- This topic has 12 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated Nov 26-12:21 pm by fungalnet.
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Anonymous
Hello. I just started using antiX19 and it is very nice, but why does every distribution that has a web browser include Google by default as the default search engine?
I like to think that when I am using a distro, that the creators are my kind of people, or at least on my side. In the included Firefox browser there are bookmarks to some radical websites, but Google is still the default search! And there isn’t even any noscript or other extensions to protect your privacy.
Why? It is hard to think that you are on my side, when you include Google, especially on a free and open source distribution. This is a really strange oversight for me. I guess it isn’t that big a deal for most people, but when you think about how easy it is for the developer to use startpage or duckduckgo, and how Google tries to track your identity it kind of is a big deal.
Please stop using Google as default search!
anticapitalista
startpage is supposed to be the default search engine! Maybe it is a bug!
Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.
antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.
Google would call it a feature I’m sure, haha. Thanks for all the great work.
anticapitalista
Actually, I just found out that it is firefox-esr 68 (or at least how debian package it) that is ignoring the distribution.ini file (used to set search engines etc).
So, not a lot we can do about it except don’t use firefox-esr.
Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.
antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.
ModdIt
Google Search is not the only problem.
Firefox is becoming a more perverse monetized advertising and tracking machine at a very fast rate and getting worse, maybe not yet on a level with Chrome but catching up fast..
In Mozillazine there are implications that about:config will disappear in the future, in any case the settings are a pain to understand and keep becoming more complicated. User settings are ignored in many cases as monitoring traffic shows. Waterfox and Palemoon along with TOR give the browsing function without the blatant tracking and telemetry plus pocket advertising trash. Monthly updates are in the pipeline which will repair damaged installations. Repair meaning screw up users privacy choices, contrive to trick them in to uploading their data through Pocket and bombard them with crappy ads.
Pocket was conveniently enabled in config on first start of my download which means handing over your data without control or choice. Remote connections were also enabled by default.
I intensely dislike the fact that there are hidden (from the user) extensions including a screenshot tool, usage unknown but as not needed deleted.I only download versions with updates relevant to linux and disconnect from internet physically before first start, go through the settings to quieten it down best I am able.
Mozilla have been caught scamming users on several occasions, I think their claim to being the most private browser is blatant disinformation.
Maybe they are being forced to give them benefit of doubt, they are in US so can be ordered to do anything certain organizations wish for.
fungalnet
From all the distributions I have reviewed and covered someone posted a complaint about antiX and how a distribution should be “neutral” and not utilize its browser to point towards political material. To such a person google would have been something “neutral”, while to me it is very very “political”.
This is how the neutrality conversation unrolled if you are interested:
https://sysdfree.wordpress.com/282If I install a browser from scratch I start off line, remove the “neutral” engines and use startpage, over the years this is the most reliable and favorite of mine. I somehow trust it more than others, no sponsors and corporate ads on it, works without scripts.
No peace no neutrality till absolute equality
- This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by fungalnet.
anti-X - Adélie - obarun - systemd Free Space
anarchore, first of all, I agree with Moddit’s point:
do not drink the kool-aid ~~ mozilla is NOT your friend, does not care about your “privacy”.The topic title asks Why?
As one of the myriad curation steps in preparing an antiX release, the antiX developers place a file
/usr/share/firefox-esr/distribution/distribution.ini
to declare an overriding set of select preferences (overriding what mozilla and/or upstream .deb packager has set for default prefkey values)……but mozilla habitually “moves the goal posts”, thereby thwarting distributors’ customization of the as-intended-by-mozilla default preferences. What worked yesterday (previous antiX release) to successfully change a default behavior of the browser — “default searchEngine” in this case — does not still work today. anticapitalista probably lacks the time, the patience, and/or the interest to continually track mozilla’s meddling changes and to draft an incrementally revised distribution.ini file.
If you (anachore) are interested in tracking moz changes, here’s a helpful resource:
https://cat-in-136.github.io/I’m not using firefox-esr v60 but, upon peeking into the distribution.ini file, I immediately noticed that it is “malformed” ~~ one of the lines state
mozilla.partner.id=”
^— No, the unpaired quotation mark character isn’t affecting the choice of serach engine, but it hints that this distribution.ini file is an unrevised copypasta of that shipped in antiX 17 (which contained an identical malformed line).A 10-second visit to the in-app Preferences}Search gui can fix the problem for you, anarchore.
