“recently-used.xbel” and “thumbnails”

thu-cheekie-thumb · 1 January 2025 22:29

I am of a sort beside myself with rage. I bought into the whole Linux idea based on just a few things, one of which was that ‘everything is a file’. I have a System Monitor on my panel and sometime the thing will show a lot of activity 80% even more, when I look at the Resources in the System Monitor the ONLY thing that shows to be Running is the “mate-system-monitor”. I have turned every available UPDATE and everything else that wants to act on its own off and yet there it is BUSY LITTLE BEE – doing what I have no idea. And, oh yeah, another reason for going Linux, I heard for years that WINDOWS spied on their supporters.

We live in an age where INFORMATION about others is capitol. It appears as though by design that no-one is free to have an individual private thought.

Next is that I have found out that there is nothing less than PERPETUAL PERSISTENT SPY-WARE BUILT INTO MY LINUX OS. I am referring to the HIDDEN FILES “recently-used.xbel” and “thumbnails”. This has got to be the most preposterous CRAP to ever been known. An Open-Source OS that spies on is “users” and the users have no say so about it.

I have looked into this CRAP several times and from EVERYTHING I have found: NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO STOP IT. There are a lot of people inquiring as to how to stop it and there are a few responses with ‘how-toes’ but those ‘how toes’ do not do the job for me or for anyone else that I have seen despite the saying that it works by some, there is a steady search by people wanting to GET RID OF THEM.

Now that being said; it may very well be that the solution is quite simple, ITS JUST THAT WITH THE DISAPPEARING INTERNET – THE SOLUTIONS ARE DISAPPEARING AS WELL!

WHY WHY WHY are they there? I want to know.
THEY are not in the “Welcome” program, they are not in the “Help” program.
So who are they there for?
Who put them there? I want to know.
It seems every time I see something interesting in a Linux OS there is someone or some team that are letting Linux users know they did the deed which makes sense, bragging rights deserved.
So WHO created “recently-used.xbel” and “thumbnails”? Lets hear some names and along with the names contact information so that everyone will know who to thank. And, maybe, just maybe they will tell all of us why are they NON-REMOVABLE?

I would rather deal with a tyrant than a fraud. So, my next question is this: are there any Linux OSs out there that are actually User Friendly, that do allow one to control their own computer? This kind of CRAP is enough to send a sane individual back to WINDOWS where at least one know who they are dealing with.

Bombilla · 1 January 2025 22:53

Hi, @thu-cheekie-thumb and welcome?... to the Ubuntu MATE Community?

jymm · 2 January 2025 00:01

I doubt you will get much help with an attitude like that. First if you want help be polite. Remember people here LIKE this OS. You need to give information about your computer and which version of Ubuntu Mate you are using. I understand that change can be difficult and frustrating but insulting people and raging isn't going to get you help. Use what you prefer no one is forcing you to use Ubuntu Mate or any Linux OS. This is one of the most helpful and tolerant Linux forums. You would have already been banned from some for that rant. I suggest you start over with politeness and specifics or indeed move on

ericmarceau · 2 January 2025 01:58

Maybe you didn't use the correct search parameters?

What is documented as the solution here, has been around for at least 10 years !

An even older guidance is available here, since 2012, and was updated in 2020 !

The gist of those is that if you use

dconf-editor

then modify the three lines starting at the one highlighted, to the values shown, you will impose the behaviour that you desire.

Not withstanding that, rants which are not constructive really have NO business being voiced on a site intended for like-minded people who are helping each other, in a Community-oriented forum whose purpose is to "elevate" the common experience of its members, not insult the Community's collective intelligence as you have done, and that without any attempt at reserve.

Clearly your manner of expression ... as Jim quite rightly pointed out ... demonstrates that you show too little consideration or respect to suggest you have any desire to engage constructively.

Oh ... and by the way ... contrary to your clearly and strongly stated stance on the topic ... some of us actually consider what you label as "offensive behaviour" to be a truly desirable feature !

