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News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By LoudTechie, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:54 am UTC
To them it's a place to bêta test and get professional feedback on new features.
The law had already passed parliament and they were supposed to implement it as fast as possible without destabilizing their main product.
By placing it in their open source offering they could proof to be working on the stabilization part, granting them the legalistic goodwill to postpone implementing it in their main offering later.
By LoudTechie, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:54 am UTC
Quoting: PyrateYou might be misunderstanding RedHats treatment of their free open source offerings.Quoting: LoudTechieIt was more about how fast they jumped on that. I remember within the same newsfeed that day, I read how System76 CEO advising open source devs to hold on for a bit because he was exploring exclusion for FOSS OS's, and shortly after SystemD implements the thing.Quoting: PyrateOn the age gating fiasco.Quoting: LoudTechieI think it's an issue of balance. Taking the SystemD example, when is it that the community draws the line ? Personally, the comically-fast and instant compliance with age verification fiasco a month or two ago was it for ne. I'm sort of coerced to continue to use SystemD currently, even though that was the final straw for me and I'd rather use something else now.Quoting: PyrateOn the hyped up cryptobro part.Quoting: tuubiI view people who get very passionate about crypto the same way I view enthusiastic small-time stock traders. They keep talking my ear off about how they make (or save) money with it and everyone should do it, and I indulge them to a point because I'm nice and patient like that (in real life more than online), but I just don't find any of it interesting. Money is a necessity and I've never been wealthy enough to ignore it. It's just not something I could ever get passionate about.Im sorry, but point to me where I did this here, where did I talk about making or saving money, market price, hype and all that wall street crap ?
Monero would protect my financial activity from heavily regulated banks and my government, which I'm a lot less concerned about. Some communities have excellent reasons to hide this activity, but most of us do not.Only if you choose to. You can disclose your transactions for taxes or any other reason. I could explain how it works but I'm getting fed up with still being talked to like a crypto bro, I'll just share that optional transparency is a built-in function into a Monero wallet for auditing and taxes etc.
I'm not paranoid and this isn't about paranoia. Speaking for myself for example, I recognise what is a real and what is a more theoretical danger when I'm constructing my threat model, but most of the time, I use privacy tools out of principle more than out of immediate need. This is something I feel is lost for many people recently, at least that's what I'm getting online. Recently I keep recalling that one Luke Smith youtube video about in projects like Linux, how users are slowly abandoning the freedom hard lines started with Free Software and GNU etc. I think we need more hardasses, the Stallman type, so we don't drift away in convenience and complacency.
You're not being treated like a cryptobro. You're experiencing something even more frustrating:
"I've nothing to hide."
A cryptobro would get fundamental disbelief in the promises they make, not in their value.
"crypto is decentralized": except for all the exit scams.
"crypto is the future": except for all the exit scams.
"crypto can do anything": you don't know what you're talking about.
"crypto ...": I'm done hearing about these scams.
As to why this is frustrating,
a. because it devalues other people's needs.
b. because it undercounts one's reliance on fundamental rights.
To say it with a quote I got from schneiers website, but attributed to someone else.
Saying you don't need privacy, because you've nothing to hide is like saying you don't need free speech, because you have nothing to say.
About the complacency part.
I disagree kinda.
Users are going to the centralized semi-free options, because they come from fully proprietary systems and are used to thinking that way and have become to love the strengths of the existing systems.
In general it's going in the right direction.
Just not in the jumps hardliners and early adopters believe in.
Also even a little extra freedom helps a lot.
If Redhat sufficiently fucks up systemD we can fork it with a patch. Would this be a lot of work, yes. Would this be less work than the entire Wine project(which tackles the Windows equivalent) easily, because we have the source code.
Do proprietary kernel modules render your system less free and give root to dangerous parties, absolutely. Still I can patch the interface to limit their power and repair their mistakes For Windows and Mac that requires a jailbreak.
Do locked bootloaders illegally, but unrepentant limit consumer choice. Undeniably, but they still can't sue you under the DMCA for a jailbreak.
Or an example from this forum. If our proprietary electron program botches their testing we can still patch electron without any license problems.
Hardasses are important they remind us how we can improve the world, but they're too blinded by their rage to see the the individual value of the incremental improvements.
So it's like a continuous battle to balance out the hardass-ness with the complacency. I tend to lean more on the former (even though I don't at all feel like I'm doing a lot of work in doing so, it just seems to me everyone else is so lazy and quick to sideline what they claim to believe in). But as long as the right people don't go all the way and they don't lose the plot, you're right in that fighting back is possible.
Also, about regulations being a necessity etc etc, I get it. But I really won't play along if any countermeasure gets implemented ends up chipping away at one of the rights that were once given, that's in brief my angle on all that 'the system is important, actually'.
That was a reaction to a passed law.
Yes, it's problematic, but the reason they can get away with it is that the government is backing them.
Anyone who wants to make that fork has to fight the law and [we know the law often wins.](https://genius.com/The-clash-i-fought-the-law-lyrics)
Most distros also include an Api for handling USA crypto export controls.
And sure, they would've eventually had to by law, it still counts as a redflag for me.
To them it's a place to bêta test and get professional feedback on new features.
The law had already passed parliament and they were supposed to implement it as fast as possible without destabilizing their main product.
By placing it in their open source offering they could proof to be working on the stabilization part, granting them the legalistic goodwill to postpone implementing it in their main offering later.
News - Battle 1950s B-movie monsters with sports equipment in the roguelite FPS SPORTAL
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:10 am UTC
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:10 am UTC
Slingshot vs Lovecraftian horror? Oh dear...
I do like the makeshift weapons concept here. Most FPS games are reliant on powerful guns, and this is more creative.
I do like the makeshift weapons concept here. Most FPS games are reliant on powerful guns, and this is more creative.
News - Feed rubber ducks to a deep dark hole in the physics sandbox Project P.I.T.T.
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:05 am UTC
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:05 am UTC
This seems like the sort of thing where the novelty will wear off, so releasing the demo before the full game is available was probably unwise.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:00 am UTC
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:00 am UTC
The count of affected packages quadrupled:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Arch-Linux-AUR-More-Than-1500
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Arch-Linux-AUR-More-Than-1500
News - Klei Entertainment classic Eets is now free and updated for modern PCs with a Linux version
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 6:18 am UTC
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 6:18 am UTC
The Steam page doesn't show a Linux version for me (another checkbox missed, perhaps). It also says the last update was Apr 26, 2024 (that info gets pulled from SteamDB). Maybe that aligns with Ethan's "some time ago"; in any case, SteamDB does say Linux is in there (since 2024).
https://steamdb.info/app/6100/patchnotes/
https://steamdb.info/app/6100/patchnotes/
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 5:38 am UTC
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 5:38 am UTC
Quoting: LoudTechieIf Redhat sufficiently fucks up systemD we can fork it with a patch.FWIW, the primary SystemD developer has been an employee of Microsoft for some time now.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By TheSHEEEP, 13 Jun 2026 at 5:26 am UTC
But you have no duty to ensure it never happens in the first place - you'd have to manually (or AI-assisted) check every single post prior to releasing it.
Hardly a method that would facilitate communication.
And that's just text - with code it would be drastically more difficult to do, in this case it was rather easy to find the offending npm in an automated manner, but that's not a guarantee.
Not impossible, mind you, but putting that on a bunch of mostly volunteers seems out of the question.
The tl;dr here is that any platform online where someone can "put things" for free should inherently cause any user to be aware/cautious and not just blindly trust.
The AUR is no different in this than anything else.
I do agree they should add at least SOME kind of verification, but this problem will never go away entirely.
People are responsible for the consequences of their actions, and that very much includes trusting someone or something they shouldn't have online.
Everyone knows there are bad actors out there - so acting as if that wasn't the case is just foolish.
By TheSHEEEP, 13 Jun 2026 at 5:26 am UTC
Quoting: Liam Squires-HandYou have a duty to act against those who would do that and remove that stuff.Quoting: JugglingJesterSorry, which part of arch user repository is that hard to understand?And this is a user comment section. I, as the person who runs it, still have a duty to ensure nefarious crap isn’t shared and spread. The same applies to the AUR and who run it, the same applies to literally any online service. Is that hard to understand?
But you have no duty to ensure it never happens in the first place - you'd have to manually (or AI-assisted) check every single post prior to releasing it.
Hardly a method that would facilitate communication.
And that's just text - with code it would be drastically more difficult to do, in this case it was rather easy to find the offending npm in an automated manner, but that's not a guarantee.
Not impossible, mind you, but putting that on a bunch of mostly volunteers seems out of the question.
The tl;dr here is that any platform online where someone can "put things" for free should inherently cause any user to be aware/cautious and not just blindly trust.
The AUR is no different in this than anything else.
I do agree they should add at least SOME kind of verification, but this problem will never go away entirely.
People are responsible for the consequences of their actions, and that very much includes trusting someone or something they shouldn't have online.
Everyone knows there are bad actors out there - so acting as if that wasn't the case is just foolish.
News - Impressive looking dark point and click adventure Tormentum II gets a demo
By richarson, 13 Jun 2026 at 1:18 am UTC
By richarson, 13 Jun 2026 at 1:18 am UTC
Love the H.R. Giger vibes!
Right to my wishlist!
Right to my wishlist!
News - PengPong is a roguelite bullet heaven mix of Brotato and pinball with a retro cartoon theme
By Linux_Rocks, 13 Jun 2026 at 12:20 am UTC
By Linux_Rocks, 13 Jun 2026 at 12:20 am UTC
Quoting: scratchiTwo articles in a row about combat games with hockey sticks :)Here you go: [Holo Hockey](http://store.steampowered.com/app/4536040/Holo_Hockey/).
Can we get an actual hockey game soon? :D
(yes i'm from Canada)
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News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By Philadelphus, 12 Jun 2026 at 11:51 pm UTC
By Philadelphus, 12 Jun 2026 at 11:51 pm UTC
That's how you know it's The Year of the Linux Deskptop – we've reached enough market share to make it worth someone's time trying to go after consumers.
I don't think that would be helpful in the long run. "Why should [the AUR] exist?" is a pertinent question. Presumably it exists because it fills a need. People encounter problems not solved by official packages, code up a solution, and want to share it without going through the hassle of making it an official package (for whatever reason, I can think of several legitimate ones). Other people encounter the same problems and find those proffered solutions. If it wasn't helpful in some capacity, the AUR wouldn't exist. We could shut it down, but doing so will not magically make those problems people have go away; someone would just set up another similar site to fill the vacuum (one not under the purview of the Arch team, this time).
It's like closing one beach for shark sightings. People will just go to another beach in a different jurisdiction, they're not going to stop swimming. If the Arch teams keeps the AUR around, they can try to improve its security (which I approve of, for the record); if they close it, they don't have much recourse if it turns out the "new AUR" that pops up turns out to be run by malicious actors after lots of people have swapped to it.
Quoting: Liam Squires-HandIf they cannot do any checks - that's just a glaring flaw in the entire design of the AUR and so yes - it should be shut. If it's just going to repeatedly be a huge security issue like this, then why should it exist? It's dangerous.
