Post #1316741
2026-03-30 19:51 UTC
@cybervegan
In my software manager (app store), there are...well, when I search for "VPN", I get maybe a hundred things with a folder icon, like "network-manager-openvpn", and five pieces of software. The paucity of VPN apps convinced me they're unnecessary when torrenting copyrighted content, although I'm still nervous. I remember when the record companies sued a tech illiterate grandmother for 7 million because her granddaughter downloaded some songs.
This was the piece I was missing: 'In the window that opens, click the "+" button at the bottom left.' However, that still doesn't get Express VPN installed. It fails on the install. A VPN is still app on Linux, right? I need a piece of VPN software and "network-manager-openvpn" is for configuring it? Or is "network-manager-openvpn" the VPN itself and I can stop paying Express?
Replies (1)
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@cybervegan@autistics.life 2026-03-30 20:31
@Uair VPN can be a separate app, but "network-manager-openvpn" is a plugin for the NetworkManager. There are other VPNs that are discrete applications, but they are usually more fiddly to use. Some vendors provide (usually paid for) NM plugins preconfigured for their system. The openvpn one is able to connect to any VPN provider, but there isn't a free, default one.