The one (additional) problem I see with piping the script directly to bash instead of an intermediate file is that it leaves no trace of what was actually run.

The one (additional) problem I see with piping the script directly to bash instead of an intermediate file is that it leaves no trace of what was actually run. Using an intermadiate file like 'curl ... > temp.sh' and then 'bash temp.sh' actually leaves a file which can be looked at before (and if not removed by malicious code) after the installation. As others pointed out we are giving control away of our computers if we install software. We are giving more control away if we don't use a signed central repository system we (and others) can check openly. We are giving more control away when we can't check that repository. We are giving more control away when we download non-signed binary installers from some a specific site. We are giving more control away when we download installers from some site somewhere on the internet. We are giving more control away when the installer downloads the files itself and leaves no trace. We are giving more control away when the installer auto-updates software from some source somewhere we don't even know what happens anymore. In that light, the difference between using a temporary file and directly piping is little in security and little in convenience. Downloading the most recent release would be a bit better but a bit more inconvenient. Having it distributed via a signed repository would be a bit better but probably slower and cause more overhead on the developers side. These differences are not very big and YOU can fix them by doing the additional work. The heated discussion about a tiny detail is a typical symptom of our culture. If the developers of sandstorm promote the convenient way but still provide the more secure way, good for them, so be it, let's move on to things that actually matter. After all don't forget the fact that sandstorm is bringing the cloud back to earth into your basement. It is designed to conveniently run cloud applications locally so that you don't have to upload your data into some cloud but keep control of it locally.