I don't think that would be helpful in the long run. "Why should [the AUR] exist?" is a pertinent question. Presumably it exists because it fills a need. People encounter problems not solved by official packages, code up a solution, and want to share it without going through the hassle of making it an official package (for whatever reason, I can think of several legitimate ones). Other people encounter the same problems and find those proffered solutions. If it wasn't helpful in some capacity, the AUR wouldn't exist. We could shut it down, but doing so will not magically make those problems people have go away; someone would just set up another similar site to fill the vacuum (one not under the purview of the Arch team, this time).
It's like closing one beach for shark sightings. People will just go to another beach in a different jurisdiction, they're not going to stop swimming. If the Arch teams keeps the AUR around, they can try to improve its security (which I approve of, for the record); if they close it, they don't have much recourse if it turns out the "new AUR" that pops up turns out to be run by malicious actors after lots of people have swapped to it.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By pb, 12 Jun 2026 at 11:23 pm UTC
for yay users:
By pb, 12 Jun 2026 at 11:23 pm UTC
Quoting: Turkeysteaksfor anyone who doesn't use an AUR helper, I made this basic little bash script:Or just:
for dir in ~/AUR/*/
do
dir=${dir%*/}
echo "${dir}"
cd ${dir}
cat PKGBUILD | grep $1
cd ~/AUR/
done
if you don't keep your AUR packages in ~/AUR/, you will need to change that in the code.
run it with `./<script-name>.sh <bad-package>`. so for this one, if you do `./script.sh atomic` and any of them print anything, you have been compromised. If none of them do, you're hopefully safe.
grep atomic ~/AUR/*/PKGBUILDfor yay users:
grep atomic ~/.cache/yay/*/PKGBUILD :-)
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 10:40 pm UTC
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 10:40 pm UTC
Quoting: Purple Library GuyBitcoin in particular, and I believe the blockchain in general to a significant degree, is really slow at doing transactions.It can be, that's true.
Quoting: Purple Library GuyI think another thing may be that the main place to keep crypto is these exchanges, and they're insecure as fuck.You're not supposed to keep your Bitcoins at the exchanges, you're supposed to transfer them to your wallet.
News - 7 Days to Die is getting a huge upgrade with lots of gameplay customization
By tuubi, 12 Jun 2026 at 10:35 pm UTC
By tuubi, 12 Jun 2026 at 10:35 pm UTC
Why are all the Zombies leaning to the right in the shot? Is it particularly windy? Ooh, maybe it's all part of a choreography! 'Cause this is thriller, thriller night... 😁
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Pyrate, 12 Jun 2026 at 10:07 pm UTC
By Pyrate, 12 Jun 2026 at 10:07 pm UTC
Quoting: SlaxerAs Linux users, I can't help but wonder how this kind of justification works on some of us. We're getting close to the day when you start seeing headlines on your local Pravda news source saying, "Prime Minister Dipshit has proposed a ban on Linux because drug lords have been known for using Linux distros such as Whonix to sell illegal and untaxable drugs".The only thing I can think of here is how sad it's going to be when this happens, and before the biased media or paid shills come to their rescue, you'd probably first find fellow citizens, Linux users even, immediately conceding and gladly taking it up the ass.
Quoting: SlaxerIsn't this a current problem on Steam?Yep. Case in point.
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:54 pm UTC
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:54 pm UTC
Quoting: Purple Library Guyright wing pseudo-populist claims about money.Sigh... What does that even mean? Whatever man.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By Liam Squires-Hand, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:48 pm UTC
By Liam Squires-Hand, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:48 pm UTC
Quoting: JugglingJesterSorry, which part of arch user repository is that hard to understand?And this is a user comment section. I, as the person who runs it, still have a duty to ensure nefarious crap isn’t shared and spread. The same applies to the AUR and who run it, the same applies to literally any online service. Is that hard to understand?
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:48 pm UTC
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:48 pm UTC
Quoting: CarollyI'll also point out that what Monero is most known for among the general public is its prevalence in malware and popularity with the criminal element including Darknet retailers and CSAM traders. Saying it has a bit of a reputation problem would be significantly understating the situation.
Quoting: PyrateYou can't dismiss a technology just because criminals make use of itAs Linux users, I can't help but wonder how this kind of justification works on some of us. We're getting close to the day when you start seeing headlines on your local Pravda news source saying, "Prime Minister Dipshit has proposed a ban on Linux because drug lords have been known for using Linux distros such as Whonix to sell illegal and untaxable drugs".
Quoting: PyrateSo the freedom to transact however the hell I want and to whomever I want (without Visa dictating if theyre cool or not with the product you're buying). The banking system in this regard is atrocious. So that's in UK banks. Locally, I also have an issue with banks being unreliable in general in online shopping (would rather not share which country) but recently the Central Bank itself got hacked and terabytes worth of database were put up for sale, so I guess that's another thing to add.Isn't this a current problem on Steam? Valve has to yield to the credit card companies regarding what games they can or can't sell on their platform. I really hope they find a way to fix that... or they could just go back to accepting Bitcoin, I dunno. lol
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Purple Library Guy, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:39 pm UTC
Romans government ever done for us?
This country was better off before the anti-government turn around 1980 and the, basically, corporate takeover of government, back when government did more and taxes were higher. If we still had Connaught labs we would have been making our own Covid vaccine and our insulin would still be at cost. If we still had social housing programs, we wouldn't have a homelessness problem and people would be able to afford the rent.
(I don't think the government actually wants any of your blood, sweat or tears; sounds kind of unsanitary. I just pay my taxes in $Cad)
As to the government debt . . . go learn some Modern Monetary Theory. It's a very limited theory which only says anything about, well, money, which is not nearly as broad an issue as MMT proponents seem to think. But, it's not batshit insane, which makes it better than right wing pseudo-populist claims about money. Bottom line, private economic surplus is created by government debt--that's not so much a theory as an accounting identity. If the government ran surpluses your blood, sweat and tears would, on average, stop making money and start taking losses. Platitudes about government spending that treat it like a household (specifically, one that doesn't buy cars or homes or take out student loans) are deeply misguided and end up turning the real world on its head, because governments do not resemble households in any relevant way.
By Purple Library Guy, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:39 pm UTC
Quoting: SlaxerIt's funny you mention that. Canada's in debt $1.3ish Trillion (capital T), so the money sitting in your bank account is increasingly becoming more and more worthless by the day - and that's on top of the fact that you're also being taxed more on it than they did in the past. So you're losing money on two fronts, inflation, and taxes - which is something that can be entirely blamed on one group of people. Take a guess who? In theory, Bitcoin could fix half of that problem.Yes, yes, what have the
And btw, I would be considered "wealthy" by the government's standards... which is why HALF of my sweat blood and tears goes to the government - only to be squandered and spent in ways that only benefit themselves, and not the country. Trust me, people like me aren't the ones stealing from you. But anyway... let's bring it back to those gift cards eh? lol
This country was better off before the anti-government turn around 1980 and the, basically, corporate takeover of government, back when government did more and taxes were higher. If we still had Connaught labs we would have been making our own Covid vaccine and our insulin would still be at cost. If we still had social housing programs, we wouldn't have a homelessness problem and people would be able to afford the rent.
(I don't think the government actually wants any of your blood, sweat or tears; sounds kind of unsanitary. I just pay my taxes in $Cad)
As to the government debt . . . go learn some Modern Monetary Theory. It's a very limited theory which only says anything about, well, money, which is not nearly as broad an issue as MMT proponents seem to think. But, it's not batshit insane, which makes it better than right wing pseudo-populist claims about money. Bottom line, private economic surplus is created by government debt--that's not so much a theory as an accounting identity. If the government ran surpluses your blood, sweat and tears would, on average, stop making money and start taking losses. Platitudes about government spending that treat it like a household (specifically, one that doesn't buy cars or homes or take out student loans) are deeply misguided and end up turning the real world on its head, because governments do not resemble households in any relevant way.
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Purple Library Guy, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:25 pm UTC
I think another thing may be that the main place to keep crypto is these exchanges, and they're insecure as fuck. My understanding is they avoid the blockchain slow transaction problem by just . . . not using it, just kind of pretending to transfer the crypto around, and their pretenses are foolishly flimsy. It's like "What if banks just didn't bother to do security?" where there are really serious chances someone will just hack in and steal your stuff. Or maybe it'll go under and your stuff will just disappear, and it's not publicly insured like a bank deposit. It may be that businesses aren't attracted by that kind of risk. Or, to avoid the risk, they'd have to buy insurance and maybe it costs too much.
By Purple Library Guy, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:25 pm UTC
Quoting: SlaxerOther than volatility, why do you suppose businesses choose not to take it as payment? Not debating here, just picking your brain.The biggest thing may be an artifact of how some of the most popular crypto works, I'm not sure about that: Bitcoin in particular, and I believe the blockchain in general to a significant degree, is really slow at doing transactions. The more transactions you want to do, the more this starts to bite. Probably not a big thing for small businesses, but maybe significant for some of the financial services those small businesses have to deal with. For big businesses on the other hand it could become a complete blocker.
I think another thing may be that the main place to keep crypto is these exchanges, and they're insecure as fuck. My understanding is they avoid the blockchain slow transaction problem by just . . . not using it, just kind of pretending to transfer the crypto around, and their pretenses are foolishly flimsy. It's like "What if banks just didn't bother to do security?" where there are really serious chances someone will just hack in and steal your stuff. Or maybe it'll go under and your stuff will just disappear, and it's not publicly insured like a bank deposit. It may be that businesses aren't attracted by that kind of risk. Or, to avoid the risk, they'd have to buy insurance and maybe it costs too much.
News - PengPong is a roguelite bullet heaven mix of Brotato and pinball with a retro cartoon theme
By scratchi, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:20 pm UTC
By scratchi, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:20 pm UTC
Two articles in a row about combat games with hockey sticks :)
Can we get an actual hockey game soon? :D
(yes i'm from Canada)
Can we get an actual hockey game soon? :D
(yes i'm from Canada)
News - Cheat Engine now has a Linux version released
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:11 pm UTC
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:11 pm UTC
Quoting: CatKillerStay away from Reddit; be happy.Timeless advice right here. Reddit isn't what it used to be in the early 2010s, it's basically a scam at this point because of how much control there is over discussions - especially if it's something even remotely political. Never ever look at the world through the lens of a Reddit thread, and assume that nothing you read in there is an accurate portrayal how the world currently is.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:40 pm UTC
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:40 pm UTC
This is pretty bad. Luckily, I don't have too many packages from the AUR. I think I'm fine, thank God.
My first distro was Slackware, and I reckon it's much harder to get into as a beginner than Arch is, especially during the mid 2000s. If I can learn my way through it, anybody can.
Quoting: doragasuAUR does not have package checks by definition, it puts that weight on the user.We all start off as beginners. You don't have to not recommend it. If you do recommend it, just explain the reasons for why someone would want to try Arch. Arch is for people who are interested in really learning how to do things on their own, and don't mind scraping their knees a bit by learning things the hard way. It's also good for people that just want to be aware of every package on a clean install.
As I always say, I have been using Arch as my main distro for 10+ years, and despite that (maybe because of that) I never recommend Arch!
