Curious if many are using AppImage for Electrum as opposed to the full install?

[Coin-Keeper]

I have been using/experimenting with Electrum AppImage and find it works quite well.  It makes it easy to wipe the trail when you are finished using Electrum, if you want to keep the "trail" clean.  As you likely know AppImage isn't supposed to change at all and rather creates a .electrum folder in your home/user (linux).  I confirmed the AppImage does not change.  Did a sha512sum on a virgin gpg verified download.  Then ran Electrum for about a half hour and ran the sha512sum again.  Matched - no change as expected, but at least I confirmed for myself that its static.  Using Bleachbit I can wipe the .electrum folder in a second and viola trail clean.  Nice.

Seems to be fighting me some on using TOR.  Anyone here running the TOR proxy on AppImage?  If so can you let me know what settings you are using.  Just trying to find out if its an AppImage thing.  The full Electrum Install never fought me on TOR.

Do you guys like and are you having good experiences with AppImage or would you go back to full install instead?

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[joniboini]

How exactly is it fighting you? You can't connect at all?

I used the appimage version on my Linux since years ago, though I use VPN with dnscrypt and not Tor.

[bob123]

What problems do you have using TOR?
Is there anything specific or are you just asking for settings? It sounds like something doesn't work properly? And if so, something more concrete would be useful

Do you guys like and are you having good experiences with AppImage or would you go back to full install instead?

This is personal preference.
The AppImage file is larger since it includes all dependencies. It is a trade-off between storage space and cross system compatibility.
Both are fine. There is nothing wrong with any of them.

[bob123]

AppImage is easier to use for beginner, but full install provide you with some flexibility for power users (e.g. run electrum from terminal by adding it's executable to $PATH)

You can run the AppImage the same way you would run an installed version, for example by adding an alias at the end of the file .bashrc:

Code:

alias electrum='/path/to/electrum.AppImage'

[Coin-Keeper]

Captain Cryptory wrote: So I"ve switched to the portable version of Electrum that connects through  parallel VPN channel.

Could you elaborate on the advantages and WHERE I might start reading and learning about this option.

Bitcointalk brothers,

I appreciate all your responses.  Regarding TOR on AppImage on my system it won't connect at all.  Maybe somebody can post the settings here just to make sure I am not adding an operator error.  Proxy Socks5, port 9150 or 9050 don't work, localhost, etc.....  AppImage is on Buster Desktop and for this test system Electrum full install isn't in play.  I just started playing with AppImage but I am leaning on staying with regular full PIP install (if I can find where PIP hides the install, LOL).  I don't think my firewall is too tight, and frankly the firewall is on my host OS (this is VM).

If others here have experimented with "parallel VPN" as mentioned above any thoughts to pass along would be appreciated.  I learn tons here.  Code is my thing, so learning this is quick and fun, just new stuff.

[bob123]

If others here have experimented with "parallel VPN" as mentioned above any thoughts to pass along would be appreciated.

Using a VPN for privacy is in most cases a bad idea.
Depending on the country you live in, it rather harms your privacy, since you are shifting the trust from your ISP towards the VPN provider.

You just have to estimate who you trust more with your data, your ISP or a VPN provider.
If you are not living in a legal vacuum (and not in the USA), the ISP most likely is the safer bet. You need to acknowledge that VPN provider make money with your data. And not only the free ones.

Additionally, a compromised tor exit node does not automatically mean that you are being tracked. This is a misconception some user on this forum have.
A compromised exit nodes enables attacks to track people via HTTP, but does not mean that you privacy is automatically compromised.

[Coin-Keeper]

I wasn't sure what you meant regarding paralled VPN's and Electrum.  I already use dual vpn's using both NAT and Bridge at times.  Usually I have TOR behind as well when speed is not an issue.  I almost always will sacrifice speed for increased privacy.  Its how I roll!  Thanks for clarifying my uncertainty with the way the post above was worded.  That was my fault.

[ABCbits]

You could always setup your own Bridge on your own VPS. Make sure to enable obfs.

Yeah, I  could, but now I'm very reluctant to use TOR ( many reasons for this, actually, and I’d rather not discuss them publicly)  I'm better off with parallel VPN at the moment. But those who get used to TOR, definitely must utilize  obfs to obfuscate traffic.

Fair point, both VPN and Tor have it's own pros and cons.