As the old French saying goes:

Goûts et couleurs ! Aucune discussion à faire !

which translates into

Tastes and colours ! No discussion possible !

I don't think doing so is a good use of your personal, or our collective, time to try to locate that/those person(s), but if you insist that it is important to you, then >>> you <<< can scan thru the source code for GNOME's GTK3-generation code as a starter to see which lines create the file by that name. I am sure the repository will openly provide the "blame" info as to who, and when, that coding segment was submitted to the repository.

stephematician · 2 January 2025 02:45

Sorry to hear you've had a frustrating time trying to restrict what information is recorded by GTK applications on your system - i.e. suppressing output to recently-used.xbel.

I'm going to set aside the "thumbnails" problem, and at least cover what I found to work for the recently-used.xbel following the advice others have provided.

I found that gsettings (e.g. dconf-editor) was not an effective solution. If I

Updated gsettings:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.privacy remember-recent-files false
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.privacy remember-app-usage false
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.privacy recent-files-max-age 0

then;

Open a filed in Caja.

The recently-used.xbel would contain a new entry. I thought that, perhaps, I needed to start a new session in order for the settings to take effect, but that made no difference either. On the whole - this doesn't seem like a complete solution.

What did work was the add a .config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini with the contents as per "Old Method #2" here (provided by @ericmarceau), i.e.

[Settings]
gtk-recent-files-max-age=0
gtk-recent-files-limit=0

I then restarted my session (e.g. logout and login, or systemctl restart lightdm.service) and opening files no longer created an entry in recently-used.xbel.

Some extra commentary

This file is very different from what Microsoft does in terms of obtaining usage data and sharing that information with its 'partners' (lots of advertisers, presumably).
These files are not hidden for nefarious reasons; the use of a dot, e.g. .filename, to suppress output in ls (in the terminal) or in Caja is mostly for user-friendly reasons. When listing files or contents of a folder; most users only want to see the files that they create (or use) and not the files that applications make to store information that (usually) is about making things run better.

Perhaps Ubuntu MATE should look into some better privacy features. There is no option to "turn off" this kind of history in the mate-control-center; unlike the gnome-control-center (which I am led to believe does have privacy settings).

While there is some good advice in the replies above, I think they might be overly focussed on the tone and anger that is present in your original post. But I don't think that means you don't have a valid point.

I strongly condemn any doxxing or harassment of developers.

You can raise issues about the control center lacking privacy features here: GitHub - mate-desktop/mate-control-center: Utilities to configure the MATE desktop, you can raise issues about Ubuntu MATE defaults as you have on this forum, and you can raise issues about GTK (which is the underlying library that manages recently-used.xbel) here: GNOME / gtk · GitLab

Tracking down developers or calling for an organised campaign to (essentially) harass them is massively off base. Stick to the official issue-reporting processes.

tkn · 2 January 2025 12:39

Most of it is like that, though not everything.
If you want an OS where everything is a file, you should install plan 9

Your statement could not be further from the truth.
You might want to read up on what these files in reality actually do.

I also think you owe the community of people who develop this software a sincere apology for this false and baseless accusations.

Spreading FUD will not make you a reliable communitymember.

OldStrummer · 2 January 2025 15:02

Well, welcome to the Ubuntu MATE community, although I suspect you won't be here long. And Happy New Year.

I gather from your screed that you don't spend much time investigating computers and operating systems, and that you expect them to operate as if by magic. I have news for you...

EVERY computer that performs mulitple functions or serves different application needs create log files, system configurartion files, timers/schedulers, preference files, temporary work files and more.

For starters, your belief that "everything in Linux is a file" is in error. In truth, everything in Linux/Unix is either a file or a process. A printer is a file. Printing is a process.

Many processes require the use of files in order to perform their function. This is why there are /tmp or /temp directories, swap space, etc. Simply because you do not know why or where a file comes from does not mean you need to be paranoid about them. If you must know, there are nine ways to Sunday to learn this information. Linux has more tools and capabilities for this purpose than any other OS!