My first distro was Slackware, and I reckon it's much harder to get into as a beginner than Arch is, especially during the mid 2000s. If I can learn my way through it, anybody can.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By JugglingJester, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:35 pm UTC
By JugglingJester, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:35 pm UTC
Sorry, which part of arch user repository is that hard to understand?
In special when both the aur webpage and the arch wiki are explaining that all AUR-Repositories are user-provided packages that aren't checked / monitored / reviewed?
The AUR is from / for the community, not maintained, no QA or anything else. If you use it you have to understand what's happening.
And - that's for all distributions and all operating systems: Never ever should one blindly install any software packages without a bare minimum of understanding what's going on with the installation script.
If you blindly trust your 'best budddy' and just click install - sorry not sorry.
BTW: arch itself and responsible derivates are forcing you to manually enable the AUR. Or - as for e.g. I handle it myself for 2-3 pkgbuilds - I download and build them manually on my computer. Regular updates are done with pacman, AUR-repos disabled. I'm on arch since 2005, btw
In special when both the aur webpage and the arch wiki are explaining that all AUR-Repositories are user-provided packages that aren't checked / monitored / reviewed?
The AUR is from / for the community, not maintained, no QA or anything else. If you use it you have to understand what's happening.
And - that's for all distributions and all operating systems: Never ever should one blindly install any software packages without a bare minimum of understanding what's going on with the installation script.
If you blindly trust your 'best budddy' and just click install - sorry not sorry.
BTW: arch itself and responsible derivates are forcing you to manually enable the AUR. Or - as for e.g. I handle it myself for 2-3 pkgbuilds - I download and build them manually on my computer. Regular updates are done with pacman, AUR-repos disabled. I'm on arch since 2005, btw
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By seflasporin, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:26 pm UTC
By seflasporin, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:26 pm UTC
Quoting: tmtvlIt is dangerous in the same way that the Arch forums are dangerous.That comparison is interesting. The Arch team would never let some random new account edit the forum posts of an inactive user. So why are they letting them do it on the AUR? IMO the ophaning system should be eliminated entirely and abandoned PKGBUILDs archived or deleted. If someone wants to reintroduce an abandoned PKGBUILD they should have to write it entirely themselves as a new entry.
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By tuubi, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:24 pm UTC
By tuubi, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:24 pm UTC
Quoting: CaldathrasI wouldn't go all in on victim blaming, unless you only count the "investment opportunity" scams and the "Nigerian princes". And sure, I want governments to protect their citizens from exploitation by criminals (or greedy corporations) even if they're too greedy or gullible for their own good.Quoting: tuubiIn my opinion, the reason scams work so well is because they are exploiting the individual's innate greed and, in some cases, the appeal of getting something for nothing (i.e., minimal effort or work). So, greed exploits greed, in the end, and, ironically, we look to government regulation to protect us from ourselves. I think the old phrase "and if you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you", says it all. Better to operate under the idiom that "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."Quoting: PyratePeople will always fall for scams. That's not a problem that'll ever go away. Which is why we need governments, laws and regulations to protect the vulnerable. Of course governments do that with varying success and enthusiasm, but that's a political and social problem that doesn't have a technical solution.Quoting: LoudTechiealso relevant to this discussion.Even though I can't imagine how that could happen, (just like how I cant believe peoole sfill fall for gift card scams), you're probably right. I wonder when this stops being about a problem with gift cards and currencies, and more about people not thinking clearly when falling for these scams.
Valve will never accept monero, because it's anonymous and decentralized.
The scammers for which they sacrificed their own gift cards would exploit exactly this decentralization and anonymity to hide their activity.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By tmtvl, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:23 pm UTC
By tmtvl, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:23 pm UTC
Quoting: Liam Squires-HandIf they cannot do any checks - that's just a glaring flaw in the entire design of the AUR and so yes - it should be shut. If it's just going to repeatedly be a huge security issue like this, then why should it exist? It's dangerous.The AUR is basically a convenient wrapper around a forum where people share scripts to easily build software from source. It is dangerous in the same way that the Arch forums are dangerous. The Arch team should probably appoint some moderators to check the AUR, but then you get to the point where those people will have a really difficult time checking every single package. You're welcome to your opinion that 'it should be shut down', but I'd sooner say 'people shouldn't be using Arch (and derivatives) unless they understand the risks of the AUR and are willing to take responsibility for what they do on their computer'. Some may call that elitism, but to me it's like saying stores selling cooking supplies shouldn't be allowed to sell knives because people who can't handle them may injure themselves.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By Liam Squires-Hand, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:05 pm UTC
Anyway, the fact that the AUR clearly has no verification of any sort is very clearly a problem that needs to be dealt with properly.
By Liam Squires-Hand, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:05 pm UTC
Quoting: ExplosiveDiarrheaThat is not even remotely the same. It’s more like: this one pond is shark infested and they’re hungry so don’t enter.Quoting: Liam Squires-Handthe Arch Linux AUR (Arch User Repository) needs some better security and package checks […] for some improvements to the packaging processes to prevent this from happening in future.That's like saying "people who can't swim can drown in the sea, so we should have every single access to the sea guarded and protected at all time".
That is insane...
Anyway, the fact that the AUR clearly has no verification of any sort is very clearly a problem that needs to be dealt with properly.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By redneckdrow, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:01 pm UTC
By redneckdrow, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:01 pm UTC
Phew, I just used the list of affected on the report thread on the mailing list and compared it (via meld) to the output of pacman -Qqm and it looks like I dodged a bullet.
Several helpers come with a feature that warns you about changes to a PKGBUILD, or .install script/additional files.
If you use an AUR helper, it's still wise to review build scripts just like any other bash script. Malicious edits are usually painfully obvious, even for someone who doesn't know much more than a line of code like myself.
The crux of the problem seems to be the post-install .install scripts that run after a package has been installed; people probably don't have the presence-of-mind to look at those too often, they just check the PKGBUILD.
Several helpers come with a feature that warns you about changes to a PKGBUILD, or .install script/additional files.
If you use an AUR helper, it's still wise to review build scripts just like any other bash script. Malicious edits are usually painfully obvious, even for someone who doesn't know much more than a line of code like myself.
The crux of the problem seems to be the post-install .install scripts that run after a package has been installed; people probably don't have the presence-of-mind to look at those too often, they just check the PKGBUILD.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By Turkeysteaks, 12 Jun 2026 at 7:40 pm UTC
By Turkeysteaks, 12 Jun 2026 at 7:40 pm UTC
for anyone who doesn't use an AUR helper, I made this basic little bash script:
if you don't keep your AUR packages in ~/AUR/, you will need to change that in the code.
run it with `./<script-name>.sh <bad-package>`. so for this one, if you do `./script.sh atomic` and any of them print anything, you have been compromised. If none of them do, you're hopefully safe.
I'm sure you could probably do this more elegantly and if your AUR helper stores its packages predictably, you could also use it for that - but this is what I just made (and luckily none of mine are affected as far as I can tell) and it works for me.
It is worrying, and I'm torn - I find the AUR incredibly helpful, as it means that the only packaging system I have on my PC is pacman. AUR has filled every gap I've ever needed, compared to when I ran Ubuntu and had flatpak, apt, snap, manual `.deb` packages, and full git repos to compile from source. However clearly it is a flawed system, and this is a huge disgrace - I sincerely doubt the majority of users read through PKGBUILDs, so undoubtedly this is going to have some severe impacts. I'm also a little disappointed in the response, as I feel like there are systems they could have put in place to handle this quicker - like turning off all adoptions, for starters. Easier said than done though I'm sure.
for dir in ~/AUR/*/
do
dir=${dir%*/}
echo "${dir}"
cd ${dir}
cat PKGBUILD | grep $1
cd ~/AUR/
doneif you don't keep your AUR packages in ~/AUR/, you will need to change that in the code.
run it with `./<script-name>.sh <bad-package>`. so for this one, if you do `./script.sh atomic` and any of them print anything, you have been compromised. If none of them do, you're hopefully safe.
I'm sure you could probably do this more elegantly and if your AUR helper stores its packages predictably, you could also use it for that - but this is what I just made (and luckily none of mine are affected as far as I can tell) and it works for me.
It is worrying, and I'm torn - I find the AUR incredibly helpful, as it means that the only packaging system I have on my PC is pacman. AUR has filled every gap I've ever needed, compared to when I ran Ubuntu and had flatpak, apt, snap, manual `.deb` packages, and full git repos to compile from source. However clearly it is a flawed system, and this is a huge disgrace - I sincerely doubt the majority of users read through PKGBUILDs, so undoubtedly this is going to have some severe impacts. I'm also a little disappointed in the response, as I feel like there are systems they could have put in place to handle this quicker - like turning off all adoptions, for starters. Easier said than done though I'm sure.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By ExplosiveDiarrhea, 12 Jun 2026 at 7:31 pm UTC
That is insane...
By ExplosiveDiarrhea, 12 Jun 2026 at 7:31 pm UTC
Quoting: Liam Squires-Handthe Arch Linux AUR (Arch User Repository) needs some better security and package checks […] for some improvements to the packaging processes to prevent this from happening in future.That's like saying "people who can't swim can drown in the sea, so we should have every single access to the sea guarded and protected at all time".
That is insane...
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By LoudTechie, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:54 am UTC
To them it's a place to bêta test and get professional feedback on new features.
The law had already passed parliament and they were supposed to implement it as fast as possible without destabilizing their main product.
By placing it in their open source offering they could proof to be working on the stabilization part, granting them the legalistic goodwill to postpone implementing it in their main offering later.
By LoudTechie, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:54 am UTC
Quoting: PyrateYou might be misunderstanding RedHats treatment of their free open source offerings.Quoting: LoudTechieIt was more about how fast they jumped on that. I remember within the same newsfeed that day, I read how System76 CEO advising open source devs to hold on for a bit because he was exploring exclusion for FOSS OS's, and shortly after SystemD implements the thing.Quoting: PyrateOn the age gating fiasco.Quoting: LoudTechieI think it's an issue of balance. Taking the SystemD example, when is it that the community draws the line ? Personally, the comically-fast and instant compliance with age verification fiasco a month or two ago was it for ne. I'm sort of coerced to continue to use SystemD currently, even though that was the final straw for me and I'd rather use something else now.Quoting: PyrateOn the hyped up cryptobro part.Quoting: tuubiI view people who get very passionate about crypto the same way I view enthusiastic small-time stock traders. They keep talking my ear off about how they make (or save) money with it and everyone should do it, and I indulge them to a point because I'm nice and patient like that (in real life more than online), but I just don't find any of it interesting. Money is a necessity and I've never been wealthy enough to ignore it. It's just not something I could ever get passionate about.Im sorry, but point to me where I did this here, where did I talk about making or saving money, market price, hype and all that wall street crap ?
Monero would protect my financial activity from heavily regulated banks and my government, which I'm a lot less concerned about. Some communities have excellent reasons to hide this activity, but most of us do not.Only if you choose to. You can disclose your transactions for taxes or any other reason. I could explain how it works but I'm getting fed up with still being talked to like a crypto bro, I'll just share that optional transparency is a built-in function into a Monero wallet for auditing and taxes etc.
