Brief: Basilisk is a Firefox fork that supports legacy extensions and much more. Here, we take a look at its features and try it out.
Basilisk: Open Source XUL-Based Web Browser
Even though it is better to stick with the regular web browsers like Firefox or Chromium available for Linux – it doesn’t hurt to know about other browsers. Recently, I stumbled upon a Firefox fork, Basilisk web browser that features the classic Firefox user interface along with legacy add-ons support (just like Waterfox).
itsfoss.com homepage on Basilisk
If you are in the dire need of using a legacy extensions or miss the classic look and feel of Firefox, the Basilisk web browser can save your day. The web browser is being maintained by the team behind Pale Moon browser (which is another Firefox fork I will be looking at next).
If you’re looking for open-source Chrome alternatives, you may have a quick look at what Basilisk offers.
Note:Basilisk is a development software. Even though I didn’t have any major usability issues for the time I used, you should not rely on it as the only browser to use.
Features of Basilisk web browser
Basilisk works out of the box. However, here are some features you might want to take a look before considering to use it:
Uses Goanna open-source browser engine which is a fork of Mozilla’s Gecko
Does not use Rust or the Photon user interface
Supports 64-bit systems only
Installing Basilisk on Linux
You may not find it listed in your Software Center. So, you will have to head to its official download page to get the tarball (tar.xz) file.
Once you download it, simply extract it and head inside the folders. Next, you will find a “Basilisk” executable file in it. You need to simply run it by double-clicking on it or performing a right-click and selecting “Run“.
You may check out its GitHub page for more information.
You can also use the terminal and run the file by following the steps below while navigating to the directory you downloaded it to:
Basilisk is a decent Firefox fork if you want the legacy extensions support. It is being actively developed by the team behind Pale Moon and is potentially a great option for users who want the classic look and feel of Mozilla’s Firefox (before the Quantum update) without comprising on the modern web support.
I didn’t have any issues with browsing webpages. However, I did notice that “YouTube” detects this as an obsolete browser and warns that it will stop supporting it soon enough.
So, I’m not sure if Basilisk will be a fit for every web service out there – but if you really need the archived legacy extensions that you used on Firefox’s older releases, this could be a solution for your problem.
Wrapping Up
Do you think a Firefox fork is worth trying out? What do you prefer? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
A couple years ago, we covered the Eelo project. If you remember, the Eelo project was started by Gael Duval who once created Mandrake Linux. The goal of the Eelo project was to remove all Google services from Android to give you an alternate mobile operating system that doesn’t track you and invade your privacy.
A lot has happened to Eelo since then. It’s not called Eelo anymore, now it’s called /e/. So, what’s happening with this project? We talked to Gael Duval himself. Here’s what he shared with us.
Why did you create this Eelo or /e/ project in the first place?
Gael: In 2017, I realized that using Android and iPhone, Google and many mobile apps was not compatible with my personal privacy.
A later study by a US University confirmed this: using an iPhone or and Android phone sends between 6 to 12 MB of personal data to Google servers, daily! And this doesn’t count mobile apps.
So I looked for reasonable alternatives to iPhone and Android phones but didn’t find any. Either I found options for hobbyists, like Ubuntu Touch, that were not compatible with existing apps and not fully unGoogled either. Or there were alternative ROMs with all the Google fat inside, and no associated basic online services that could be used without tweaking the system.
Therefore, an idea came to mind: why not fork Android, remove all the Google features, even low level, such as connectivity check, DNS…, replace default apps with more virtuous apps, add basic online services, and integrate all this into a consistent form that could be used by Mum and Dad and any people without tech or expert knowledge?
How is it any different from other custom Android ROMs?
Gael: It doesn’t send a bit of data to Google, and is and will be more and more privacy-focused.
Low-level: we remove any Android feature that sends data to Google servers. Even the connectivity check when you start the smartphone! To my knowledge, there is not any other Android ROM that does this at the moment. We change default DNS settings and offer users an option to set the DNS of their choice. We change NTP (automatic time configuration) settings to the default NTP servers because there is no reason to use Google NTP servers actually. Then we remove Google services, and we replace with a software layout called microG that can still receive push notifications and have geolocation data for apps (using Mozilla geolocation service).
Then we change the default apps by non-Google apps, including the maps applications, mail etc., most are open source applications and I can say that there is 99% probability that all will be open source before the end of this year.
Then we add our own Android application installer, with close to 80 000 available applications at the moment.
