev 18 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Which is hilarious because desktop apps have always had the capability to spy on all other apps and steal all your data.

[–] federino@programming.dev 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

It's not specific to browsers, but to every flatpak that is verified and has the potentially unsafe warning.

[–] eveninghere@beehaw.org 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

"Verified" doesn't mean too much to privacy advocates. There have been incidents. I indeed want to check what my app is going to access before installing it.

[–] federino@programming.dev 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I think it's okay to check what the app is going to access in your system. I'm just talking about the warning design, this comment suggests a different approach for a less alarming design.

[–] eveninghere@beehaw.org 0 points 5 months ago

Ah, very good point! If we all had the dedication for UX like you do, Linux would be so so so perfect.