[Solved] BleachBit My Question

[The Old Timer]

Hey All,

I have read the posts about BleachBit and the harm that can come from using it incorrectly but still have to ask my question.
If a Linux user only uses BleachBit for cleaning only the browsers being used what harm could happen to the Linux distro being used.

I know that I can clean browser history from within the browser settings.
I also have used the "How to clean Linux Mint safely-Easy Linux tips project" that is recommend by the forum.

This isn't a left over habit brought over from Windows.
I am just wanting to understand more about Linux and BleachBit.

Thanks.
The Old Timer

[Moem]

If a Linux user only uses BleachBit for cleaning only the browsers being used what harm could happen to the Linux distro being used.

If someone uses it for that purpose alone, and does not make any mistakes while doing so, my educated guess is: none.

As fas as I know, BleachBit is dangerous because some people use it and don't really know what they are doing, or maybe they are careless, and they make mistakes. And with software of this kind it's easy for tiny mistakes to have dire consequenses.

Just like a chainsaw is dangerous, that does not make it into a tool that no one should ever use. When used properly and carefully, it's in fact very useful. But it's still a potentially dangerous tool and so it should not be recommended to unsupervised newbies. I figure BleachBit is a bit like that.

[Hoser Rob]

I don't know any truly knowledgeable users who will use anything like that in either Windows or linux.

[ZakGordon]

Let's see. I'm an experienced windows user of about 20 years (maybe longer) from w95 onwards (stopping with 7, didn't like changes in 8 and well 10 is just not end user focused). I even consulted on security for Windows systems, making real money out of that for many years.

One free simple tool on windows i used was CCleaner, and in about a decade of regular home use and sometimes as a tool to help 'fix' issues on customers PC's i never saw it cause a problem, not one single time (out of many thousand uses).

So in the widows world you had a 'cleaner' program that was perfectly safe as long as you knew what you were doing. Granted CCleaner is a safer program to use b default than Bleachbit.

I've been using Bleachbit for as long as i've been running this Mint install (about 8 months or longer now), i use it every day to clear out all the crap my browsers like to collect. After each day i can have around 300-600MB of data cleaned out by Bleachbit, mostly all temporary files type stuff, but also some of the stuff that is difficult to get your browsers to clean for you (preferences, websites visted, search histories etc). You can go through each browser manually removing this stuff, but that takes time and it is easy to miss things hidden inside the browser settings. I like to start my internet each day as if i never even used the browser before, and in the windows world CCleaner could do this (and more) safely and easily for you. It seems (so far) that Bleachbit can do that as well.

I can't vouch for Bleachbit like i can for CCleaner, and i understand Bleachbit is a much more dangerous cleaner to use, but IF you value browser security (and by extension your personal information being kept secure), i think Bleachbit can have a role to play in that. We live in an age of data mining and information gathering, and every extra little bit of help to fight against that is not a bad thing. Our browsers are the major point of online danger and often they store large amounts of data about our browsing habits and preferences, info that can be used against you.

And the day Bleachbit destroys my Mint install i will be here talking about it, but for now with daily cleaning it does pretty much exactly what CCleaner on my windows PC's does, cleans out crud and personal data i don't need hanging around.

[Crewp]

Sounds like you should just browse in " private mode " each time you surf, would have the same effect.

[Pjotr]

Sounds like you should just browse in " private mode " each time you surf, would have the same effect.

That, or configure your web browsers to delete all browsing history and cookies upon closing....

[Cosmo.]

If a Linux user only uses BleachBit for cleaning only the browsers being used what harm could happen to the Linux distro being used.

As you have read already about the topic, here is a short answer to your question above:
It can break your FF-profile. FF might not work anymore as you want and expect. The most problematic function in this regard is vacuum.

As Crew pointed out, FF can be used in a way, where no cleaning is ever needed. BB can never be so comfortable to do the same as setting once this option in FF. So the choice is: Save self-cleaned browser or user-forced Russian roulette.

[The Old Timer]

It sounds as though BleachBit is a tool in which users need to understand how to use the features that are available.

Are these opinions that users have based upon the users actual personal experience using BleachBit.
If not what do you base your opinions on.

I have never used this cleaning software as I have my Linux set up as Is recommended by "Easy Linux Tips Project".
I have read that Linux doesn't require much maintenance and what is necessary is very minimal.

My whole reason for asking is only to try and understand about BleachBit in Linux and that is all.
Just part of learning Linux.

The Old Timer

[atari800]

If you used the program enough and/or have knowledge of the features and know not to blindly select choices and just click OK, it is ok to use. It is not going to JUST EXPLODE at some point.
Tapping off what Moem said... a chainsaw is tool that can be used as a suicide machine if given to someone not knowing what to do with it.

If you are surfing the web on a micro pc with limited disk space, BB can reclaim space.
If you are surfing the web and do banking or look at adult content and want to remove the bread crumbs of where you been, BB can clean up this.
If you get to a command prompt and execute some activities and dont want someone looking at history, BB can clean up this.

Now granted, yes, if you make a project out of it, you could make a script that cron could run at startup or shutdown or a link on the desktop to clean up .cache and the places where files can haunt after there use.
And you can always start up a browser in incognito mode and perform extra tasks to take precautions after user.
And you can always remember to run "history -c' right before you exit a terminal
And you can locate the file(s) that hold the history of documents in LibreOffice and correctly remove the entries or even setup LO to not save them
and (you get the point)

But some people can and do use BB to choose their settings or what they want to clean and what they dont want touched and take care of "their version of maintenance as they see it" in 2 clicks.