We provide a different web browser, which is a fork of Chromium, were all features that data to Google are removed, and were the default search engine is not Google…
And we operate online services:
search, using a meta-search system that we have improve for a better user experience
online drive with encrypted data, calendar etc. using a modified version of NextCloud
mail…
And for we provide a unique identifier that can be used to access all those services, either on the web or from the /e/ OS system, by login once. Then you can sync all your data, calendar, email etc. between your smartphone and your personal /e/ cloud (it can also be self-hosted).
The purpose of the project is to provide a normal, ready to use, and attractive “digital life” to users, without sending all your personal data to Google.
If it is completely ‘ungoogled’, how do users install new apps? Do you have your own app store? If yes, how can we trust that these apps don’t spy on user data?
Gael: Yes – we have our own application installer, with about 80 000 applications. And we analyse each application to unveil the number of trackers, and we display this information to our users, for each application. We are also adding Progressive Web Apps soon to this application installer.
/e/ OS is about freedom of choice. We want the core system to be better, and then offer as many possible options to users, by informing them as much as possible. In short: they can still any application they need. Next step will be to offer a feature to actually block trackers used in applications.
What is the target user base for /e/? Can an average Joey use it without much trouble?
Gael: We started with tech-savvy users, and we’re expanding the user base to people with less knowledge. At the moment, our typical user base is a mix of tech-savvy users, who can flash a smartphone with /e/ OS and people who are very concerned with Google and their data privacy but have very limited technical knowledge. For those people we have some smartphones pre-installed with /e/ OS for sale, on high-grade refurbished hardware.
We are also announcing this week an “/e/ easy installer” that will make the flashing process much more easier, by pluging the smartphone to a PC and launching a dedicated application that will make most of the job.
Then, the next step will be to expand our target users to a more global market, once we find the good partners. But clearly, there is a demand for something different than the Apple-Google worldwide market duopoly on the mobile.
Initially the project was named eelo and it is called /e/ or e foundation. Personally, I find the name /e/ weird and it is not easily recognizable. Why did you change the project name?
Gael: We have been “attacked” by a company called “eelloo”. They considered that “eelo” would interfere with their business. They are in the HR business solutions, but registered their trademark in all the classes related to mobile OS, smartphones etc. This is silly and a shame, but we had no money to defend us strongly at the time.
However the/e/ name will be abandonned for something else quite soon.
It’s been a couple of years since the initial launch. How do you see the adoption of /e/?
Gael: We launched the first beta 18 months ago, and we have started to sell smartphones with /e/ a little more than 6 months ago. The adoption is growing a lot at the moment, we have to add terabytes of online storage regularly!
Also with the /e/ installer arriving, and some official partnerships with some hardware mobile manufacturers in the pipe, this is going to accelerate a lot this year.
However, this is not surprising, privacy concerns are rising both for individuals and corporations, and I think the rejection of Google is also trending.
What are your future plans to grow /e/?
Gael: The growth is very natural. There is a strong community of users who realize how unique our approach is. These guys are contributing, supporting us and talking a lot about the project.
With the easy installer coming along and strategic partnerships with hardware makers, this is going to accelerate a lot.
Also, and this is more personal, I think that there is a natural connection between /e/ OS, and the Linux world. OK, /e/ OS is based on Android, but it’s still a Linux kernel and it’s the same spirit, it’s Open Source… So I’d really like to have more natural integration between my /e/ smartphone and my Linux desktop. There should be some nice features added in this spirit in the next versions of /e/ OS.
What can /e/ users and our readers do to help e foundation?
Gael: Join us, talk about what we are doing, send your feedback, organize some meetups… Help improve the /e/ Wikipedia page which is very poor and doesn’t represent at all what we are actually doing.
When you are just starting with Linux, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
You probably know only Windows and now you want to use Linux because you read that Linux is better than Windows as it is more secure and you don’t have to buy a license to use Linux.
But then when you go about downloading and installing Linux, you learn that Linux is not a single entity. There are Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint, elementary and hundreds of such ‘Linux variants’. The trouble is that some of them look just like the other.
If that’s the case, why there are multiple of those Linux operating systems? And then you also learn someone mentioning that Linux is just a kernel not an operating system.
Too Many Linux!
It gets messy. And you may feel like pulling out your hair. For a person who has a receding hairline, I would like you to keep your hair intact on your head by explaining things in a way you could easily understand.
