Will Linux Mint use the Big Brother installer? (Kind-of)

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RubyStone
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Will Linux Mint use the Big Brother installer? (Kind-of)

Post by RubyStone »

Hello everyone.

I just heard the upcoming Ubuntu will use a new installer based on Flutter (created by big brother Google).

Will Mint find a way to use a different installer and scrutinize the code to ensure its not logging "anonymous" information?

I love Mint so I feel a bit protective of this good thing we have going. :D

What are your thoughts/insights/inside info?
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Moonstone Man
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Re: Will Linux Mint use the Big Brother installer?

Post by Moonstone Man »

RubyStone wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:57 pm I just heard the upcoming Ubuntu will use a new installer based on Flutter (created by big brother Google).
If google is a concern, better you shouldn't use Linux at all because they are one of the top contributors to Linux, and they fund kernel development.
RubyStone
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Re: Will Linux Mint use the Big Brother installer?

Post by RubyStone »

I didn't know that (@ Post by Kadaitcha Man)

Based on all the years of posts, in the Linux Mint news pages, I presumed that Mint was maintained by contributors and also that thousands of independent contributors worked with The Linux Foundation. So, I looked for proof of what you just said but only found that Google is working with The Linux Foundation, "with a new plan to underwrite two full-time maintainers for Linux kernel security development, Gustavo Silva and Nathan Chancellor." (ZDNET, February 24, 2021)

Unless I am mistaken, that is hardly a "top supporter" nor does it qualify as them "funding" linux development.

That being said, ANY involvement from large companies that say they have the good intention to "secure" free and open source is always a concern. Google, Microsoft, Apple and many other mega-companies make it a routine to get in the door of competition, or in this case open source, by offering "their" research and then locking that down thereby closing off important parts of open-source.

Google's Android is based on Open-Source but it is locked down and proprietary so no one can touch it, inspect it and make sure that it is not doing anything wrong - like tracking, etc. I am hopeful that The Linux Foundation had the smarts to ensure that no aspect of code written/developed, with the support of Google, to help "secure" the linux kernel will continue to be open source and readily available for review by the open source community as a whole.

So, yes, I have concerns and so should anyone who values true open source. Security and proprietary are NOT mutually exclusive.
Moonstone Man
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Re: Will Linux Mint use the Big Brother installer?

Post by Moonstone Man »

RubyStone wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 10:24 pm ... So, I looked for proof ...
https://news.itsfoss.com/huawei-kernel-contribution/
See the table part way down the page.

https://opensource.googleblog.com/2020/ ... oogle.html

https://opensourceindex.io/
Last edited by Moonstone Man on Wed Aug 04, 2021 11:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
RubyStone
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Re: Will Linux Mint use the Big Brother installer?

Post by RubyStone »

@ Kadaitcha Man

Ok, I get that. Thank you for the insight. I admit that basically everyone contributes to kernel. To be honest, that is the whole point of open source. So, in that respect, I humbly stand corrected.

I suspect much of their contribution also serves their use of Linux on their systems as well. My concern is mainly with ensuring that the code for Linux (at least the free and open source part) remains available for review by all the other developers and maintainers. I often feel these days that it is a fine line between contributing and controlling.

I had to laugh when I read that Huawei was a top contributor. I guess spies love open source too. LOL
Moonstone Man
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Re: Will Linux Mint use the Big Brother installer?

Post by Moonstone Man »

RubyStone wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 11:04 pm I often feel these days that it is a fine line between contributing and controlling.
If that line ever gets crossed, you'd see a mass forking of everything being controlled so it would be self-defeating.

As to the question in your subject line, it's highly unlikely.
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Pierre
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Re: Will Linux Mint use the Big Brother installer? (Kind-of)

Post by Pierre »

the rather small Team.LinuxMint is fairly conservative in it's approach,
when dealing with it's Ubuntu based core.
8)

it's also part of why, the LinuxMint system became so popular.
:)
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Wilop91
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Re: Will Linux Mint use the Big Brother installer? (Kind-of)

Post by Wilop91 »

@RubyStone
To complement what has been explained by Kadaitcha Man:
- Android is based on Linux which explains Google is one of the top contributors.
- Flutter is an open-source UI software development kit created by Google (and not a "installer")

For more info Wikipedia is your friend:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_( ... ng_system)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flutter_(software)

PS: Btw. Microsoft also started using the Linux kernel in some of their products
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azure_Sphere
For my daily use a CLEVO laptop with LM20.1 booting Legacy
And for my testing a Dell laptop with W10, LM20.1 and Manjaro booting UEFI
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