I'm not paranoid and this isn't about paranoia. Speaking for myself for example, I recognise what is a real and what is a more theoretical danger when I'm constructing my threat model, but most of the time, I use privacy tools out of principle more than out of immediate need. This is something I feel is lost for many people recently, at least that's what I'm getting online. Recently I keep recalling that one Luke Smith youtube video about in projects like Linux, how users are slowly abandoning the freedom hard lines started with Free Software and GNU etc. I think we need more hardasses, the Stallman type, so we don't drift away in convenience and complacency.
You're not being treated like a cryptobro. You're experiencing something even more frustrating:
"I've nothing to hide."
A cryptobro would get fundamental disbelief in the promises they make, not in their value.
"crypto is decentralized": except for all the exit scams.
"crypto is the future": except for all the exit scams.
"crypto can do anything": you don't know what you're talking about.
"crypto ...": I'm done hearing about these scams.
As to why this is frustrating,
a. because it devalues other people's needs.
b. because it undercounts one's reliance on fundamental rights.
To say it with a quote I got from schneiers website, but attributed to someone else.
Saying you don't need privacy, because you've nothing to hide is like saying you don't need free speech, because you have nothing to say.
About the complacency part.
I disagree kinda.
Users are going to the centralized semi-free options, because they come from fully proprietary systems and are used to thinking that way and have become to love the strengths of the existing systems.
In general it's going in the right direction.
Just not in the jumps hardliners and early adopters believe in.
Also even a little extra freedom helps a lot.
If Redhat sufficiently fucks up systemD we can fork it with a patch. Would this be a lot of work, yes. Would this be less work than the entire Wine project(which tackles the Windows equivalent) easily, because we have the source code.
Do proprietary kernel modules render your system less free and give root to dangerous parties, absolutely. Still I can patch the interface to limit their power and repair their mistakes For Windows and Mac that requires a jailbreak.
Do locked bootloaders illegally, but unrepentant limit consumer choice. Undeniably, but they still can't sue you under the DMCA for a jailbreak.
Or an example from this forum. If our proprietary electron program botches their testing we can still patch electron without any license problems.
Hardasses are important they remind us how we can improve the world, but they're too blinded by their rage to see the the individual value of the incremental improvements.
So it's like a continuous battle to balance out the hardass-ness with the complacency. I tend to lean more on the former (even though I don't at all feel like I'm doing a lot of work in doing so, it just seems to me everyone else is so lazy and quick to sideline what they claim to believe in). But as long as the right people don't go all the way and they don't lose the plot, you're right in that fighting back is possible.
Also, about regulations being a necessity etc etc, I get it. But I really won't play along if any countermeasure gets implemented ends up chipping away at one of the rights that were once given, that's in brief my angle on all that 'the system is important, actually'.
That was a reaction to a passed law.
Yes, it's problematic, but the reason they can get away with it is that the government is backing them.
Anyone who wants to make that fork has to fight the law and [we know the law often wins.](https://genius.com/The-clash-i-fought-the-law-lyrics)
Most distros also include an Api for handling USA crypto export controls.
And sure, they would've eventually had to by law, it still counts as a redflag for me.
To them it's a place to bêta test and get professional feedback on new features.
The law had already passed parliament and they were supposed to implement it as fast as possible without destabilizing their main product.
By placing it in their open source offering they could proof to be working on the stabilization part, granting them the legalistic goodwill to postpone implementing it in their main offering later.
News - Battle 1950s B-movie monsters with sports equipment in the roguelite FPS SPORTAL
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:10 am UTC
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:10 am UTC
Slingshot vs Lovecraftian horror? Oh dear...
I do like the makeshift weapons concept here. Most FPS games are reliant on powerful guns, and this is more creative.
I do like the makeshift weapons concept here. Most FPS games are reliant on powerful guns, and this is more creative.
News - Feed rubber ducks to a deep dark hole in the physics sandbox Project P.I.T.T.
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:05 am UTC
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:05 am UTC
This seems like the sort of thing where the novelty will wear off, so releasing the demo before the full game is available was probably unwise.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:00 am UTC
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 7:00 am UTC
The count of affected packages quadrupled:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Arch-Linux-AUR-More-Than-1500
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Arch-Linux-AUR-More-Than-1500
News - Klei Entertainment classic Eets is now free and updated for modern PCs with a Linux version
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 6:18 am UTC
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 6:18 am UTC
The Steam page doesn't show a Linux version for me (another checkbox missed, perhaps). It also says the last update was Apr 26, 2024 (that info gets pulled from SteamDB). Maybe that aligns with Ethan's "some time ago"; in any case, SteamDB does say Linux is in there (since 2024).
https://steamdb.info/app/6100/patchnotes/
https://steamdb.info/app/6100/patchnotes/
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 5:38 am UTC
By Phlebiac, 13 Jun 2026 at 5:38 am UTC
Quoting: LoudTechieIf Redhat sufficiently fucks up systemD we can fork it with a patch.FWIW, the primary SystemD developer has been an employee of Microsoft for some time now.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By TheSHEEEP, 13 Jun 2026 at 5:26 am UTC
But you have no duty to ensure it never happens in the first place - you'd have to manually (or AI-assisted) check every single post prior to releasing it.
Hardly a method that would facilitate communication.
And that's just text - with code it would be drastically more difficult to do, in this case it was rather easy to find the offending npm in an automated manner, but that's not a guarantee.
Not impossible, mind you, but putting that on a bunch of mostly volunteers seems out of the question.
The tl;dr here is that any platform online where someone can "put things" for free should inherently cause any user to be aware/cautious and not just blindly trust.
The AUR is no different in this than anything else.
I do agree they should add at least SOME kind of verification, but this problem will never go away entirely.
People are responsible for the consequences of their actions, and that very much includes trusting someone or something they shouldn't have online.
Everyone knows there are bad actors out there - so acting as if that wasn't the case is just foolish.
By TheSHEEEP, 13 Jun 2026 at 5:26 am UTC
Quoting: Liam Squires-HandYou have a duty to act against those who would do that and remove that stuff.Quoting: JugglingJesterSorry, which part of arch user repository is that hard to understand?And this is a user comment section. I, as the person who runs it, still have a duty to ensure nefarious crap isn’t shared and spread. The same applies to the AUR and who run it, the same applies to literally any online service. Is that hard to understand?
But you have no duty to ensure it never happens in the first place - you'd have to manually (or AI-assisted) check every single post prior to releasing it.
Hardly a method that would facilitate communication.
And that's just text - with code it would be drastically more difficult to do, in this case it was rather easy to find the offending npm in an automated manner, but that's not a guarantee.
Not impossible, mind you, but putting that on a bunch of mostly volunteers seems out of the question.
The tl;dr here is that any platform online where someone can "put things" for free should inherently cause any user to be aware/cautious and not just blindly trust.
The AUR is no different in this than anything else.
I do agree they should add at least SOME kind of verification, but this problem will never go away entirely.
People are responsible for the consequences of their actions, and that very much includes trusting someone or something they shouldn't have online.
Everyone knows there are bad actors out there - so acting as if that wasn't the case is just foolish.
News - Impressive looking dark point and click adventure Tormentum II gets a demo
By richarson, 13 Jun 2026 at 1:18 am UTC
By richarson, 13 Jun 2026 at 1:18 am UTC
Love the H.R. Giger vibes!
Right to my wishlist!
Right to my wishlist!
News - PengPong is a roguelite bullet heaven mix of Brotato and pinball with a retro cartoon theme
By Linux_Rocks, 13 Jun 2026 at 12:20 am UTC
By Linux_Rocks, 13 Jun 2026 at 12:20 am UTC
Quoting: scratchiTwo articles in a row about combat games with hockey sticks :)Here you go: [Holo Hockey](http://store.steampowered.com/app/4536040/Holo_Hockey/).
Can we get an actual hockey game soon? :D
(yes i'm from Canada)
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News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By Philadelphus, 12 Jun 2026 at 11:51 pm UTC
By Philadelphus, 12 Jun 2026 at 11:51 pm UTC
That's how you know it's The Year of the Linux Deskptop – we've reached enough market share to make it worth someone's time trying to go after consumers.
I don't think that would be helpful in the long run. "Why should [the AUR] exist?" is a pertinent question. Presumably it exists because it fills a need. People encounter problems not solved by official packages, code up a solution, and want to share it without going through the hassle of making it an official package (for whatever reason, I can think of several legitimate ones). Other people encounter the same problems and find those proffered solutions. If it wasn't helpful in some capacity, the AUR wouldn't exist. We could shut it down, but doing so will not magically make those problems people have go away; someone would just set up another similar site to fill the vacuum (one not under the purview of the Arch team, this time).
It's like closing one beach for shark sightings. People will just go to another beach in a different jurisdiction, they're not going to stop swimming. If the Arch teams keeps the AUR around, they can try to improve its security (which I approve of, for the record); if they close it, they don't have much recourse if it turns out the "new AUR" that pops up turns out to be run by malicious actors after lots of people have swapped to it.
Quoting: Liam Squires-HandIf they cannot do any checks - that's just a glaring flaw in the entire design of the AUR and so yes - it should be shut. If it's just going to repeatedly be a huge security issue like this, then why should it exist? It's dangerous.
I don't think that would be helpful in the long run. "Why should [the AUR] exist?" is a pertinent question. Presumably it exists because it fills a need. People encounter problems not solved by official packages, code up a solution, and want to share it without going through the hassle of making it an official package (for whatever reason, I can think of several legitimate ones). Other people encounter the same problems and find those proffered solutions. If it wasn't helpful in some capacity, the AUR wouldn't exist. We could shut it down, but doing so will not magically make those problems people have go away; someone would just set up another similar site to fill the vacuum (one not under the purview of the Arch team, this time).
It's like closing one beach for shark sightings. People will just go to another beach in a different jurisdiction, they're not going to stop swimming. If the Arch teams keeps the AUR around, they can try to improve its security (which I approve of, for the record); if they close it, they don't have much recourse if it turns out the "new AUR" that pops up turns out to be run by malicious actors after lots of people have swapped to it.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By pb, 12 Jun 2026 at 11:23 pm UTC
for yay users:
By pb, 12 Jun 2026 at 11:23 pm UTC
Quoting: Turkeysteaksfor anyone who doesn't use an AUR helper, I made this basic little bash script:Or just:
for dir in ~/AUR/*/
do
dir=${dir%*/}
echo "${dir}"
cd ${dir}
cat PKGBUILD | grep $1
cd ~/AUR/
done
if you don't keep your AUR packages in ~/AUR/, you will need to change that in the code.
run it with `./<script-name>.sh <bad-package>`. so for this one, if you do `./script.sh atomic` and any of them print anything, you have been compromised. If none of them do, you're hopefully safe.
grep atomic ~/AUR/*/PKGBUILDfor yay users:
grep atomic ~/.cache/yay/*/PKGBUILD :-)
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 10:40 pm UTC
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 10:40 pm UTC
Quoting: Purple Library GuyBitcoin in particular, and I believe the blockchain in general to a significant degree, is really slow at doing transactions.It can be, that's true.
