Yeah, I always thought it was suspect because of the balenaCloud ad. Why do people even use this? Why did it get popular? Did paid balenaEtcher shills make it go viral or something?
Rather, is there something wrong with KDE ISO Image Writer's v1.0.0 Windows VERSION, even if it is 3 years old by now? https://apps.kde.org/isoimagewriter/
While Ventoy is technically open source so the code can be verified, the source also contains a number of binary blobs. As these blobs are already compiled, there is no way to verify what they actually do. Ostensibly, these blobs are just drivers and whatnot that are taken from the official upstream sources and are used by Ventoy for good reason to install things. But because they are already compiled blobs, no one is able to actually verify that. It is possible that they can also do something else nefarious, like secretly install some hidden spyware in your new OS that you are installing using Ventoy.
ELI5: Imagine you like a particular restaurant because they post the ingredients list on their menu. That way, you can tell if a dish fits your dietary requirements. But you notice that while one of their salads lists ingredients that make sense like "ICEBERG LETTUCE" and "CHERRY TOMATO", one of that salad's other ingredients is just "CANNED FOOD PRODUCT". Well, that is incredibly vague and not all that helpful. You can't really tell what that ingredient is or if it is something you are allergic to. For most people, in most situations, it is entirely fine. They can probably eat the salad with no problem. But some people would rather not risk the potential problems that come from not knowing for sure.
It was also strange that after this issue was brought up about Ventoy, it took quite a long time for the developer to actually respond. I believe they eventually came up with a good idea for a solution (using GitHub build actions or whatever to build the blobs from source), but mentioned that will be a big effort to actually switch to. So, they have not actually done that yet. I believe the unverified blobs are still in place in the source right now.
I've tried using GH Actions before to build binaries fully from source and it's difficult AF. It seems like using something like Nix could make this more doable.
It’s ventoy with a ton of extremely useful programs included, and an excellent update tool for all of them. The web site seems pretty normal to me! I’ve been using it for a long time and it’s been crazy helpful.
I've had hit and miss with Ventoy. I love it and it's my goto, but I have a handful of ISOs that it's effectively just storage for - then I use Balena Etcher, Rufus, Raspberry Pi Imager, or sometimes classic dd to burn it to a smaller USB - but if I had to pick one tool, I'd recommend Raspberry Pi, Rufus, or Balena Etcher to a new user just trying to get the job done.
One thing holding me back from moving to Linux is Directory Opus. It's not on Linux but it's the best file browser I've ever seen, and I can't live without.
I get the inertia against switching when you have a setup you like, but the idea of going the other direction -- if I could get the best file manager in the universe but I have to switch to Windows to use it -- I just cannot imagine anything that would make it worth it.
if I could get the best file manager in the universe but I have to switch to Windows to use it -- I just cannot imagine anything that would make it worth it.
Yeah same, but I've used directory opus for the over 20 years now. It's a file browser, so an every day use application, or well, maybe the word living space is a better word.
Next to that, I'm autistic and I struggle with change. I'm struggling with it so much, I'm still using windows even though Microsoft is working hard to make their OS more resentful every day.
I'm not autistic enough to wanting to stay with windows, I am autistic enough to have issues parting ways with a solid, comfortable and properly working system like directory opus. I also begged them to make a Linux version but their response was that the market wasn't big enough for that. But hopefully Microsoft will change that soon, as more and more people are switching because of them.
So I will get there, don't worry. I know there are Linux alternatives, but I'm just struggling with parting ways with something that has been in my system for more than half of my life.
What feature from Directory Opus is unavailable in Linux? I assume you can find a plugin or something to make Dolphin (the default file explorer for KDE Plasma, but you should be able to install it pretty much anywhere) do just about anything you need.
I love the folder tree with dual folder content screens with tabs. It also works flawlessly with ftp and network drives. It's own copy/move-paste system is also great. I love how you're able to change loads of settings, including all colors. Also the bulk renaming files function is amazing.