I am going to take an analogy and explain why Linux is just a kernel, why there are hundreds of Linux and why, despite looking similar, they are different.
The explanation here may not be considered good enough for an answer in an exam or interview but it should give you a better understanding of the topic.
Apology in advance!
My analogy may not be entirely correct from mechanical point of view as well. I am not knowledgeable about engines, cars and other related mechanical stuff.
But in my experience, I have noticed that this analogy helps people clearly understand the concept of Linux and operating system.
Also, I have used the term Linux OS instead of Linux distribution deliberately so that newcomers don’t start wondering about distribution.
Linux is just a kernel
Linux is not an operating system, it’s just a kernel.
The statement is entirely true. But how do you understand it. If you look into books, you’ll find Linux kernel structure described like this:
Linux Kernel Structure
There is absolutely correct, however, let’s take a different approach. Think of operating systems as vehicles, any kind of vehicle be it motorbikes, cars or trucks.
What is at the core of a vehicle? An engine.
Think of kernel as the engine. It’s an essential part of the vehicle and you cannot use a vehicle without the engine.
The Operating System Analogy
But you cannot drive an engine, can you? You need a lot of other stuff to interact with the engine and drive the vehicle. You need wheels, steering, gears, clutch, brakes and more to drive a vehicle on top of that engine.
Similarly, you cannot use a kernel on its own. You need lots of tool to interact with the kernel and use the operating system. These stuff could be shell, commands, graphical interface (also called desktop environments) etc.
This makes sense, right? Now that you understand this analogy, let’s take it further so that you understand the rest of it.
Windows and other operating systems have kernel too
Kernel is not something exclusive to Linux. You may not have realized but Windows, macOS and other operating systems have a kernel underneath as well.
Microsoft Windows operating systems are based on Windows NT kernel. Apple’s macOS is based on the XNU kernel.
Think of operating systems as vehicles
Think of Microsoft as an automobile company that makes a general purpose car (Windows operating system) that is hugely popular and dominates the car market. They use their own patented engine that no one else can use. But these ‘Microsoft cars’ do not offer scope of customization. You cannot modify the engine on your own.
Now come to ‘Apple automobile’. They offer shiny looking, luxury cars at an expensive price. If you got a problem, they have a premium support system where they might just replace the car.
Now comes Linux. Remember, Linux is just an engine (kernel). But this ‘Linux engine’ is not patented and thus anyone is free to modify and build cars (desktop operating system), bikes (small embed system in your toys, tvs etc), trucks (servers) or jet-planes (supercomputers) on top of it. In real world, no such engine exists but accept it for the sake of this analogy.
kernel = engine
Linux kernel = specific type of engine
desktop operating systems = cars
server operating systems = heavy trucks
embed systems = motor-bikes
desktop environment = body of the vehicle along with interiors (dashboard and all)
themes and icons = paint job, rim job and other customization
applications = accessories you put for specific purpose (like music system)
Why there are so many Linux OS/distributions? Why some look similar?
Why there are so many cars? Because there are several vehicle manufacturers using the ‘Linux engine’ and each of them have so many cars of different type and for different purposes.
Since ‘Linux engine’ is free to use and modify, anyone can use it to build a vehicle on top of it.
This is why Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, SUSE, Manjaro and many other Linux-based operating systems (also called Linux distributions or Linux distros) exist.
You might also have noticed that these Linux operating systems offer different variants but they look similar. I mean look at Fedora’s default GNOME version and Debian’s GNOME version. They do look the same, don’t they?
Fedora GNOME vs Debian GNOME: Virtually No Visual Difference
The component that gives the look and feel in a Linux OS is called desktop environment. In our analogy here, you can think of it as a combination of outer body and matching interiors. This is what provides the look and feel to your vehicle, does it not?
It’s from the exterior that you can identify the cars into category of sedan, SUV, hatchback, station wagon, convertible, minivan, van, compact car, 4×4 etc.
But these ‘type of cars’ are not exclusive to a single automobile company. Ford offers SUV, compact cars, vans etc and so do other companies like General Motors, Toyota.
Vehicles of same type look similar even if they are from different automobile companies
Similarly, distributions (Linux OSes) like Fedora, Ubuntu, GNOME etc also offer different variants in the form of GNOME, KDE, Cinnamon, MATE and other desktop environments.
Ford’s SUV may look similar to Toyota’s or Renault’s SUV. Fedora’s GNOME version may look similar to Manjaro or Debian’s GNOME version.