Sure, there have been problems with "free disk space" (personally I would rename this feature) that I have read. I have googled for "bleachbit broke", "bleachbit bricked", "bleachbit cant boot", etc...
Most of the articles either were not associated to BB doing any damage, some articles never ended in "solved", and one article (from this forum) was of interest that the person ran Bleachbit, had issue, people gave suggestions, person gave up and reinstalled OS and couldnt. He even used a 3rd party app to wipe disk before trying to install. To me, I see this as coincidence that Bleachbit was involved and something else occured.
But this is me.

In all fairness, any app can be dangerous. Case in point, someone installed Clementine and it killed their system. One could go around forever and say "Clementine is a wrecking ball - never ever use it". But seriously, how many people log in to a forum and say "Clementine loaded up just fine - it works normally - nothing else to report"? Probably 0.0001% if that. People complain when something doesnt work.

I would think for every article I find about Bleachbit doing damage (either definitely or not part of the equation) that it has been run successfully 3000 times by tons of people who use it routinely and arent updating some forum that they encountered no problem.


*I am not associated to BleachBit

[Cosmo.]

Are these opinions that users have based upon the users actual personal experience using BleachBit.

In my case a combination of own test experiences (in a virtual machine, so no risk to loose anything), collection of other user's problems and investigations in the culprit and much reading all over the web.

[don250r]

How about, use the Tor browser and be done with it?

[The Old Timer]

Are these opinions that users have based upon the users actual personal experience using BleachBit.

In my case a combination of own test experiences (in a virtual machine, so no risk to loose anything), collection of other user's problems and investigations in the culprit and much reading all over the web.

You have done some research which is what I am doing.
You mentioned that "vacuum" is a problem in FF how does it affect FF.
If "vacuum" is the problem and it is left unchecked then the rest of the BleachBit browser cleaning tool is safe to use.

The Old Timer

[Cosmo.]

If "vacuum" is the problem and it is left unchecked then the rest of the BleachBit browser cleaning tool is safe to use.

No, it is not. It was just one example to show, where this tool makes predictable data crap.

The safe method is the method described by Crewp and enhanced by Pjotr. Before you ask: As long as it is about your computer, you can play every Russian roulette you want. At the moment, when you ask here, if it safe to play games with data, you get the only acceptable answer: No. That does not mean, that you may not do so, we don't need your data.

[daveinuk]

Bleachbit is bad, really really bad, trust us on this one, it's really bad, no one ever used it and survived, I heard it eats ntfs or sumthin'? or was it ext3? I dunno it's just really really bad, there was this one time, this one guy, called Freddie Starr or someone, well, Bleachbit ate his HAMSTER !!!1101LO!
True story, new question, same answer, Bleachbit is really bad, it destroys satellites etc, rinse, repeat.

The End.

[The Old Timer]

Interesting opinions here.

Well actual experience has always proven to be a good resource as far as computer software.

I guess I will make an image of my hard drive and install BleachBit and see what happens and then I will know.
Not anything of importance on my hard drive that can't easily be replaced.

IMO it will be worth the gamble to learn and that was the whole purpose of my original question.
Worst that can happen is I break my system and have to reinstall I'm willing to pay that cost for the education that I gain.

I appreciate all of the input from everyone all the differences in opinions helped me decide to try it for myself.

Thanks.
The Old Timer

[daveinuk]

IMO it will be worth the gamble to learn and that was the whole purpose of my original question.
Worst that can happen is I break my system and have to reinstall I'm willing to pay that cost for the education that I gain.

This Sir is the correct answer

You win 1 Internet !

[The Old Timer]

IMO it will be worth the gamble to learn and that was the whole purpose of my original question.
Worst that can happen is I break my system and have to reinstall I'm willing to pay that cost for the education that I gain.

This Sir is the correct answer

You win 1 Internet !

Thank You.

[atari800]

Yes - form YOUR OWN opinion.

Take care

[linuxfreak]

Bleachbit is bad, really really bad, trust us on this one, it's really bad, no one ever used it and survived, I heard it eats ntfs or sumthin'? or was it ext3? I dunno it's just really really bad, there was this one time, this one guy, called Freddie Starr or someone, well, Bleachbit ate his HAMSTER !!!1101LO!
True story, new question, same answer, Bleachbit is really bad, it destroys satellites etc, rinse, repeat.

Did you made this aware at the BB developer? My best guess is not, since ranting about your problems is so much easier than posting your problems/issues on the BB forum.....

[ZakGordon]

@linuxfreak, i think daveinuk was joking, as in doing a parody of all those that like to say bad things about Bleachbit.

I took peoples advice from here (the mint forums) in general, in relation to be wary of Bleachbit, but as i had tools like it in Windows i knew to be safe, and enjoyed the convenience of using, i decided to take the risk and give Bleachbit a go. With a bit of reading up i decided that yes Bleachbit was more dangerous than CCleaner (equivalent in windows), and i could see it could be possible to use it in a way that could mess up my installation, and most of that info was from the Bleachbit program and site itself.

Still with careful use, and i do use it every day after i have finished using the internet, it seems so far to be possible to use it in a way that clears up left over junk it would be difficult/time consuming to remove in other ways. This is just my personal experience from using it, and not being a Linux expert at all you can take that for what it is, it is interesting that so many people do have such strong feelings about the program though, and maybe when (if) it screws up my Mint install i will join those that call for Bleachbit to be removed/not used etc?