Sure, you could technically just do that manually. But using a purpose-built app designed for that task is just so much less work. Even a veteran Linux user is likely to use an app like dd instead of creating a boot disk manually.
An even better option is Ventoy - You just drop the raw .isos onto the drive and it gives you all of them as options in a bootloader. Can put all of your distros on one drive (and even windows isos if you really need to for some reason).
It's literally drag and drop after initializing MBR, format FAT, set active. Rufus is pointless.
Lemmy is sure showing its usual technical incompetency while pretending they are superior because they can install Linux. In a shitpost thread no less.
74 Comments
gurty@lemmy.world · 44 pts · 88d
In 2nd place, I’d put balenaEtcher.
jlow@slrpnk.net · 64 pts · 88d
https://cybernews.com/privacy/tails-raises-privacy-concerns-over-balenaetcher-recommends-rufus/
dditty@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 26 pts · 88d
God damn, they harvest IP records, which iso image of tails, AND the make/model of the USB drive‽
Mountainaire@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 88d
Yeah, I always thought it was suspect because of the balenaCloud ad. Why do people even use this? Why did it get popular? Did paid balenaEtcher shills make it go viral or something?
mbp@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 87d
I think it was just an aesthetically pleasing and simple program to flash things.
More people are drawn to the simple option.
HuePony@lemmy.ml · 14 pts · 88d
If only Rufus would work on Linux
mirshafie@europe.pub · 18 pts · 88d
Just use dd
eli@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 88d
But but...terminal scary 🥺
Mountainaire@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 84d
Oh, please; it's a matter of perspective!
eli@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 84d
A friend told me a command to input into the terminal so he can do remote management, something like:
rm is remote management, rf is remote friend I think, and no preserve root means give him root access I'm guessing
Cant wait to get started on Linux!
/s
this is a joke do not do thisbhamlin@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 88d
Or pv
siha@feddit.uk · 6 pts · 88d
Just use ed
BartyDeCanter@piefed.social · 6 pts · 88d
Just use M-x M-butterfly
T4V0@lemmy.pt · 8 pts · 88d
Use Ventoy.
PixeIOrange@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 87d
I second this. Its so neat having an OS collection usb stick for distro hopping <3
Mrb2@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 88d
Fedora writer also works fine for basic flashing
Dojan@pawb.social · 4 pts · 88d
There's ISO Image Writer for KDE, and GNOME Disks has this functionality bundled into it.
Mountainaire@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 88d
Rather, is there something wrong with KDE ISO Image Writer's v1.0.0 Windows VERSION, even if it is 3 years old by now? https://apps.kde.org/isoimagewriter/
MasterNerd@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 88d
dd works for most Linux ISOs
gurty@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 88d
Bloody hell! I had no idea.
ceenote@lemmy.world · 30 pts · 88d
They must have liked the joke so much they made it even more important for Windows 11.
58008@lemmy.world · 29 pts · 88d
Ventoy > Rufus
sudoer777@lemmy.ml · 14 pts · 88d
Is there an alternative yet that doesn't have weird binary blobs that nobody can verify?
rbos@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 88d
This is new to me, I can't find a reference. Can you share?
restingOface@quokk.au · 15 pts · 88d
While Ventoy is technically open source so the code can be verified, the source also contains a number of binary blobs. As these blobs are already compiled, there is no way to verify what they actually do. Ostensibly, these blobs are just drivers and whatnot that are taken from the official upstream sources and are used by Ventoy for good reason to install things. But because they are already compiled blobs, no one is able to actually verify that. It is possible that they can also do something else nefarious, like secretly install some hidden spyware in your new OS that you are installing using Ventoy.
https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/issues/2795
https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/issues/3224
ELI5: Imagine you like a particular restaurant because they post the ingredients list on their menu. That way, you can tell if a dish fits your dietary requirements. But you notice that while one of their salads lists ingredients that make sense like "ICEBERG LETTUCE" and "CHERRY TOMATO", one of that salad's other ingredients is just "CANNED FOOD PRODUCT". Well, that is incredibly vague and not all that helpful. You can't really tell what that ingredient is or if it is something you are allergic to. For most people, in most situations, it is entirely fine. They can probably eat the salad with no problem. But some people would rather not risk the potential problems that come from not knowing for sure.