Some type of cars consume more fuel, some desktop environments need more RAM
You probably understand the ‘usefulness’ of different types of cars. Compact cars are good for driving in the cities, vans are good for long trip with family, 4×4 are good for adventures in jungles and other rough terrain. A SUV may look good and feel comfortable for sitting but it consumes more fuel than a compact car that might not be comfortable to sit in.
Similarly, desktop environments (GNOME, MATE, KDE, Xfce etc) also serve some purpose other than just providing the looks to your Linux operating system.
GNOME gives a modern looking desktop but it consumes more RAM and thus require that your computer has more than 4 GB of RAM. Xfce on the other hand may look old/vintage but it can run on systems with 1 GB of RAM.
Difference between getting desktop environment from distribution and installing on your own
As you start using Linux, you’ll also come across suggestions that you can easily install other desktop environments on your current system.
Remember that Linux is a free world. You are free to modify the engine, customize the looks on your own, if you have the knowledge/experience or if you are an enthusiastic learner.
Think of it as customizing cars. You may modify a Hundai i20 to look like Suzuki Swift Dzire. But it might not be the same as using a Swift Dzire.
When you are inside the i20 modified to look like Swiftz Dzire, you’ll find that it may not have the same experience from the inside. Dashboard is different, seats are different. You may also notice that the exterior doesn’t fit the same on i20’s body.
The same goes for switching desktop environments. You will find that you don’t have the same set of apps in Ubuntu that you should be getting in Mint Cinnamon. Few apps will look out of place. Not to mention that you may find a few things broken, such as network manager indicator missing etc.
Of course, you can put time, effort and skills to make Hundai i20 look as much like Swift Dzire as possible but you may feel like getting Suzuki Swift Dzire is a better idea in the first place.
This is the reason why installing Ubuntu MATE is better than installing Ubuntu (GNOME version) and then installing MATE desktop on it.
Linux operating systems also differ in the way they handle applications
Another major criteria on which the Linux operating systems differ from each other is the package management.
Package management is basically how you get new software and updates in your systems. It’s up to your Linux distribution/OS to provide the security and maintenance updates. Your Linux OS also provides the means of installing new software on your system.
Some Linux OS provides all the new software version immediately after their release while some take time to test them for your own good. Some Linux OS (like Ubuntu) provides easier way of installing a new software while you may find it complicated in some other Linux OS (like Gentoo).
Keeping the line of our analogy, consider installing software as adding accessories to your vehicle.
Suppose you have to install a music system in your car. You may have two options here. Your car is designed in such a way that you just insert the music player, you hear the click sound and you know it’s installed. The second option could be to get a screwdriver and then fix the music player on screws.
Most people would prefer the hassle-free click lock installing system. Some people might take matter (and screwdriver) into their own hands.
If an automobile company provides scope for installing lots of accessories in click-lock fashion in their cars, they will be preferred, won’t they?
This is why Linux distributions like Ubuntu have a more users because they have a huge collection of software that can be easily installed in matter of clicks.
Conclusion
Before I conclude this article, I’ll also like to talk about support that plays a significant role in choosing a Linux OS. For your car, you would like to have its official service center or other garages that service the automobile brand you own, don’t you? If the automobile company is popular, naturally, it will have more and more garages providing services.
The same goes for Linux as well. For a popular Linux OS like Ubuntu, you have some official forums to seek support and a good number of websites and forums providing troubleshooting tips to fix your problem.
Again, I know this is not a perfect analogy but this helps understand the things slightly better.
If you are absolutely new to Linux, did this article made things clear for you or you are more confused than before?
If you already know Linux, how would you explain Linux to someone from non-technical background?
Brief: You’ll learn to install the latest Wireshark on Ubuntu and other Ubuntu-based distribution in this tutorial. You’ll also learn how to run Wireshark without sudo and how to set it up for packet sniffing.
Wireshark is a free and open-source network protocol analyzer widely used around the globe.
With Wireshark, you can capture incoming and outgoing packets of a network in real-time and use it for network troubleshooting, packet analysis, software and communication protocol development, and many more.
It is available on all major desktop operating systems like Windows, Linux, macOS, BSD and more.
In this tutorial, I will guide you to install Wireshark on Ubuntu and other Ubuntu-based distributions. I’ll also show a little about setting up and configuring Wireshark to capture packets.
