Just wait until you enter the workforce and your company gives you a locked down work computer.
The joys of getting special permission from the IT department so that you can install a browser other than the ancient version of Internet Explorer (no, not Edge) that came preloaded.
I am going to physics feild and hopefully I will use linux there(NASA does)
Absolutely. I'm convinced that any company that asks employees to use their own devices simply doesn't understand cybersecurity.
Best case would be giving employees a choice of hardware and software from a list of compatible products, but of course that's expensive and more work for the business so it seldom happens.
At least in the EU, the GDPR should make some employers reconsider when asking to use personal devices.
The rules can be quite a bit stricter when using a software for professional purposes, and you shouldn't risk an employee doing whatever they want on their device.
WhatsApp for example would only be legal to use if you have explicit, written consent of all the people you're going to save to your contacts.
In this day and age they should expect you to bring your own device. But they should also not expect you to install any of their software on your device. You simply remote to their machine. They keep it locked down, you get to use your own equipment for all the things you like (music, your personal email, internet, etc).
Or your tasks should be set up so you can do your work using a web browser (in a container - thanks Firefox) and call it a day.
I use Linux for everything and just remote into the works computers to do theirs. I am happy with that. When I went to another country recently I only brought a Steam Deck and was able to do all the work I needed to do.
I’m going through this after my work was bought out. They forced us onto their locked down computers, and they’re so locked down we literally can’t do our work on it. Execs are trying to come up with a solution, thankfully at least for now they’ve gotten corporate to agree to let us use our old laptops until they do. I think mostly because we’re extremely high value low cost, so if we’re not working, they’re losing a lot of money.
As long as it isn't my computer, I don't care.
I remote to all our windows machines from my Linux box which is fine with me. They can lock down their computer, I am just supposed to use what they give me. They pay me, they put the malware on their own machines, so.... whatever.
Such a waste of public resources, to not develop (or fund) free and open tools for everyone, instead of paying for temporary licenses for closed software.
If they want you to use WhatsApp they can provide you with a device to use it on, then at least it's completely isolated from your own data and can't do too much harm.
Ok, but this is reality, and in reality schools don't give a fuck about these subjects, third world country schools at least.
Btw oficially, in my state, schools use their own forked version of ubuntu (KITE Ubuntu), spevifically designed for school use and has foss programs installed and syllabus teaches only that. But still, since the online class started in 2020, google meet, whatsapp and all of them are "required" by students. The problem is that none of the schools or teachers actually knows why "free software only" in schools were introduced
Ah fair point. You could run WhatsApp in a work profile or on a second device, but you'd probably have to jump through some hoops with a second phone number.
For me it's family and friends wich refuse to switch from whatsapp to signal for example
At the place I work at, we all are given Azure Virtual Desktops, which we use for everything. I'm working remotely from another country, so there is damned input lag too. Copy/paste, any data transfer is disabled too.
The worst part is we need to use "Remote Desktop" app to connect to our VMs, and it is available for EVERY platform except linux. Like they got browser client, windows, mac os, android, iOS. BUT NOT FOR LINUX. So I use VirtualBox to open windows machine, and use that to connect to VM.
This is sad :(
This is their choice not to configure it correctly. You can set up Azure RDP and use Remmina as a front end to FreeRDP or just FreeRDP by itself.
Also why are they using a browser "client"? That is also an odd configuration. You don't need a special client. I use Firefox on Linux (with a container - love those) to connect to the Azure Desktops.
I do all my windows work from a Linux machine. Recently I traveled to another country and did all my clients Windows (Azure remote desktops) work from a Steam Deck (Arch linux), lol.
wow. I'll look into this, but last time I tried, that VM discovery thing made it unavailable to setup on linux. The remote desktop app shows available VMs after you authenticate with MS account. This most likely is done deliberately to prevent us from using linux.
I almost cried when they told me AutoCAD was only available on windows.
Refuse. They can't force you to use it. If they want you to use discord, say you only use matrix. If they want you to use chromeos, say you only use GNU/Linux
No? It's not their hardware and even if it was they can't force you to use that hardware. I'm not sure about the laws around it but I do know schools can't force you to agree to contracts (such as EULAs)
Maybe times have changed but when I was in school a decade ago they would just say I don't care and punish you for not doing your work lol, they can absolutely make you use it by virtue of being in charge
Schools sign the contracts themselves for license deals. The program either doesn't collect the same data, or doesn't collect anything other than analytics.
They do this in Enterprise too. All of our enterprise software is a special version made for distribution. No EULA is involved.
LOL, maybe in a competent school system. Meanwhile, in my kids' school system even things like signing up to pay for school lunches is outsourced to some shitty third-party service with an outrageous ToS that includes a binding arbitration clause with said arbitration being conducted in Louisiana (a different state hundreds of miles away).
To work or study at my Univ, you have to give your phone number to Microsoft for the 2fa. They pay shitload of money for Office 365 and they are almist forcing us to use that stupid suite. This year I will give an special course on FOSS alternative to my students. Fuck that bullshit hail corporate.
Best option, use graphene and keep the propriety stuff on a separate user profile.
There is also a WhatsApp to go on F-droid . So you need an account then you can use the webapp on the phone.
But yea stuff like that sucks.
You're assuming they have a google pixel, also the grapheneos founder isn't trustworthy
If you use discord on a seperate user profile, you're still using discord, they still get your data. Sandboxing isn't a perfect solution
The correct thing is to refuse, it is your (or your parents) legally owned hardwarw and they can not control it. They can't force you to sign privacy policies
The fact that people are saying to comply with what your school says saddens me
Louis Rossmann still recommends GrapheneOS to this day. The drama of a programmer shouldn't extend to the quality of the (FOSS) code itself.
With FOSS, trust simply isn't necessary. Anyone can verify the functionality of the code.
He have stepped down since march this year I believe. No need to trust , verify. He was a bit of a removed but that doesn't mean GOS is not trustworthy. Sandboxing on a separate profile ( truee separate which you only get on grapheneOS) combine with VPN , blocklist (VPN or DNS) and no gapps . Not that much. Especially if you run enterprise versions of apps. In EU it wouldn't be legal.
Depends on your leverage here. But best to change school policy here. In many countries it would not be possible to force people to install WhatsApp or other programs on personal devices. Otherwise they have their own software or use email. Another thing if they provide the hardware.
Decentralised solutions will never be broadly accepted. People care about comfort and ease to use and centralized companies wiill always have the edge in this.
I don't necessarily need decentralised solutions. I just need free software solutions. There is much comfort and ease in apps like signal
Mine too, but it wasn't forced on me. All of my classmates use whatsapp but not having too deal with all the needless stuff on there is great in my opinion
WhatsApp has replaced text messaging in a lot of countries. Even banks use WhatsApp
Important notifications, informing holidays, events special classes, and all communications go through whatsapp.
Also sometimes online/video class links are posted there
It's the same with work tbh... Lots of companies have big contracts with Red Hat but the only option for their employees is Windows.
I understand the logic behind it, but it still feels dumb.