It was also strange that after this issue was brought up about Ventoy, it took quite a long time for the developer to actually respond. I believe they eventually came up with a good idea for a solution (using GitHub build actions or whatever to build the blobs from source), but mentioned that will be a big effort to actually switch to. So, they have not actually done that yet. I believe the unverified blobs are still in place in the source right now.
sudoer777@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 87d
I've tried using GH Actions before to build binaries fully from source and it's difficult AF. It seems like using something like Nix could make this more doable.
sudoer777@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 88d
This is the alert in Nixpkgs:
https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/d233902339c02a9c334e7e593de68855ad26c4cb/pkgs/by-name/ve/ventoy/package.nix#L213
rbos@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 88d
Interesting. Worrying, even.
derbolle@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 88d
to create bootable sticks: fedora media writer. works on windows with every linux image
Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 88d
Medicat > just Ventoy also, Medicat fuuuuucks
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 87d
From a quick glance, Medicat is more of a specialized toolkit using Ventoy, no?
And their homepage is... weird.
Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 87d
It’s ventoy with a ton of extremely useful programs included, and an excellent update tool for all of them. The web site seems pretty normal to me! I’ve been using it for a long time and it’s been crazy helpful.
ragepaw@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 87d
Seeing LTT's nipples is normal for you?
Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 87d
I’m not sure what nipples you’re seeing, but I just see a lot of cats.
ragepaw@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 87d
Quite literally LTTs nips
https://i.imgur.com/ug5aqGQ.jpegEdit: The file was removed. I assume because... nips.
Edit 2: I just looked at the HTML
This is the page background
https://medicatusb.com/_astro/sexy-papa-linus.654b76fb.png
But it's LTT, lying on his back
Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 87d
This Imgur link comes up with “The requested image can’t be found” D:
Oh god and now it just auto plays some TikTok bullshit. I remember when some guy made Imgur “as a no-bullshit clean easy image hosting web site”
Oh how far it has fallen D:
TeddE@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 88d
I've had hit and miss with Ventoy. I love it and it's my goto, but I have a handful of ISOs that it's effectively just storage for - then I use Balena Etcher, Rufus, Raspberry Pi Imager, or sometimes classic dd to burn it to a smaller USB - but if I had to pick one tool, I'd recommend Raspberry Pi, Rufus, or Balena Etcher to a new user just trying to get the job done.
frozenpopsicle@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 88d
EtchDroid, available from F-Droid, allows you to make bootable usbs from your phone.
ragepaw@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 87d
I thought Ventoy was stupid and pointless until I actually tried it. Holy shit. Past me is an idiot. What a great tool.
Zomg@piefed.world · 1 pts · 87d
How does this compare to E2B? Sounds interesting
vivalapivo@lemmy.today · -3 pts · 88d
Being Physically Healthy > Being Mentally Healthy
crypt0cler1c@infosec.pub · 0 pts · 87d
This doesn't make sense at all. Generally they go hand in hand.
vivalapivo@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 87d
They don't go hand in hand if you have only one hand
serpineslair@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 88d
Shhh! They might stop people installing it! 😱
PostProcess@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 88d
Thankfully it comes as a complete portable. Really great app.
brian@lemmy.ca · 19 pts · 88d
careful, they might pull an android and somehow try and stop "sideloading" in windows
yakko@feddit.uk · 11 pts · 88d
Ballsy move, bet the stock price would go up. They should try it.
jaggedrobotpubes@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 88d
They don't got the guts yeah I said it
poolcritter@pawb.social · 2 pts · 88d
There's already Windows S mode — if you bought a device with S mode enabled, you need a Microsoft account to disable it.