Quoting: Purple Library GuyI think another thing may be that the main place to keep crypto is these exchanges, and they're insecure as fuck.You're not supposed to keep your Bitcoins at the exchanges, you're supposed to transfer them to your wallet.
News - 7 Days to Die is getting a huge upgrade with lots of gameplay customization
By tuubi, 12 Jun 2026 at 10:35 pm UTC
By tuubi, 12 Jun 2026 at 10:35 pm UTC
Why are all the Zombies leaning to the right in the shot? Is it particularly windy? Ooh, maybe it's all part of a choreography! 'Cause this is thriller, thriller night... 😁
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Pyrate, 12 Jun 2026 at 10:07 pm UTC
By Pyrate, 12 Jun 2026 at 10:07 pm UTC
Quoting: SlaxerAs Linux users, I can't help but wonder how this kind of justification works on some of us. We're getting close to the day when you start seeing headlines on your local Pravda news source saying, "Prime Minister Dipshit has proposed a ban on Linux because drug lords have been known for using Linux distros such as Whonix to sell illegal and untaxable drugs".The only thing I can think of here is how sad it's going to be when this happens, and before the biased media or paid shills come to their rescue, you'd probably first find fellow citizens, Linux users even, immediately conceding and gladly taking it up the ass.
Quoting: SlaxerIsn't this a current problem on Steam?Yep. Case in point.
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:54 pm UTC
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:54 pm UTC
Quoting: Purple Library Guyright wing pseudo-populist claims about money.Sigh... What does that even mean? Whatever man.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By Liam Squires-Hand, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:48 pm UTC
By Liam Squires-Hand, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:48 pm UTC
Quoting: JugglingJesterSorry, which part of arch user repository is that hard to understand?And this is a user comment section. I, as the person who runs it, still have a duty to ensure nefarious crap isn’t shared and spread. The same applies to the AUR and who run it, the same applies to literally any online service. Is that hard to understand?
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:48 pm UTC
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:48 pm UTC
Quoting: CarollyI'll also point out that what Monero is most known for among the general public is its prevalence in malware and popularity with the criminal element including Darknet retailers and CSAM traders. Saying it has a bit of a reputation problem would be significantly understating the situation.
Quoting: PyrateYou can't dismiss a technology just because criminals make use of itAs Linux users, I can't help but wonder how this kind of justification works on some of us. We're getting close to the day when you start seeing headlines on your local Pravda news source saying, "Prime Minister Dipshit has proposed a ban on Linux because drug lords have been known for using Linux distros such as Whonix to sell illegal and untaxable drugs".
Quoting: PyrateSo the freedom to transact however the hell I want and to whomever I want (without Visa dictating if theyre cool or not with the product you're buying). The banking system in this regard is atrocious. So that's in UK banks. Locally, I also have an issue with banks being unreliable in general in online shopping (would rather not share which country) but recently the Central Bank itself got hacked and terabytes worth of database were put up for sale, so I guess that's another thing to add.Isn't this a current problem on Steam? Valve has to yield to the credit card companies regarding what games they can or can't sell on their platform. I really hope they find a way to fix that... or they could just go back to accepting Bitcoin, I dunno. lol
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Purple Library Guy, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:39 pm UTC
Romans government ever done for us?
This country was better off before the anti-government turn around 1980 and the, basically, corporate takeover of government, back when government did more and taxes were higher. If we still had Connaught labs we would have been making our own Covid vaccine and our insulin would still be at cost. If we still had social housing programs, we wouldn't have a homelessness problem and people would be able to afford the rent.
(I don't think the government actually wants any of your blood, sweat or tears; sounds kind of unsanitary. I just pay my taxes in $Cad)
As to the government debt . . . go learn some Modern Monetary Theory. It's a very limited theory which only says anything about, well, money, which is not nearly as broad an issue as MMT proponents seem to think. But, it's not batshit insane, which makes it better than right wing pseudo-populist claims about money. Bottom line, private economic surplus is created by government debt--that's not so much a theory as an accounting identity. If the government ran surpluses your blood, sweat and tears would, on average, stop making money and start taking losses. Platitudes about government spending that treat it like a household (specifically, one that doesn't buy cars or homes or take out student loans) are deeply misguided and end up turning the real world on its head, because governments do not resemble households in any relevant way.
By Purple Library Guy, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:39 pm UTC
Quoting: SlaxerIt's funny you mention that. Canada's in debt $1.3ish Trillion (capital T), so the money sitting in your bank account is increasingly becoming more and more worthless by the day - and that's on top of the fact that you're also being taxed more on it than they did in the past. So you're losing money on two fronts, inflation, and taxes - which is something that can be entirely blamed on one group of people. Take a guess who? In theory, Bitcoin could fix half of that problem.Yes, yes, what have the
And btw, I would be considered "wealthy" by the government's standards... which is why HALF of my sweat blood and tears goes to the government - only to be squandered and spent in ways that only benefit themselves, and not the country. Trust me, people like me aren't the ones stealing from you. But anyway... let's bring it back to those gift cards eh? lol
This country was better off before the anti-government turn around 1980 and the, basically, corporate takeover of government, back when government did more and taxes were higher. If we still had Connaught labs we would have been making our own Covid vaccine and our insulin would still be at cost. If we still had social housing programs, we wouldn't have a homelessness problem and people would be able to afford the rent.
(I don't think the government actually wants any of your blood, sweat or tears; sounds kind of unsanitary. I just pay my taxes in $Cad)
As to the government debt . . . go learn some Modern Monetary Theory. It's a very limited theory which only says anything about, well, money, which is not nearly as broad an issue as MMT proponents seem to think. But, it's not batshit insane, which makes it better than right wing pseudo-populist claims about money. Bottom line, private economic surplus is created by government debt--that's not so much a theory as an accounting identity. If the government ran surpluses your blood, sweat and tears would, on average, stop making money and start taking losses. Platitudes about government spending that treat it like a household (specifically, one that doesn't buy cars or homes or take out student loans) are deeply misguided and end up turning the real world on its head, because governments do not resemble households in any relevant way.
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By Purple Library Guy, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:25 pm UTC
I think another thing may be that the main place to keep crypto is these exchanges, and they're insecure as fuck. My understanding is they avoid the blockchain slow transaction problem by just . . . not using it, just kind of pretending to transfer the crypto around, and their pretenses are foolishly flimsy. It's like "What if banks just didn't bother to do security?" where there are really serious chances someone will just hack in and steal your stuff. Or maybe it'll go under and your stuff will just disappear, and it's not publicly insured like a bank deposit. It may be that businesses aren't attracted by that kind of risk. Or, to avoid the risk, they'd have to buy insurance and maybe it costs too much.
By Purple Library Guy, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:25 pm UTC
Quoting: SlaxerOther than volatility, why do you suppose businesses choose not to take it as payment? Not debating here, just picking your brain.The biggest thing may be an artifact of how some of the most popular crypto works, I'm not sure about that: Bitcoin in particular, and I believe the blockchain in general to a significant degree, is really slow at doing transactions. The more transactions you want to do, the more this starts to bite. Probably not a big thing for small businesses, but maybe significant for some of the financial services those small businesses have to deal with. For big businesses on the other hand it could become a complete blocker.
I think another thing may be that the main place to keep crypto is these exchanges, and they're insecure as fuck. My understanding is they avoid the blockchain slow transaction problem by just . . . not using it, just kind of pretending to transfer the crypto around, and their pretenses are foolishly flimsy. It's like "What if banks just didn't bother to do security?" where there are really serious chances someone will just hack in and steal your stuff. Or maybe it'll go under and your stuff will just disappear, and it's not publicly insured like a bank deposit. It may be that businesses aren't attracted by that kind of risk. Or, to avoid the risk, they'd have to buy insurance and maybe it costs too much.
News - PengPong is a roguelite bullet heaven mix of Brotato and pinball with a retro cartoon theme
By scratchi, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:20 pm UTC
By scratchi, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:20 pm UTC
Two articles in a row about combat games with hockey sticks :)
Can we get an actual hockey game soon? :D
(yes i'm from Canada)
Can we get an actual hockey game soon? :D
(yes i'm from Canada)
News - Cheat Engine now has a Linux version released
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:11 pm UTC
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 9:11 pm UTC
Quoting: CatKillerStay away from Reddit; be happy.Timeless advice right here. Reddit isn't what it used to be in the early 2010s, it's basically a scam at this point because of how much control there is over discussions - especially if it's something even remotely political. Never ever look at the world through the lens of a Reddit thread, and assume that nothing you read in there is an accurate portrayal how the world currently is.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:40 pm UTC
By Slaxer, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:40 pm UTC
This is pretty bad. Luckily, I don't have too many packages from the AUR. I think I'm fine, thank God.
My first distro was Slackware, and I reckon it's much harder to get into as a beginner than Arch is, especially during the mid 2000s. If I can learn my way through it, anybody can.
Quoting: doragasuAUR does not have package checks by definition, it puts that weight on the user.We all start off as beginners. You don't have to not recommend it. If you do recommend it, just explain the reasons for why someone would want to try Arch. Arch is for people who are interested in really learning how to do things on their own, and don't mind scraping their knees a bit by learning things the hard way. It's also good for people that just want to be aware of every package on a clean install.
As I always say, I have been using Arch as my main distro for 10+ years, and despite that (maybe because of that) I never recommend Arch!
My first distro was Slackware, and I reckon it's much harder to get into as a beginner than Arch is, especially during the mid 2000s. If I can learn my way through it, anybody can.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By JugglingJester, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:35 pm UTC
By JugglingJester, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:35 pm UTC
Sorry, which part of arch user repository is that hard to understand?
In special when both the aur webpage and the arch wiki are explaining that all AUR-Repositories are user-provided packages that aren't checked / monitored / reviewed?
The AUR is from / for the community, not maintained, no QA or anything else. If you use it you have to understand what's happening.
And - that's for all distributions and all operating systems: Never ever should one blindly install any software packages without a bare minimum of understanding what's going on with the installation script.
If you blindly trust your 'best budddy' and just click install - sorry not sorry.
BTW: arch itself and responsible derivates are forcing you to manually enable the AUR. Or - as for e.g. I handle it myself for 2-3 pkgbuilds - I download and build them manually on my computer. Regular updates are done with pacman, AUR-repos disabled. I'm on arch since 2005, btw
In special when both the aur webpage and the arch wiki are explaining that all AUR-Repositories are user-provided packages that aren't checked / monitored / reviewed?
The AUR is from / for the community, not maintained, no QA or anything else. If you use it you have to understand what's happening.
And - that's for all distributions and all operating systems: Never ever should one blindly install any software packages without a bare minimum of understanding what's going on with the installation script.
If you blindly trust your 'best budddy' and just click install - sorry not sorry.
BTW: arch itself and responsible derivates are forcing you to manually enable the AUR. Or - as for e.g. I handle it myself for 2-3 pkgbuilds - I download and build them manually on my computer. Regular updates are done with pacman, AUR-repos disabled. I'm on arch since 2005, btw
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By seflasporin, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:26 pm UTC
By seflasporin, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:26 pm UTC
Quoting: tmtvlIt is dangerous in the same way that the Arch forums are dangerous.That comparison is interesting. The Arch team would never let some random new account edit the forum posts of an inactive user. So why are they letting them do it on the AUR? IMO the ophaning system should be eliminated entirely and abandoned PKGBUILDs archived or deleted. If someone wants to reintroduce an abandoned PKGBUILD they should have to write it entirely themselves as a new entry.