FWIW, a websearch for the “codez” necessary to achieve the desired result via distribution.ini, specific to v60-esr, plus a bit of experimentation did lead me to a solution… but it’s water under the bridge (the “antiX19 + firefox60-esr” ship has already sailed).Why? It is hard to think that you are on my side
Who is “you”?
Prior to release, antiX19 underwent several months of betatesting. No one bothered to report this bug.At this point, even if a revised distribution.ini can be “pushed” (via an updated “antix-goodies” package?),
it would only affect newly-created firefox profiles, it would not provide a retroactive fix.
Brian Masinick
I agree with those who have noted that you can install and customize whatever browser and other tools that you prefer.
I tend to install minimal configurations and then install and/or replace the software with whatever I prefer to use.
I have a very high opinion of both antiX and MX because I have always had excellent results in quickly having what I want. Also the default settings are more than adequate and I generally use them before making any changes.
Bottom line, both are excellent.
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Brian Masinickolsztyn
I am sort of puzzled why this would be considered a ‘bug’ of antiX distribution and as OS subject to criticism for the reason that producer of a major browser chose certain defaults which are considered targeted or biased.
It seems reasonable that it is not a responsibility of antiX builders to change all possible defaults and targeted links from these browsers before distribution. Rather it seems reasonable that if a certain browser needs to be included in such distro, then it can be provided as is distributed by vendor and users can change defaults to their liking.
In essence antiX or any other distro cannot be blamed for targeted defaults of third party software packages. Should only be responsible for own political statements, especially dedication to (negative) political figures…Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_Parametersolsztyn, some folks opine that curation should be a prime consideration when maintaining a discrete “distribution”.
at the other end of the gamut, we find:
Arch Linux’ general policy: “we don’t add downstream features to software”
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Arch_Linux#SimplicityArch Linux defines simplicity as without unnecessary additions or modifications.
It ships software as released by the original developers (upstream) with minimal distribution-specific (downstream) changes:
patches not accepted by upstream are avoided, and Arch’s downstream patches consist almost entirely of backported bug fixes that are obsoleted by the project’s next release.
.
In a similar fashion, Arch ships the configuration files provided by upstream with changes limited to distribution-specific issues like adjusting the system file paths. It does not add automation features such as enabling a service simply because the package was installed. Packages are only split when compelling advantages exist, such as to save disk space in particularly bad cases of waste. GUI configuration utilities are not officially provided, encouraging users to perform most system configuration from the shell and a text editor.seaken64
I like to think that when I am using a distro, that the creators are my kind of people, or at least on my side. It is hard to think that you are on my side, when you include Google, especially on a free and open source distribution. This is a really strange oversight for me. I guess it isn’t that big a deal for most people, but when you think about how easy it is for the developer to use startpage or duckduckgo, and how Google tries to track your identity it kind of is a big deal.
Please stop using Google as default search!
I would imagine that you will have a hard time choosing a suitable distribution. Your requirements on the creators are very high.
Your own opinions are respected. But I can’t help but think you are being too hard on the distribution. Especially given that the developer here has chimed in and has revealed that Google was not supposed to be the default search engine. But even if it was, so what? Just change it to what you want. That is what Linux is all about. You can change things to your own liking.
BTW, you would HATE my own choices in this matter. I always put a bookmark to Google on my bookmarks toolbar. But that is just me. I don’t fault a developer for choosing whatever search engine they want to set as default. As long as they don’t force me to use what they have chosen as default. As long as I have the choice I am good.
I hope you will stay with antiX and make the changes you need to make to feel better about the search engine you choose.
Seaken64
fungalnet
I’d say in 94% of distributions people would find your inquiry very unreasonable, while here many find it very very reasonable …. to the point we say “what the hell happened again” as Skidoo says. So at least you are in good company … what more can you ask?
anti-X - Adélie - obarun - systemd Free Space
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