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I stopped endorsing closed-source software to friends and family years ago, because you can't trust the companies behind them not to quietly change directions.
by Cyan488 4mo ago
I stopped endorsing closed-source software to friends and family years ago, because you can't trust the companies behind them not to quietly change directions.
Years ago I used a free workout app that I really liked. After a few months of using it I recommended it to friends. I only much later found out that I was on a grandfathered version of the free plan without ads or restrictions. The company had made changes to the free plan since I joined, and all new accounts (like my friends) were subject to ads and restrictions.
It was embarrassing to have unknowingly recommending something like that.
- 542458 4mo agoBitwarden is open-source though? This is about the hosted version of it, which has a free tier. But you can run the same software on your server at home if you want, for free. (That said, I am also concerned about the direction Bitwarden is taking. I just think this shows that even OSS projects can have direction/rugpull issues.)
- Cyan488 4mo agoYou're right, though the friends and family that I would feel the need to recommend a password manager to aren't the type that would self-host their own servers.
- maineldc 4mo agoSo what would you recommend to your friends and family that need a password manager? Genuinely curious. I pay for a service for my family because I need reliable and easy for my wife and daughter to use it.
- stevesimmons 4mo ago- KeePass files synced between laptop and phone on OneDrive, DropBox, etc - KeePassXC on Windows and Mac - Keepass2Android mobile client - Browser integration on mobile. - On laptop, I prefer no browser integration; Copy username and password with Ctrl+B and Ctrl+C
- opan 4mo agoSeconding this. I use KeePassXC on my PC, KeePassDX on Android (available on F-Droid), synced with Syncthing. Works very well.
- girishso 4mo agoSlightly off topic, I use KeePassXC on Mac and browser integration almost never works for me. It never picks up the usernames, passwords for me, even if the entry has the url in it.
- yencabulator 4mo agoCtrl+B? Tmux or screen or something like that?
- Cyan488 4mo agoI've paid for and recommended Bitwarden. For years it's operated along a stable trajectory. I was confident in its security record. Vaultwarden is an escape hatch I'm in a position to set up for my family as a last resort. Almost any reputable password manager is more secure than reusing the same passwords or storing everything in a note file. What I stopped doing so frequently could be described as "evangelizing" or "endorsing". I no longer actively tell people that I think they should use X, instead, if someone asks, I say "I use X, and it's worked for me so far".
- drfloyd51 4mo agoA small notebook. Unhackable. Yours forever. Use words based passwords to make entry easier. Suffers from physical presence security hacks. I argue those are far less frequent than online hacks. Wouldn’t recommend for people who are comfortable with Password managers. It is super easy to explain to people how to use it. And some security is better than none.
- alt227 4mo ago> But you can run the same software on your server at home if you want, for free. Whats to say this will still be true if the company gets sold?
- happymellon 4mo agoExcept that we do have Vaultwarden, so those who haven't already switched still have an option.
- alt227 4mo agoVaultwarden relies on the goodwill of Bitwarden to allow it to use its clients for compatibility. I would wager a new owner looking for money would block that pretty soon after buying the company.
- lern_too_spel 4mo agoThe clients are open source. If Bitwarden removes the ability to select the server, people will just fork the clients.
- alt227 4mo agoAgain, for how long? The answers to all the questions seems to be the same. If Bitwarden was sold they could remove all of this free functionality and interoperability with 3rd party clients immediately. Then you could say well Vaultwarden will work with these forked clients, but then you are placing your security into the hands of multiple different open source maintainers and vaultwarden then has nothing to do with Bitwarden and becomes some random back end + some random 3rds party clients.
- rcxdude 4mo agoSure, but vaultwarden as a system would be entirely usable, I don't think a lot of it is really relying on the bitwarden compatibility for much more than a little convenience.
- deleted 4mo ago[deleted]
- pigeons 4mo agoThe server is only recently free, if indeed it is at all. I don't remember when or if that changed, because for most of its life it was definitely not free (open source).
- mccolin 4mo agoI hear you, but the flip side is that it sounds like they did right by their early adopters in grandfathering you in.
- Cyan488 4mo agoEarly adopters are exactly the people that like to test and recommend things to the majority. Without being aware of it, I was recommending a different product than the one I was using. People stake their own personal reputations behind their recommendations. I don't think quietly changing the product without warning is doing right by their early adopters.
- Telaneo 4mo agoFor their bank account, sure.
- nunez 4mo agoThis is why I use my reMarkable to track my workouts. I've tried many workout apps. Besides tying you to your phone (because their Watch apps aren't great), they ALL sell out eventually.
- chadgpt3 4mo agoOoh, that's a great idea. I'm writing that down in my lost of ways to enshittify a company for money in case I ever end up in charge of a company that can be enshittified for money.