Installing Wireshark on Ubuntu based Linux distributions
Wireshark is available on all major Linux distributions. You should check out the official installation instructions. because in this tutorial, I’ll focus on installing the latest Wireshark version on Ubuntu-based distributions only.
Wireshark is available in the Universe repository of Ubuntu. You can enable universe repository and then install it like this:
So, what do you do in such case? Thankfully, Wiresshark developers provide an official PPA that you can use to install the latest stable version of Wireshark on Ubuntu and other Ubuntu-based distributions.
Even if you have an older version of Wireshark installed, it will be updated to the newer version.
While installing, you will be asked whether to allow non-superusers to capture packets. Select Yes to allow and No to restrict non-superusers to capture packets & finish the installation.
Running Wireshark without sudo
If you have selected No in the previous installation, then run the following command as root:
sudo dpkg-reconfigure wireshark-common
And select Yes by pressing the tab key and then using enter key:
Since you have allowed the non-superuser to capture packets, you have to add the user to wireshark group. Use the usermod command to add yourself to the wireshark group.
First released in 1998, Wireshark was initially known as Ethereal. Developers had to change its name to Wireshark in 2006 due to trademark issues.
Starting Wireshark
Launching Wireshark application can be done from the application launcher or the CLI.
To start from CLI, just type wireshark on your console:
wireshark
From GUI, search for Wireshark application on the search bar and hit enter.
Now let’s play with Wireshark.
Capturing packets using Wireshark
When you start Wireshark, you will see a list of interfaces that you can use to capture packets to and from.
There are many types of interfaces available which you can monitor using Wireshark such as, Wired, External devices, etc. According to your preference, you can choose to show specific types of interfaces in the welcome screen from the marked area in the given image below.
Select interface
For instance, I listed only the Wired network interfaces.
Next, to start capturing packets, you have to select the interface (which in my case is ens33) and click on the Start capturing packets icon as marked in the image below.
Start capturing packets with Wireshark
You can also capture packets to and from multiple interfaces at the same time. Just press and hold the CTRL button while clicking on the interfaces that you want to capture to and from and then hit the Start capturing packets icon as marked in the image below.
Next, I tried using ping google.com command in the terminal and as you can see, many packets were captured.
Captured packets
Now you can select on any packet to check that particular packet. After clicking on a particular packet you can see the information about different layers of TCP/IP Protocol associated with it.
Packet info
You can also see the RAW data of that particular packet at the bottom as shown in the image below.
Check RAW data in the captured packets
This is why end-to-end encryption is important
Imagine you are logging into a website that doesn’t use HTTPS. Anyone on the same network as you can sniff the packets and see the user name and password in the RAW data.
This is why most chat applications use end to end encryption and most websites these days use https (instead of http).
Stopping packet capture in Wireshark
You can click on the red icon as marked in the given image to stop capturing Wireshark packets.
Stop packet capture in Wireshark
Save captured packets to a file
You can click on the marked icon in the image below to save captured packets to a file for future use.
Save captured packets by Wireshark
Note: Output can be exported to XML, PostScript®, CSV, or plain text.
Next, select a destination folder, and type the file name and click on Save.
Then select the file and click on Open.
Now you can open and analyze the saved packets anytime. To open the file, press \ + o
or go to File > Open from Wireshark.
The captured packets should be loaded from the file.
Conclusion
Wireshark supports many different communication protocols. There are many options and features that provide you the power to capture and analyze the network packets in a unique way. You can learn more about Wireshark from their official documentation.
I hope this detailed helped you to install Wireshark on Ubuntu. Please let me know your questions and suggestions.
Kushal Rai
A computer science student & Linux and open source lover. He likes sharing knowledge for he believes technology shapes the perception of modern world. Kushal also loves music and photography.
Another such gaming focused Linux distribution is Draguer OS and we are going to take a look at it today.
What is Drauger OS?
Accord to the project’s website, “Drauger OS is a Linux desktop gaming operating system. It aims to provide a platform for gamers to use where they can get great performance without sacrificing their security. Furthermore, it aims to make it easy for anyone to game, whether they use a keyboard and mouse, or some sort of controller.”
They stress that Drauger OS is not for everyday use. As such, many of the productivity tools that most other distros come with are not in Drauger OS.
Drauger OS 7.4.1
Drauger OS is based on the Ubuntu. The current version (7.4.1 Jiangshi) uses “Liquorix low latency Linux kernel, a pre-compiled ZEN kernel designed with a balance between latency and throughput in mind”. However, that will be changing in the next release. They only have one desktop environment choice, a modified version of Xfce.