News - Valve to no longer offer physical gift cards due to scammers
By tuubi, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:24 pm UTC
By tuubi, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:24 pm UTC
Quoting: CaldathrasI wouldn't go all in on victim blaming, unless you only count the "investment opportunity" scams and the "Nigerian princes". And sure, I want governments to protect their citizens from exploitation by criminals (or greedy corporations) even if they're too greedy or gullible for their own good.Quoting: tuubiIn my opinion, the reason scams work so well is because they are exploiting the individual's innate greed and, in some cases, the appeal of getting something for nothing (i.e., minimal effort or work). So, greed exploits greed, in the end, and, ironically, we look to government regulation to protect us from ourselves. I think the old phrase "and if you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you", says it all. Better to operate under the idiom that "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."Quoting: PyratePeople will always fall for scams. That's not a problem that'll ever go away. Which is why we need governments, laws and regulations to protect the vulnerable. Of course governments do that with varying success and enthusiasm, but that's a political and social problem that doesn't have a technical solution.Quoting: LoudTechiealso relevant to this discussion.Even though I can't imagine how that could happen, (just like how I cant believe peoole sfill fall for gift card scams), you're probably right. I wonder when this stops being about a problem with gift cards and currencies, and more about people not thinking clearly when falling for these scams.
Valve will never accept monero, because it's anonymous and decentralized.
The scammers for which they sacrificed their own gift cards would exploit exactly this decentralization and anonymity to hide their activity.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By tmtvl, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:23 pm UTC
By tmtvl, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:23 pm UTC
Quoting: Liam Squires-HandIf they cannot do any checks - that's just a glaring flaw in the entire design of the AUR and so yes - it should be shut. If it's just going to repeatedly be a huge security issue like this, then why should it exist? It's dangerous.The AUR is basically a convenient wrapper around a forum where people share scripts to easily build software from source. It is dangerous in the same way that the Arch forums are dangerous. The Arch team should probably appoint some moderators to check the AUR, but then you get to the point where those people will have a really difficult time checking every single package. You're welcome to your opinion that 'it should be shut down', but I'd sooner say 'people shouldn't be using Arch (and derivatives) unless they understand the risks of the AUR and are willing to take responsibility for what they do on their computer'. Some may call that elitism, but to me it's like saying stores selling cooking supplies shouldn't be allowed to sell knives because people who can't handle them may injure themselves.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By Liam Squires-Hand, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:05 pm UTC
Anyway, the fact that the AUR clearly has no verification of any sort is very clearly a problem that needs to be dealt with properly.
By Liam Squires-Hand, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:05 pm UTC
Quoting: ExplosiveDiarrheaThat is not even remotely the same. It’s more like: this one pond is shark infested and they’re hungry so don’t enter.Quoting: Liam Squires-Handthe Arch Linux AUR (Arch User Repository) needs some better security and package checks […] for some improvements to the packaging processes to prevent this from happening in future.That's like saying "people who can't swim can drown in the sea, so we should have every single access to the sea guarded and protected at all time".
That is insane...
Anyway, the fact that the AUR clearly has no verification of any sort is very clearly a problem that needs to be dealt with properly.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By redneckdrow, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:01 pm UTC
By redneckdrow, 12 Jun 2026 at 8:01 pm UTC
Phew, I just used the list of affected on the report thread on the mailing list and compared it (via meld) to the output of pacman -Qqm and it looks like I dodged a bullet.
Several helpers come with a feature that warns you about changes to a PKGBUILD, or .install script/additional files.
If you use an AUR helper, it's still wise to review build scripts just like any other bash script. Malicious edits are usually painfully obvious, even for someone who doesn't know much more than a line of code like myself.
The crux of the problem seems to be the post-install .install scripts that run after a package has been installed; people probably don't have the presence-of-mind to look at those too often, they just check the PKGBUILD.
Several helpers come with a feature that warns you about changes to a PKGBUILD, or .install script/additional files.
If you use an AUR helper, it's still wise to review build scripts just like any other bash script. Malicious edits are usually painfully obvious, even for someone who doesn't know much more than a line of code like myself.
The crux of the problem seems to be the post-install .install scripts that run after a package has been installed; people probably don't have the presence-of-mind to look at those too often, they just check the PKGBUILD.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By Turkeysteaks, 12 Jun 2026 at 7:40 pm UTC
By Turkeysteaks, 12 Jun 2026 at 7:40 pm UTC
for anyone who doesn't use an AUR helper, I made this basic little bash script:
if you don't keep your AUR packages in ~/AUR/, you will need to change that in the code.
run it with `./<script-name>.sh <bad-package>`. so for this one, if you do `./script.sh atomic` and any of them print anything, you have been compromised. If none of them do, you're hopefully safe.
I'm sure you could probably do this more elegantly and if your AUR helper stores its packages predictably, you could also use it for that - but this is what I just made (and luckily none of mine are affected as far as I can tell) and it works for me.
It is worrying, and I'm torn - I find the AUR incredibly helpful, as it means that the only packaging system I have on my PC is pacman. AUR has filled every gap I've ever needed, compared to when I ran Ubuntu and had flatpak, apt, snap, manual `.deb` packages, and full git repos to compile from source. However clearly it is a flawed system, and this is a huge disgrace - I sincerely doubt the majority of users read through PKGBUILDs, so undoubtedly this is going to have some severe impacts. I'm also a little disappointed in the response, as I feel like there are systems they could have put in place to handle this quicker - like turning off all adoptions, for starters. Easier said than done though I'm sure.
for dir in ~/AUR/*/
do
dir=${dir%*/}
echo "${dir}"
cd ${dir}
cat PKGBUILD | grep $1
cd ~/AUR/
doneif you don't keep your AUR packages in ~/AUR/, you will need to change that in the code.
run it with `./<script-name>.sh <bad-package>`. so for this one, if you do `./script.sh atomic` and any of them print anything, you have been compromised. If none of them do, you're hopefully safe.
I'm sure you could probably do this more elegantly and if your AUR helper stores its packages predictably, you could also use it for that - but this is what I just made (and luckily none of mine are affected as far as I can tell) and it works for me.
It is worrying, and I'm torn - I find the AUR incredibly helpful, as it means that the only packaging system I have on my PC is pacman. AUR has filled every gap I've ever needed, compared to when I ran Ubuntu and had flatpak, apt, snap, manual `.deb` packages, and full git repos to compile from source. However clearly it is a flawed system, and this is a huge disgrace - I sincerely doubt the majority of users read through PKGBUILDs, so undoubtedly this is going to have some severe impacts. I'm also a little disappointed in the response, as I feel like there are systems they could have put in place to handle this quicker - like turning off all adoptions, for starters. Easier said than done though I'm sure.
News - The Arch Linux AUR had over 400 packages compromised with malware
By ExplosiveDiarrhea, 12 Jun 2026 at 7:31 pm UTC
That is insane...
By ExplosiveDiarrhea, 12 Jun 2026 at 7:31 pm UTC
Quoting: Liam Squires-Handthe Arch Linux AUR (Arch User Repository) needs some better security and package checks […] for some improvements to the packaging processes to prevent this from happening in future.That's like saying "people who can't swim can drown in the sea, so we should have every single access to the sea guarded and protected at all time".
That is insane...
Guide - Anticheat check - which competitive games actually work on Linux?
By Zakaria_Shalih, 31 May 2026 at 2:44 am UTC
By Zakaria_Shalih, 31 May 2026 at 2:44 am UTC
games whose anti-cheats makes them never works in Linux(even with wine/proton) aren't ended up in my Library for whatever reason
Guide - How to give Valve feedback when Proton games have issues on Linux / SteamOS
By ProfessorKaos64, 30 May 2026 at 8:57 pm UTC
By ProfessorKaos64, 30 May 2026 at 8:57 pm UTC
Quoting: StellaIs that really worth doing though? I uploaded logs and gave really detailed information for 3 different games that have issues with Proton. The Witcher 3, Vampyr, Doom TDA. All 3 are Steam Deck Verified. In all 3 reports, i gave detailed repro steps along with proton logs, and the issue was 100% reproducible. In Vampyr, the report was specifically about a regression in Proton 8 or later on the Steam Deck. I have never heard back from Valve on any of these 3 reports. This effort feels like a waste of time now.😫This. I have a plugin called decky-proton-pulse, and as soon as I started reading this I was excited to maybe work this in some native easy way, but I remembered that so many do these seem to be ignored. Maybe they are not though, and we just don't see what goes in in Valve's world. Perhaps they ingest these etc... for trends and fixes.
Guide - Anticheat check - which competitive games actually work on Linux?
By kaisellgren, 29 May 2026 at 11:29 pm UTC
By kaisellgren, 29 May 2026 at 11:29 pm UTC
If you're completely stuck, want to use Linux for gaming but need specific gamesThe simplest option is to have Windows on another SSD and then you just boot into it for few select competitive games while using Linux for all the rest. This is what I do.
Guide - How to give Valve feedback when Proton games have issues on Linux / SteamOS
By Stella, 22 May 2026 at 10:27 am UTC
By Stella, 22 May 2026 at 10:27 am UTC
Is that really worth doing though? I uploaded logs and gave really detailed information for 3 different games that have issues with Proton. The Witcher 3, Vampyr, Doom TDA. All 3 are Steam Deck Verified. In all 3 reports, i gave detailed repro steps along with proton logs, and the issue was 100% reproducible. In Vampyr, the report was specifically about a regression in Proton 8 or later on the Steam Deck. I have never heard back from Valve on any of these 3 reports. This effort feels like a waste of time now.😫
Guide - How to give Valve feedback when Proton games have issues on Linux / SteamOS
By Cley_Faye, 21 May 2026 at 5:32 pm UTC
By Cley_Faye, 21 May 2026 at 5:32 pm UTC
Ah, there must be a rule somewhere to state that a solution to a problem will show up when you don't need it anymore :D
I was facing an issue with a game last week, and ended up getting proton logs out this way. It was quite helpful. Ubuntu 24.04 have nvidia 595 drivers, but for some reason they didn't ship with the 32 bit builds of the various libraries. The proton logs showed that the game (a 32-bit windows executable) was just not seeing the GPU *at all* and moved to llvmpipe.
Still, a useful post; I'm sure there are issues that can't quite get fixed on our end.
I was facing an issue with a game last week, and ended up getting proton logs out this way. It was quite helpful. Ubuntu 24.04 have nvidia 595 drivers, but for some reason they didn't ship with the 32 bit builds of the various libraries. The proton logs showed that the game (a 32-bit windows executable) was just not seeing the GPU *at all* and moved to llvmpipe.
Still, a useful post; I'm sure there are issues that can't quite get fixed on our end.
Guide - How to give Valve feedback when Proton games have issues on Linux / SteamOS
By Yasri, 21 May 2026 at 2:44 pm UTC
By Yasri, 21 May 2026 at 2:44 pm UTC
You can upload the log file, first I have heard of this. I've just been chopping them up and making dozens of posts per bug report.
