I stopped using Youtube the regular way a long time ago - first I used youtube-dl, now Freetube for a few months. On the prowl for alternatives, I stumbled upon LBRY, and it seemed good at first.
However, it baffles me that a linux application sets itself to the autostart without user interaction whenever it is started is a frustrating dark pattern of usability. The way it works for me (KDE Plasma) is that applications that run when I shut down get restarted when I start again, which is excellent. However, after starting LBRY and shutting down, it starts itself again when booting, and even if I stop it manually, it gets started again when booting.
So I took a look at the autostarting applications, and LBRY set itself in there. That is behaviour that I do not expect from FOSS applications, and that turns me away from LBRY. I have not seen another application do that.
Would this be considered a bug, or is there any other explanation I am not seeing?
I think there is an option in LBRY’s settings to stop autostart. It is under the Advanced Settings, dig around, ‘Closing preferences; Leave app running in notification area when window is closed.’
Also; Startup preferences > Start minimized
Improve view speed and help the LBRY network by allowing the app to cuddle up in your system tray.
Thanks for the suggestions. I checked both places, and when the autostart or LBRY is disabled, neither has a .desktop file. As soon as I start the application, a .desktop file is created in ~/.config/autostart.
Thanks, I finally found the option. It is hidden inside the “Advanced settings” dialog under the options, and it is enabled by default. For me, that is a very shady practice, and I think I’ll pass on LBRY.