this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
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Don't use Flatpak etc for VPNs, it's limited, insecure and pointless.
It's highly likely that the Flatpak version is not routing your DNS queries, thus leaking your location. I wouldn't be surprised if other traffic is being leaked as well.
Since you're on normal Fedora, just use the normal app (.rpm): https://protonvpn.com/support/official-linux-vpn-fedora/. Don't use the CLI version though, as it's still on the old version (v3).
Man i wish I knew about this earlier... Thanks for the tip 🙌
Oh. So what wikk be OK to use the flatpack store for?
Thank you for help.
You can use it for normal applications that aren't sort of "system components" like a VPN. So if you want to install some office/productivity software, or a web browser, or a music/video player, then a Flatpak would be a reasonable choice. For most of those cases you would probably still choose the RPM if it is available, but Flatpak is also fine if not.
See: https://lemmy.nz/comment/7175961
I'm a new Fedora wearer myself (KDE Plasma spin) and I'm still confused as to when to use flatpak and when to use rpm. I was told to always use flatpaks, but Steam was an issue. Using the flatpak version, some games wouldn't recognize my controller. The Fedora version works flawlessly once you figure out that the only reason it "doesn't work" is because accelerated graphics is double-flagged causing a conflict— all you have to do is unflag it in the advanced app settings; it then works flawlessly. In any case, I was told flatpak is more stable, but that doesn't seem to be the case. What do?
Not sure who gave you that advice but if you're on a normal distro (ie, non-immutable), then you should always prefer your distro's packages - unless you have a specific reason to use the Flatpak version (like getting access to a more recent version of an app; or to use sandboxing features). Due to it's sandbox, Flatpak doesn't play well with apps that need to change core system settings (like VPNs) and other low-level access. You can fix them to a certain extent using flatseal by giving the right permissions, but even then some things are impossible to fix - take for example, password managers - you won't be able to get browser integration working if your password manager is a Flatpak app (again, because of the sandbox). Stuff like theme integration can also be a pain to get sorted.
Finally, distro-specific packages occupy less space, and tend to be more optimised and just generally work better. So stick to distro packages where possible.