/this is a joke, don't do this.
/this is a joke, don't do this.
Guide - How to setup OpenMW for modern Morrowind on Linux / SteamOS and Steam Deck
By Savor592, 10 Apr 2026 at 1:32 pm UTC
By Savor592, 10 Apr 2026 at 1:32 pm UTC
I would welcome a post (or an edit) introducing https://modding-openmw.com/ and especially showing a setup that works well on Steam Deck.
Their scripts make modding really easy. But unfortunately the Total Overhaul seems to be too much for the Deck. Would be nice to see a configuration close to it which can be run on the Deck.
Their scripts make modding really easy. But unfortunately the Total Overhaul seems to be too much for the Deck. Would be nice to see a configuration close to it which can be run on the Deck.
Guide - How to get Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 online working on Linux, SteamOS, Steam Deck
By lucasgomesbz, 7 Apr 2026 at 11:44 pm UTC
By lucasgomesbz, 7 Apr 2026 at 11:44 pm UTC
Thanks so much!
Your trick work!
Your trick work!
Guide - How to install Battle.net on Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck for World of Warcraft and Starcraft
By esapolundead, 11 Feb 2026 at 11:37 pm UTC
Close Lutris, then
Open Lutris, start Battle.net. You will have to login again, but it should be working now. Hope this helps.
By esapolundead, 11 Feb 2026 at 11:37 pm UTC
Quoting: iliyalesanitried wine, wine-staging-tkg, proton experimental, proton-ge, proton-tkg, reinstalled battle.net multiple times on different prefixes even cleared appdata and programdata but still nothing. gave VPN and tethering mobile network a shot as well. the result was always the same:This happened to me as well. Looks like the latest Battle.net launcher update broke something. This is how I fixed it in Lutris.
"Battle.net Update Agent went to sleep. Attempting to wake it up... BLZBNTBNA00000005".
Close Lutris, then
# pkill -9 Battle.net
# pkill -9 Agent
# pkill -9 Blizzard
# rm -rf ~/Games/battlenet/drive_c/ProgramData/Battle.net/Agent
# rm -rf ~/Games/battlenet/drive_c/ProgramData/Blizzard\ EntertainmentOpen Lutris, start Battle.net. You will have to login again, but it should be working now. Hope this helps.
Guide - How to install Battle.net on Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck for World of Warcraft and Starcraft
By iliyalesani, 11 Feb 2026 at 9:46 pm UTC
By iliyalesani, 11 Feb 2026 at 9:46 pm UTC
tried wine, wine-staging-tkg, proton experimental, proton-ge, proton-tkg, reinstalled battle.net multiple times on different prefixes even cleared appdata and programdata but still nothing. gave VPN and tethering mobile network a shot as well. the result was always the same:
"Battle.net Update Agent went to sleep. Attempting to wake it up... BLZBNTBNA00000005".
same thing with lutris using different versions of wine runners. even tried starting up the agent before and after launching battle.net to no avail:
EDIT / FIX:
using bottles (AUR, not flatpak) with proton-ge 10-30 worked. bottles also applied this launch option:
"Battle.net Update Agent went to sleep. Attempting to wake it up... BLZBNTBNA00000005".
same thing with lutris using different versions of wine runners. even tried starting up the agent before and after launching battle.net to no avail:
WINEFSYNC=1 WINEPREFIX="$HOME/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/2240255771/pfx/" "$HOME/.steam/steam/compatibilitytools.d/Proton-Tkg-2634/files/bin/wine" "$HOME/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/2240255771/pfx/drive_c/ProgramData/Battle.net/Agent/Agent.exe"EDIT / FIX:
using bottles (AUR, not flatpak) with proton-ge 10-30 worked. bottles also applied this launch option:
WINEDLLOVERRIDES="locationapi=d" WINE_SIMULATE_WRITECOPY=1 %command%
Guide - How to install Battle.net on Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck for World of Warcraft and Starcraft
By mr-victory, 23 Jan 2026 at 4:01 pm UTC
By mr-victory, 23 Jan 2026 at 4:01 pm UTC
Proton will also do however the default wine is ancient and does not work. I had to give this info in universal blue discord so many times I started to meme about "days since last Battle.net install failure on Lutris: 0". It is a pet peeve of mine😅
Guide - How to install Battle.net on Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck for World of Warcraft and Starcraft
By tuubi, 23 Jan 2026 at 2:55 pm UTC
Lutris really needs to cut a new release at some point and make this the default.
By tuubi, 23 Jan 2026 at 2:55 pm UTC
Quoting: mr-victoryI forgot this guide existed lol. Option 1 (Lutris) does not work and hasn't for months unless the default Wine version is changed from Wine GE 8.26 to something newer. Other wine versions can be installed by clicking a tiny button that looks like an open box in the main page of Lutris, next to "Wine" button.For most games you'll want to select "GE-Proton (Latest)" instead. No need to download anything manually. Lutris (UMU) will automatically download and manage the latest Proton version for you.
Lutris really needs to cut a new release at some point and make this the default.
Guide - How to install Battle.net on Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck for World of Warcraft and Starcraft
By mr-victory, 23 Jan 2026 at 12:44 pm UTC
By mr-victory, 23 Jan 2026 at 12:44 pm UTC
I forgot this guide existed lol. Option 1 (Lutris) does not work and hasn't for months unless the default Wine version is changed from Wine GE 8.26 to something newer. Other wine versions can be installed by clicking a tiny button that looks like an open box in the main page of Lutris, next to "Wine" button.
Guide - How to install Battle.net on Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck for World of Warcraft and Starcraft
By dbarreda, 23 Jan 2026 at 4:54 am UTC
By dbarreda, 23 Jan 2026 at 4:54 am UTC
I did install Steam thru Flatpak (K)ubuntu 25.10;
Proton 9 did not work, but Proton 10 did. It got stuck on "agent went to sleep attempting to wake it up steam".
The location for the directory is here: `~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/`
Hope this helps someone.
Proton 9 did not work, but Proton 10 did. It got stuck on "agent went to sleep attempting to wake it up steam".
The location for the directory is here: `~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/`
Hope this helps someone.
Guide - How to install Battle.net on Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck for World of Warcraft and Starcraft
By Liam Squires-Hand, 14 Jan 2026 at 12:57 pm UTC
By Liam Squires-Hand, 14 Jan 2026 at 12:57 pm UTC
I've added the Steam Snap path into the guide now, thanks.
Guide - How to install Battle.net on Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck for World of Warcraft and Starcraft
By jurquizo, 14 Jan 2026 at 12:55 pm UTC
*mod snip: we prefer note to have user scripts here, especially from an AI*
By jurquizo, 14 Jan 2026 at 12:55 pm UTC
Quoting: Liam DaweThanks for the quick reply. The folder compatdata is in ~/snap/steam/common/.local/share/Steam/steamapps, and there are a two folders with random numbers as names with the same created/modified date. In my case it was easy to find the correct because there were only 2 candidate folders.Quoting: jurquizoFirst of all, great guide. I tried following the steam method and I couldn't find the folder of the Steam installation folder to change the shortcut, I think it is because I installed Steam via snap and I can't find similar paths inside the .snap folder. Could you help me?Ah, that's an interesting one. Snap is a whole different can of worms.
Could you try looking in: ~/snap/steam/common/.local/share/Steam/steamapps
See if the compatdata folder is there? Once we find the correct path, I'll add it to the guide.
*mod snip: we prefer note to have user scripts here, especially from an AI*
Guide - How to install Battle.net on Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck for World of Warcraft and Starcraft
By Liam Squires-Hand, 13 Jan 2026 at 8:25 pm UTC
Could you try looking in: ~/snap/steam/common/.local/share/Steam/steamapps
See if the compatdata folder is there? Once we find the correct path, I'll add it to the guide.
By Liam Squires-Hand, 13 Jan 2026 at 8:25 pm UTC
Quoting: jurquizoFirst of all, great guide. I tried following the steam method and I couldn't find the folder of the Steam installation folder to change the shortcut, I think it is because I installed Steam via snap and I can't find similar paths inside the .snap folder. Could you help me?Ah, that's an interesting one. Snap is a whole different can of worms.
Could you try looking in: ~/snap/steam/common/.local/share/Steam/steamapps
See if the compatdata folder is there? Once we find the correct path, I'll add it to the guide.
Guide - How to install Battle.net on Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck for World of Warcraft and Starcraft
By jurquizo, 13 Jan 2026 at 8:17 pm UTC
By jurquizo, 13 Jan 2026 at 8:17 pm UTC
First of all, great guide. I tried following the steam method and I couldn't find the folder of the Steam installation folder to change the shortcut, I think it is because I installed Steam via snap and I can't find similar paths inside the .snap folder. Could you help me?
Guide - How to setup OpenMW for modern Morrowind on Linux / SteamOS and Steam Deck
By Caldathras, 4 Jan 2026 at 7:16 pm UTC
By Caldathras, 4 Jan 2026 at 7:16 pm UTC
This is for those looking for a solution that doesn't involve Flatpak. It is primarily intended for desktop Linux users. Although, I imagine with a little tweaking, It might work for Steam Deck as well.
Option 3) Direct Download
https://openmw.readthedocs.io/en/stable/manuals/installation/install-openmw.html#direct-download
Recently, I discovered that OpenMW offers a Direct Download "installer" on their GitHub site. This archive acts just like the Windows installer, allowing you to keep multiple versions of OpenMW installed in Linux.
The problem is that the installation instructions from the online guide are written very poorly. All they say is "run the install package once downloaded. It’s now installed!". It is not that easy. For one, the "installer" is an archive, not an executable. For two, they assume that you know what file to run once the archive is extracted. Here are my expanded instructions:
1) Download the latest Direct Download archive from the GitHub Releases page.
2) Extract the archive to the folder/location of your choice.
3) Launch the "openmw-launcher" script from within the folder.
.... a) If you are simply upgrading, it will use your existing configuration. You are good to go.
.... b) If this is a fresh installation, the launcher will offer to run the OpenMW Wizard to help you set everything up (see Option 1 of Liam's guide above for the rest of the steps).
4) If the launcher script will not start, then you have very likely encountered the rather infamous glibc issue (you can verify this by trying to launching the script in a terminal).
5) Make sure to download the latest version of the Steam Linux Runtime (currently Steam Linux Runtime 4).
6) To add OpenMW to the Steam client, choose the option "Add a Non-Steam Game ...". You may have to manually point Steam at the location of the openmw-launcher script (I did).
7) Go to the Properties menu for openmw-launcher and select "Install Compatibility Tool". Choose the latest Steam Linux Runtime, which you downloaded in Step 5.
8) Update and customize the Steam Library entry to your preferences. You should now be good to go.
Spoiler, click me
There are many ways to install OpenMW. There is even an unofficial AppImage available. The distro repositories almost always offer an out-of-date version. In the past, I used to install via the LaunchPad PPA (only works for Ubuntu derivatives). The problem with PPAs is that they have to be reinstalled with every major version upgrade of your distro. If you are slow to upgrade, the PPA will eventually update to a version of OpenMW that will not run on your outdated distro. Updating uninstalls the version that currently works and then fails on installing the new version.