Drauger OS has several applications and tools installed out of the box to improve the gaming experience. These include:
It also has an interesting set of tools that are not gaming related. Drauger Installer is a .deb installer and alternative to Gdebi. Multiple Repository App Installer (mrai) is “an AUR-helper-like script for Debian-based Linux Operating Systems”. Mrai is designed to work with apt, snaps, flatpaks, and can install apps from GitHub.
Interestingly, Drauger OS’ name is an error. Lead dev Thomas Castleman (aka batcastle) has intended to name his distro Draugr, but had mistyped the name. In episode 23 of the Drauger OS podcast, Castleman said the name will stay misspelled because it would be a lot of work to correct it. According to Wikipedia, a draugr is “an undead creature from Norse mythology”.
Yes, you read that correctly. Drauger OS is one of only a few distros that have its own podcast. When asked about it, Castleman told me that “I wanted to ensure that we had the maximum transparency possible with our community, no matter their circumstances.” Most of the time, the podcast is an audio version of the Drauger OS blog, but sometimes they use it to make an announcement when they don’t have time to write a blog post.
The Future for Drauger OS
Drauger OS
The developers behind Druager OS are working on their next major release: 7.5.1. This release will be based on Ubuntu 19.10. There will be three major changes. First, the Liquorix kernel will be replaced with “a kernel we are building in-house.” This kernel will be based on the Linux Kernel GitHub repository, “so it’s about as vanilla as it gets”.
The second major change in the new release will a new layout for their desktop. Based on user feedback, they have decided to change it to something that looks more GNOME-like.
Thirdly, they are dropping SystemBack as their backup tool and installer. They have instead written a new installer from scratch.
The Dev team is also working on an ARM version of Drauger OS. They hope to release it sometime in 2022.
System requirements for Draguer OS
The Drauger OS system requirements are pretty modest. Keep in mind that Drauger OS will only run on 64-bit systems.
Minimum system requirements
CPU: Dual-Core, 1.8GHz, 64-bit processor
RAM: 1 GB
Storage: 16 GB
Graphics Processor: Integrated
Screen Resolution: 1024×768 at 60Hz
External Ports: 1 Port for Display (HDMI / DisplayPort / VGA / DVI), 2 USB Ports for Installation USB Drive and Keyboard (Mouse optional, but recommended)
External Ports: 1 Port for Display (HDMI / DisplayPort / VGA / DVI), 3 USB Ports for Installation USB Drive, Keyboard, and Mouse, 1 Audio Out Port
How you can help out Drauger OS
There are several ways that you can help out the Drauger OS if you are interestedin doing so. They are always looking for financial support to keep development going.
If you want yo contribute code, they are looking for people with experience in BASH, C++, and Python. All of their code is up on GitHub. You can also contact them on social media.
Final Thoughts
Drauger OS is quite a project. I’ve seen a couple of other gaming-oriented distributions, but Drauger OS is single-minded in its focus on gaming. Since I am more of a casual gamer, this distro doesn’t appeal to me personally. But, I can see how it could lure gaming enthusiasts to Linux. I wish them good luck in their future releases.
What are your thoughts on this gaming-only distro? What is your favorite Linux gaming solution? Please let us know in the comments below.
If you found this article interesting, please take a minute to share it on social media, Hacker News or Reddit.
Brief: Out open source software highlight of the week is Session. It is a fork of another increasingly popular private messenger Signal. Session doesn’t even need your phone number to operate.
Session: A private messenger in true sense
Privacy concerned people are always in the search of an ultimate service that lets you communicate securely while respecting our privacy across multiple platforms.
In this article, I’ll be sharing my experience with the Session app while highlighting the features it offers.
Session is fairly new to the scene – I’ve mentioned some of the bugs that I encountered at the bottom of the article.
Features of Session Messenger
I’ll highlight the key features of Session that will help you decide if it’s good enough for you to try.
Session does not require a phone number
For privacy-enthusiasts, registering the phone number with Signal or other such applications is a potential risk.
But, with Session, you do not need a phone number, simply click on “Create Account” after you install it on your desktop or phone and it will simply generate a random (unique) Session ID.
It’ll look something like this: 05652245af9a8bfee4f5a8138fd5c……..
So, you just have to share your Session ID with the contact you want to add. Or, you can also opt to get the QR Code after account creation which you can share with your friends to add you back.