If you are concerned about being spied upon, there are solutions for that as well. And being Linux, some of the best of them are open source (free to use). All you need to do is ask about them.

So, calm down. No one is forcing you to use Linux. There are many well-informed people here who are more than willing to help you solve problems and find answers. Drive-bys aren't seen as contributing, so please take a breath, do a little research, and then ask polite questions when you need answers. Cheers.

jymm · 2 January 2025 15:14

Not only will those well informed people help you here, they will point you towards other operating systems that might fit your needs better. All you have to do is describe your needs and your hardware. I have seem multiple operating systems recommended from this forum for people that had hardware or other reasons Ubuntu Mate doesn't work for them. Ubuntu Mate is community, but Linux is also a community.

thu-cheekie-thumb · 11 January 2025 01:40

I am a simple individual, when something ruffles my feathers I want to let others know about. I think that is how most people were when I was in my younger years. I want what bothers me to bother others so that something can be done about the “it” that has strayed without cause from the simple. I intended to ruffle the feathers of those behind XBEL and THUMBNAILS because; there is nothing in the Linux user information that informs the Linux user about what appears to be nothing more than an invasion of ones privacy.
I have taken the time and trouble to DELETE the XBELs as fast as they occur and in very short order one will appear that can not be deleted. The pop-up will give me notice that the XBEL I am trying to delete and staring right at, “DOES NOT EXIST”. And the EXACT same thing happens with THUMBNAILS.
There are all manner of applications and programs and THINGS in the OS, that I dont own, which is in this plastic and metal box I actually do own that when I click on a specific part of them I will get the “about” information which provides the names of the individuals that created what I am enjoying. Not so with XBEL and THUMBNAILS. Some of the people on this fine website may be so deep into binary that they have lost sight of what a computer was original claimed to be; an aid to human progress. Then too, I may be just another sore loser who does not spend time to learn about the machine he is trying to progress with the aid of.

I live in a Republic surrounded by those who live in a DEMOCRACY. I live in a SURVEILLANCE STATE surrounded by those who live for their 15 minutes of fame. Nearly any website I go to demands that I cower to their COOKIE POLICY. But, here we go again. Why is tracking software called COOKIES? For the same reason that the majority consider, and treate, this Republic as a DEMOCRACY: IGNORANCE. XBEL and THUMBNAILS are nothing more or less that an invasion of PRIVACY under the disguise of benevolence. Otherwise they would appear in the Welcome page and under the help pages and be stoppable.
The computer security industry must be making BILLIONS. Now being computer illiterate but still possessing a degree of intelligence I do wonder; why is there no GATE for EVERYTHING that passes into and out of ones personal computer that one can EASILY examine – XBEL and THUMBNAILS are built right into the OS?
My INTERNET search to DELETE XBEL and THUMBNAILS lead me to numerous results of people trying to delete them without success. As mentioned above I can delete them just to see them tell me they don't exist and thus cant be deleted, while I am looking right at them which lead me to suspect; SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE. I am spending far more time on this topic than 1) I want to and 2) should be necessary on an OPEN SOURCE platform. And I have no doubt that there are others reading this thinking they are wasting their time. That is the life of a Republic. What is not the life of a Republic is for one to take advantage of another without the other having recourse. I am looking for that recourse. Disagree if you wish but I have to start somewhere. When I originally posted all I wanted was for others to be as ruffled as I and together DO something about this apparent invasion, invasion because there is nothing in the manuals about XBEL and THUMBNAILS. Now however, I want to shed some light on those who actually built XBEL and THUMBNAILS. I want to know who they are, when they did this originally, what was the reasoning for doing so, what they expected from doing so and WHY THEY MADE IT SO DIFFICULT FOR THE NOVICE COMPUTER USER SO LEARN OF THEM AND PERMANENTLY DELETE THEM.
I was drawn to Linux because as I understood things there was so much invasion of privacy built right into MS WINDOWS.
If I have a goal it is to enrage people about the injustices that intelligent persons put over on the unsuspecting. I will not stay on this forum because that is not the kind of individual I am. But, I most certainly recognize that there are real people here that care about Ubuntu and about helping people to learn how to use and keep Ubuntu usable. I get that which is why I took Ubuntu into my home in the first place. Until I get some reasonable answer, from someone, anyone, about XBEL and THUMBNAILS that is comprehensible by anyone of average intelligence – they are nothing more than SPY-WARE built right into the UBUNTU OS. No different that the monsters at MS WINDOWS do.

