this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2024
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Alright boys, I've been converted to the light side and have installed F-Droid. Now what? (self.opensource)
submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by Tangent5280 to c/[email protected]
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Basically title. I waited on installing F droid for a long time because my phone threw many scary warnings when I tried a long time ago. But now I have it, and I got some fossify apps, but since there is no "Editor's Picks" on F- droid I dont really know where to go from here.

What apps do you recommend I install first to remove my dependence on closed ecosystems?

What is my vulnerability surface ie, which sort of apps should I watch out for?

Are there any bad faith companies in the open source sphere?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I'll offer a counterpoint to all the Obtainium fans here: F-Droid is good and "middlemen" aren't always pointless.

F-Droid enforces their own inclusion standards on every app they build. This mainly ensures that all apps are built from source and are 100% free (libre) software. When you "go outside the middleman" and "go directly to the source" you lose that assurance.

I don't think it's worth it for slightly faster updates. I enjoy knowing that I have the four freedoms with every app I install.

[–] Tangent5280 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Tell me more about these four freedoms

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

A program is free software if the program's users have the four essential freedoms:

  • The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose (freedom 0).
  • The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
  • The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others (freedom 2).
  • The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

- What is Free Software? - The GNU Project

[–] Tangent5280 2 points 10 months ago

Thanks for the explanation.