Session uses blockchain (and other crypto tech)
Session ID
For the users who’re aware of what a blockchain is – they’ve been waiting for real-world applications that an average user can utilize. Session is one such example that utilizes blockchain at its core and you don’t need to know it’s there.
If you’re curious about how it works, you can take a look at their official blog post explaining it.
Cross-Platform Support
For something strictly privacy-focused, you’d also want it to be available across multiple platforms.
Of course, primarily, I’d focus on the Linux and Android support but it also supports Windows/Mac/iOS. So, you can easily sync between multiple devices cross-platform.
Includes Essential Privacy Options
Undoubtedly, it offers some essential privacy-focused features that will help make the experience more secure.
For starters, you have the following options:
Message TTL: This lets you control how long the message exists before the recipient sees the message.
Read Receipts: Let others know that you’ve seen the message or if your message has been read.
Session uses a decentralized network and protects your metadata
Even though Session isn’t a peer-to-peer technology, it does not have a central server for the network.
It takes a decentralized approach to how the messages are transmitted (or routed). If you’ve no idea what I’m talking about, you can follow Session’s official blog post to know the difference between centralization and decentralization and explore how it potentially works.
And, this approach of network helps them to protect the metadata (the information associated with a message like IP address).
Other Features
Not just limited to the latest/greatest privacy-friendly features, but it also supports group chats, voice messages, and also allows you to send attachments.
Installing Session on Linux
If you head to the official download page, you will be able to download an .AppImage file. In case you have no clue how it works, you should take a look at our article on how to use AppImage.
In either case, you can also head to their GitHub releases page and grab the .deb file.
I’ve managed to try it on multiple platforms. For the desktop, I utilized the .AppImage file on Pop!_OS 19.10 to run Session.
Overall, the user experience was impressive and had no UI glitches.
It’s also easy to recover your account once you’ve backed up your secret code (which is known as seed) from the settings.
But, I also noticed a couple of issues- which can be fixed/improved:
Delay in accepting a friend request
The way of linking devices is not intuitive
Sometimes when you reply from two separate devices (using the same ID), the receiver gets two different conversations.
Conclusion
Of course, nothing’s ever perfect. For now, I’m thinking of keeping it installed and considering Session’s features, it is definitely something a privacy-focused user should try.
What do you think about it? Feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
When you install GIMP on Ubuntu or any other operating system, you’ll find a few brushes already installed for basic image editing. If you need something more specific, you can always add new brushes in GIMP.
How? Let me show you that in this quick tutorial.
How to add brushes in GIMP
There are three steps involved in installing new brushes in GIMP:
Get new brush
Put it in the designated folder
Refresh the brushes in GIMP
Step 1: Download new GIMP brushes
The first step is to get new brushes for GIMP. Where do you get it from? From the internet, of course.
GIMP brushes are usually available in .gbr and .gih file formats. The .gbr file is for regular brushes while .gih is used for animated brushes.
Did you know?
For the versions 2.4 and above, GIMP makes installing and using Photoshop brushes (.abr file) quite straightforward. All you need to do is place the Photoshop brush files in the proper folder.
Do keep in mind that the latest Photoshop brushes might not work with GIMP flawlessly.
Step 2: Copy the new brushes into its location
After you get your brush file, the next step is to copy and paste it to the right folder in GIMP configuration directory.
On Windows, you’ll have to go to a folder like “C:\Documents and Settings\myusername.gimp-2.10\brushes“.
I’ll show detailed steps for Linux because It’s FOSS is a Linux-focused website.
Press Ctrl+H to see hidden files in the home directory
You should go to .config/GIMP/2.10/brushes folder (if you are using GIMP version 2.10). If you are using some other version, you should see an equivalent folder under .config/GIMP.
Adding New Brushes in GIMP
Paste the brush files in this folder. Optionally, you can hide the hidden files by pressing Ctrl+h again.
Step 3: Refresh the brushes (to avoid restarting GIMP)
GIMP will automatically load brushes when it’s launched. If you are already running it and don’t want to close it, you can refresh the brushes.
In GIMP go to Windows->Dockable Dialogues->Brushes in the main menu.
Refresh GIMP Brushes by going go to Windows->Dockable Dialogues-> Brushes
Locate the refresh icon in the Brushes dialog on the right side bar.
Refresh GIMP Brushes
If your brushes are not present, you can always try to restart GIMP.