PostProcess@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 88d
Actually, it's just as useful for making windows install media so they probably just take the rough with the smooth.
pHr34kY@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 88d
Defenestration utilities are essential.
ApertureUA@lemmy.today · 8 pts · 87d
Says a Facebook user.
LuminousLuddite@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 88d
TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 87d
One thing holding me back from moving to Linux is Directory Opus. It's not on Linux but it's the best file browser I've ever seen, and I can't live without.
Zink@programming.dev · 2 pts · 87d
Have you tried Double Commander or Superfile?
I get the inertia against switching when you have a setup you like, but the idea of going the other direction -- if I could get the best file manager in the universe but I have to switch to Windows to use it -- I just cannot imagine anything that would make it worth it.
TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 87d
Yeah same, but I've used directory opus for the over 20 years now. It's a file browser, so an every day use application, or well, maybe the word living space is a better word.
Next to that, I'm autistic and I struggle with change. I'm struggling with it so much, I'm still using windows even though Microsoft is working hard to make their OS more resentful every day.
I'm not autistic enough to wanting to stay with windows, I am autistic enough to have issues parting ways with a solid, comfortable and properly working system like directory opus. I also begged them to make a Linux version but their response was that the market wasn't big enough for that. But hopefully Microsoft will change that soon, as more and more people are switching because of them.
So I will get there, don't worry. I know there are Linux alternatives, but I'm just struggling with parting ways with something that has been in my system for more than half of my life.
HugeNerd@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 87d
Like on the Amiga?
restingOface@quokk.au · 1 pts · 87d
What feature from Directory Opus is unavailable in Linux? I assume you can find a plugin or something to make Dolphin (the default file explorer for KDE Plasma, but you should be able to install it pretty much anywhere) do just about anything you need.
TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 87d
I love the folder tree with dual folder content screens with tabs. It also works flawlessly with ftp and network drives. It's own copy/move-paste system is also great. I love how you're able to change loads of settings, including all colors. Also the bulk renaming files function is amazing.
Arachnidbrilliant@lemmy.dbzer0.com · -4 pts · 88d
vivalapivo@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 88d
Windows is not the only way to go insane
ddplf@szmer.info · 0 pts · 88d
windoes 11 mafia 😎😎😎😎
IHawkMike@lemmy.world · -41 pts · 88d
If you need an app to format a drive and copy some files, maybe you should stick with Windows.
0ops@piefed.zip · 34 pts · 88d
Pfft, executing write instructions is for normies. I flip bits myself with nothing but a small magnet and my sense of pride
restingOface@quokk.au · 29 pts · 88d
Sure, you could technically just do that manually. But using a purpose-built app designed for that task is just so much less work. Even a veteran Linux user is likely to use an app like dd instead of creating a boot disk manually.
KoboldCoterie@pawb.social · 19 pts · 88d
An even better option is Ventoy - You just drop the raw .isos onto the drive and it gives you all of them as options in a bootloader. Can put all of your distros on one drive (and even windows isos if you really need to for some reason).
restingOface@quokk.au · 12 pts · 88d
Is that still using sketchy precompiled blobs? Or was that situation handled?
defaultusername@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 88d
I thought there was a fork that removed those, but I can't remember the name.
0ops@piefed.zip · 9 pts · 88d
Funny, I just tried ventoy for the first time the other day. Can vouch, it's pretty slick!
conartistpanda@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 88d
You for real?
IHawkMike@lemmy.world · -11 pts · 88d
100%
It's literally drag and drop after initializing MBR, format FAT, set active. Rufus is pointless.
Lemmy is sure showing its usual technical incompetency while pretending they are superior because they can install Linux. In a shitpost thread no less.
winkerjadams@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 87d
Rufus let me install windows on to a portable drive when my NVME failed. Windows wouldn't let me do that
Holyginz@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 88d
Whoosh