this post was submitted on 01 Jan 2024
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https://mullvad.net/en/help/install-mullvad-app-linux

Trying to install VPN and these are the instructions Mullvad is giving me. This is ridiculous. There must be a more simple way. I know how to follow the instructions but I have no idea what I'm doing here. Can't I just download a file and install it? I'm on Ubuntu.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Frankly in this case even a simple bash script would do the trick. Have it check your distro, version, and architecture; if you got curl and stuff like this; then ask you if you want the stable or beta version of the software. Then based on this info it adds Mullvad to your repositories and automatically install it.

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

nowadays they always come across as lazy to me, when a bunch of options are available to make installing software on linux painless.

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

I like them, even for software installation. Partially because they're lazy - it takes almost no effort to write a bash script that will solve a problem like this.

That said a flatpak (like you proposed) would look far more polished, indeed.

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

oh i meant devs who provide packages but don't bother with install scripts.

bash scripts are fine when they exist.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Ah, got it. My bad. Yeah, not providing anything is even lazier, and unlike "lazy" bash scripts it leaves the user clueless.