Option 3) Direct Download
https://openmw.readthedocs.io/en/stable/manuals/installation/install-openmw.html#direct-download
Recently, I discovered that OpenMW offers a Direct Download "installer" on their GitHub site. This archive acts just like the Windows installer, allowing you to keep multiple versions of OpenMW installed in Linux.
Spoiler, click me
NOTE: By default, all installations share the same saves and configuration. There is a feature that was introduced with version 0.48 that allows you to set up a "portable install", which allows you to isolate a particular version with its own configuration and save files.
https://modding-openmw.com/tips/portable-install/
https://modding-openmw.com/tips/portable-install/
The problem is that the installation instructions from the online guide are written very poorly. All they say is "run the install package once downloaded. It’s now installed!". It is not that easy. For one, the "installer" is an archive, not an executable. For two, they assume that you know what file to run once the archive is extracted. Here are my expanded instructions:
1) Download the latest Direct Download archive from the GitHub Releases page.
2) Extract the archive to the folder/location of your choice.
Spoiler, click me
NOTE: If you want to maintain multiple versions, keep in mind that only one of them can be in your default PATH. In fact, it would probably be better to keep the lot of them out of your PATH altogether. Instead of treating the executable/script like a system command, you will just have to provide the entire folder address to launch the game.
This, however, also makes the installation somewhat portable since you can place folder wherever you want. Combined with the "portable install" feature described above, this means you won't even have to have the game installed in your File System partition at all.
This, however, also makes the installation somewhat portable since you can place folder wherever you want. Combined with the "portable install" feature described above, this means you won't even have to have the game installed in your File System partition at all.
3) Launch the "openmw-launcher" script from within the folder.
.... a) If you are simply upgrading, it will use your existing configuration. You are good to go.
.... b) If this is a fresh installation, the launcher will offer to run the OpenMW Wizard to help you set everything up (see Option 1 of Liam's guide above for the rest of the steps).
4) If the launcher script will not start, then you have very likely encountered the rather infamous glibc issue (you can verify this by trying to launching the script in a terminal).
Spoiler, click me
GLIBC Compatibility Issues
One of the big concerns that I have with the OpenMW project is that they don't clearly notify Linux users of a change in system requirements (which they could include with the text for each release on GitHub). The OpenMW Team occasionally increases the version of the glibc library required without clearly advising their Linux users of this change.
For example, the latest version of OpenMW (0.50.0) requires glibc 2.38. This is only available on Ubuntu 24.04 (Mint 22) or higher. (Still running an earlier distro version? Surprise!)
The solution is quite simple. You need to integrate the game into the Steam Client and set the compatibility to Steam Linux Runtime 4, which is based on Debian 13.2 Trixie (and supports glibc 2.38).
One of the big concerns that I have with the OpenMW project is that they don't clearly notify Linux users of a change in system requirements (which they could include with the text for each release on GitHub). The OpenMW Team occasionally increases the version of the glibc library required without clearly advising their Linux users of this change.
For example, the latest version of OpenMW (0.50.0) requires glibc 2.38. This is only available on Ubuntu 24.04 (Mint 22) or higher. (Still running an earlier distro version? Surprise!)
The solution is quite simple. You need to integrate the game into the Steam Client and set the compatibility to Steam Linux Runtime 4, which is based on Debian 13.2 Trixie (and supports glibc 2.38).
5) Make sure to download the latest version of the Steam Linux Runtime (currently Steam Linux Runtime 4).
6) To add OpenMW to the Steam client, choose the option "Add a Non-Steam Game ...". You may have to manually point Steam at the location of the openmw-launcher script (I did).
7) Go to the Properties menu for openmw-launcher and select "Install Compatibility Tool". Choose the latest Steam Linux Runtime, which you downloaded in Step 5.
8) Update and customize the Steam Library entry to your preferences. You should now be good to go.
Guide - How to get Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 online working on Linux, SteamOS, Steam Deck
By subzero, 19 Dec 2025 at 9:04 pm UTC
By subzero, 19 Dec 2025 at 9:04 pm UTC
Quoting: Liam Daweyes im trying to play battlefield 3, apologiesQuoting: subzeroThis doesnt seem to be working for me, i am on the official steam version of the game and i followed all the steps but for some reason the browser menu doesnt seem to detect the EA app on my computer that's already open, i am on fedora cinnamonSince the guide covers two games, which game are we talking about? Battlefield 3?
Guide - How to get Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 online working on Linux, SteamOS, Steam Deck
By Liam Squires-Hand, 19 Dec 2025 at 5:57 pm UTC
By Liam Squires-Hand, 19 Dec 2025 at 5:57 pm UTC
Quoting: subzeroThis doesnt seem to be working for me, i am on the official steam version of the game and i followed all the steps but for some reason the browser menu doesnt seem to detect the EA app on my computer that's already open, i am on fedora cinnamonSince the guide covers two games, which game are we talking about? Battlefield 3?
Guide - How to get Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 online working on Linux, SteamOS, Steam Deck
By subzero, 19 Dec 2025 at 5:47 pm UTC
By subzero, 19 Dec 2025 at 5:47 pm UTC
This doesnt seem to be working for me, i am on the official steam version of the game and i followed all the steps but for some reason the browser menu doesnt seem to detect the EA app on my computer that's already open, i am on fedora cinnamon
Guide - How to install Battle.net on Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck for World of Warcraft and Starcraft
By Mirrored, 29 Nov 2025 at 9:52 am UTC
By Mirrored, 29 Nov 2025 at 9:52 am UTC
On CachyOS:
I was not able to get the Lutris method to work. The installer kept complaining about a file system error and the Battle.net installer would freeze. I attempted this installation many times (~10) and eventually managed to install it without a file system error appearing, but even then, Battle.net would give either the "Battle.net Agent Went to Sleep" error or the "An error occurred while loading game information" error. I tried changing the Runner configuration to many other options than the default, but they all resulted in Battle.net freezing immediately after launch. I didn't try Jiloup's suggestion of using Proton Plus, though, so look at that if you insist on Lutris.
I was able to get the Steam method to work. Use Steam to run the Battle.net setup exe, and then re-target it to the launcher exe that is installed. However, the suggested Compability setting of Proton 9.0-4 still lead to the "Battle.net Agent Went to Sleep". Once I switched it to proton-cachyos-10.0-20251120, that error went away, Battle.net started normally, and I was able to install games. I then tried Proton 10.0-3, which also worked.
TL;DR: I'd recommend the Steam method, and Proton 10.0+
I was not able to get the Lutris method to work. The installer kept complaining about a file system error and the Battle.net installer would freeze. I attempted this installation many times (~10) and eventually managed to install it without a file system error appearing, but even then, Battle.net would give either the "Battle.net Agent Went to Sleep" error or the "An error occurred while loading game information" error. I tried changing the Runner configuration to many other options than the default, but they all resulted in Battle.net freezing immediately after launch. I didn't try Jiloup's suggestion of using Proton Plus, though, so look at that if you insist on Lutris.
I was able to get the Steam method to work. Use Steam to run the Battle.net setup exe, and then re-target it to the launcher exe that is installed. However, the suggested Compability setting of Proton 9.0-4 still lead to the "Battle.net Agent Went to Sleep". Once I switched it to proton-cachyos-10.0-20251120, that error went away, Battle.net started normally, and I was able to install games. I then tried Proton 10.0-3, which also worked.
TL;DR: I'd recommend the Steam method, and Proton 10.0+
Guide - How to get Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 online working on Linux, SteamOS, Steam Deck
By Turkeysteaks, 23 Nov 2025 at 5:12 pm UTC
By Turkeysteaks, 23 Nov 2025 at 5:12 pm UTC
Realise this is a bit old now, but I've been playing with BF4 for a year or so and one thing is really annoying - no steam overlay. Which also means no steam recorder.
Do you or anyone have any experience with getting the steam overlay to work with this?
Do you or anyone have any experience with getting the steam overlay to work with this?
Guide - How to install, update and see what graphics driver you have on Linux and SteamOS
By Eike, 17 Nov 2025 at 12:27 pm UTC
Installing nvidia-drivers on Debian is basically
> apt install nvidia-driver
I made I video talking way too long for the easy task of installing Steam plus Nvidia drivers on a virgin Debian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS6mXW7KPoU
By Eike, 17 Nov 2025 at 12:27 pm UTC
Added some notes for Debian.Our wiki is bad.
Installing nvidia-drivers on Debian is basically
> apt install nvidia-driver
I made I video talking way too long for the easy task of installing Steam plus Nvidia drivers on a virgin Debian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS6mXW7KPoU
Guide - How to install, update and see what graphics driver you have on Linux and SteamOS
By Liam Squires-Hand, 17 Nov 2025 at 11:58 am UTC
By Liam Squires-Hand, 17 Nov 2025 at 11:58 am UTC
Added some notes for Debian.
Guide - Why are there so many different Proton versions? Proton 8, Proton 9, Experimental, GE-Proton
By vertigo, 3 Nov 2025 at 6:40 pm UTC
By vertigo, 3 Nov 2025 at 6:40 pm UTC
Great write up, very useful for new users. It could be worth adding [proton-cachyos](https://github.com/CachyOS/proton-cachyos) given how popular CachyOS is now.
Guide - An idiots guide to setting up Minecraft on Steam Deck / SteamOS with controller support
By blindcoder, 28 Oct 2025 at 10:07 am UTC
By blindcoder, 28 Oct 2025 at 10:07 am UTC
Thank you, I just setup the Steam Deck using this guide and now my kid and I can play together on my own server! <3
Guide - How to setup OpenMW for modern Morrowind on Linux / SteamOS and Steam Deck
By Cu5t0m1z3, 19 Oct 2025 at 8:43 pm UTC
By Cu5t0m1z3, 19 Oct 2025 at 8:43 pm UTC
I think you missed a huge part of playing a TES game by leaving out modding. I know modding on Linux tends to be difficult but the website modding-openmw makes it so easy.
I followed their Automatic Installation guide for the Total Overhaul of 589 mods on Linhx Mint and it worked flawlessly with no crashing after a few hours of playing. It downloads mods from Nexus through your terminal into your game install. If you pay for Nexus it'll be quicker and smoother, otherwise you have to acknowledge all 589 mods so it can take a few hours.
I followed their Automatic Installation guide for the Total Overhaul of 589 mods on Linhx Mint and it worked flawlessly with no crashing after a few hours of playing. It downloads mods from Nexus through your terminal into your game install. If you pay for Nexus it'll be quicker and smoother, otherwise you have to acknowledge all 589 mods so it can take a few hours.
Guide - How to setup OpenMW for modern Morrowind on Linux / SteamOS and Steam Deck
By quot, 10 Oct 2025 at 2:47 pm UTC
By quot, 10 Oct 2025 at 2:47 pm UTC
The next release is focused around their new gamepad UI feature.
https://openmw.org/2025/openmw-0-50-0-is-now-in-rc-phase/
It's not officially released, but the RC releases of OMW are very stable.
https://openmw.org/2025/openmw-0-50-0-is-now-in-rc-phase/
It's not officially released, but the RC releases of OMW are very stable.