I found out that although the snap package manager's client is GPLv3, the server, snapd, is quite proprietary. I had been ignoring snap and flatpak mostly as solutions in search of a problem, though also a little since they seem to be a fight over control. However, now it is clear that they are a bad move and need to be kept at a distance:

I learned that Manjaro XFCE either comes with flatpak preinstalled or automatically installs/activates it, seriously bogging down the old laptop I installed it on (and since I only use yay for updating I don't think that I accidentally installed it).
As soon as I discovered it, a lot of uninstalling ensued. I felt like in my early Ubuntu days, trying to break down an overloaded distro, instead of building up from barebones.

I tried to do that in the days when I used Ubuntu. I soon ran into trouble. The whole thing is just too tightly integrated to remove things without breaking them. So I moved to Debian, did a net install and then just added what I wanted.

Why do Linux distros keep trying to be Windows?

Entryism. Ubuntu is run by Canonical and Canonical has taken on no small number of "former" microsofters. Each such new hire is followed by more bad decisions to impair the future of Ubuntu.

Nice word.
Also some Linux geeks seem obsessed with "The Year Of The Linux Desktop" as if it was the Communist World Revolution.

The desktop is what most people wrongly perceive as the Internet. Really. So it remains important to capture.

But, Canonical's main area nowadays is the server market and that is one area M$ is still trying to get into. There have been lots of layoffs there in Azure so it is not going well. However, that won't mean that they will ever stop or slow down undermining competitors, from outside or inside. If you can find it, Bryan Lunduke's explanation of his interview to become a full-time microsofter, and why he was rejected, is very illustrative of the mindset.

Anyway, as far as learning new things about GNU/Linux goes, I found out that the newer Chromebook models seem to be designed to prevent installation of GNU/Linux and those from 2018 and later won't boot it even after hopping through all the hoops to install it. Older models ran it quite well once the firmware was upgraded. Despite its Gentoo roots, ChromeOS is exceedingly invasive, inflexible, weak, and surveillance-oriented. Plus I'm finding UI bugs.

Um.
I dont think I follow.

Reminds me of "launchpad" and "Ubuntu One", though the former was eventually wholly released under a free licence. Ubuntu got lots of flack about launchpad, then fans started making noise about it, so I suppose they had to respond. Times have changed.

Sometimes there are very valid reasons for keeping things proprietary - especially with regards to commercial entities wanting to maintain a competitive edge. But in a few cases because developers have taken shortcuts and used some GPL code in those "server side" projects and to release that would expose it.

I just discovered that kernels released after June 2020 now support OpenRGB. I really like lighted keyboards and mice but I really dislike not being able to just make them one steady color. I HATE the rainbow waves on so much new hardware. Looks like soon I can have it my way.

That's crazy! Why would you want a multicoloured keyboard? I can't think of anything more distracting.

It isn't only multi-colored. It's animated!!! UGH! It seems to me it is done to grab attention especially on a salesroom floor, which is where I prefer to buy tactile devices. It's not distracting on the mouse since it is covered when in use but it is nasty on the keyboard. I bought this brand and model based somewhat on reviews but mostly because it is a mechanical keyboard with extreme quality switches (feels amazing!) made for gaming but thankfully without any extra buttons excepting 5 Media keys, one of which is a roller volume control. Until n ow the stupid animated color could only be rest in Windows and, unlike some hardware, that setting doesn't persist in Linux. It is kind of nice that all of the buttons work properly in Linux but the RGB was a lost cause, until June.

Aw crud, I did it again.
Personally, I will stop taking threads further off topic now.
Even if they're in General, the topic at hand should be respected.

The last few laptops I've had use backlit keyboards. While the driver support is a good development, I haven't found much use for it except for a dim white setting which helps in conditions with weak lighting. Proper nubs on the home keys would do just as well most of the time, at least until function keys are needed, but those are missing from new keyboards these days. I did experiment with a few brightly colored pulses and fades in conjunction with certain high-priority notifications, but that was of limited use and when I no longer needed the notifications I did not transfer that capability to any other services.

Something which I have learned recently is that much to my disappointment Chromebooks made since 2017 do not really allow use of GNU/Linux even after going through the usual troubles. Some of that might be the inavailability of replacement firmware for Apollolake but supposedly the even newer models won't even boot it. So Chromebooks are off the list permanently.

https://direnv.net/

direnv lets you set environment variables based on the directory (or really any commands)
It'll error on first entry to prevent automatically running arbitrary code.

Primarily using it now to auto set Docker, drone and kubernetes environment variables

Well I probably shouldn't yet say "learned" in this case beyond learning of it's existence. I'm only beginning to learn the incredible power of "fzf".... the command line fuzzy finder. I'm hardly even scratching the surface having just learned it exists. So far all I can do with it is sort my huge history of previous commands in far less time and even if I've forgotten all the terms that might take orders of magnitude more time than mere scrolling. This utility is just amazing!