I appreciate all the responses. If it weren't for being ability to construe criticize constructively I would not bother. Though this was not my original intent the more time I spend dealing with XBEL and THUMBNAILS I would like to think this post will initiate or promote or nudge others into actually literally boycotting all future Ubuntu releases UNTIL: XBEL and THUMBNAILS are mentioned in the Welcome page and Help page and other places AND a way to TURN THEM OFF and DELETE THEM PERMANENTLY.

My rage is the direct result of learning that SOME of the very people creating and maintaining this OS, the OS that I turned to believing would respect my privacy has deep inside of it what is nothing more than the mission of little tyrants within.

OTHER THAN XBEL and THUMBNAILS: I would like to end this rant rage complaint whatever, on a more positive note by offering a sincere Thank You to the many fine people that have made so much of Ubuntu so great.

ericmarceau · 11 January 2025 02:53

Thank you for taking the time to elaborate on the background and arguments supporting your claims and stance!

Your points, and many of the bases for them, have merit!

Yes ... it can seem at times not worth the effort.

But ... we all, individually, have to put the effort and do the work to achieve our goals and make our contribution in moving the building blocks into their proper places ... to make concrete the objective of our aspirations!

Any Community needs its caring members (notwithstanding what I said about your earlier approach to the group, you did demonstrate deep caring for the topic and its implications/impact for members) to bring their powers of persuasion to bear ... for the good of all!

Next time you wish to raise such an important point of discussion, just keep in mind that people who, from the stance of a generous soul ... truly ... are trying by freely giving of their precious time ... to make things better, as a whole, for all of us less able/knowledgeable.

As a minimum, they deserve that you pause ... for sober second thought ... about how you say things ... before you put pen to paper! My grandmother once told me that if I have to say something about a subject that made me VERY mad (or should I say rage), I should wait at least until the next day, before I actually said anything. That pearl of wisdom has saved me from many public or embarrassing" stumbles"! The subsequent time for reflection on what to say, and arguments to use, have always "saved my bacon" ... except the one time that I didn't, and that came to bite me. Lesson learned!

stephematician · 11 January 2025 04:59

I typically don't use this forum for things other than "Support and Help". So, for example, I post and reply here to help people work through any problems they have.

I'm just a regular user, not a developer (although I have made small contributions to open source). Everything I say here is voluntary.

In the spirit of trying to help you solve one of those problems: have you looked at the solution I provided above? It was successful on my system in suppressing output to the recently-used.xbel file - which is what I believe you want (so that's at least 1 out of 2 problems solved).

If you are stuck with any part of that solution (e.g. how to create and edit a ~/.config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini), then we can help with that too.

And again, I think you are making a fundamental logical error called "false equivalence".

A file that is stored on your computer is not something that is passed "into and out of your computer". Canonical (the company that is behind Ubuntu) does not have access to the contents of your recently-used.xbel. That's why I said that these files are fundamentally different from what Microsoft does with respect to collecting information about your sessions.

stephematician · 11 January 2025 05:12

It took me less than 5 minutes to find an email address of the developer that imported the "recently used" feature (and it is a feature - it never was and never will be used to provide others with access to your private data).

There is no way I'm telling you how I found it or what the email is; [edit] because you seem like you want to use that info to solve your anger and not solve the problem [/edit].

My point is: it is very easy to do and the information is publicly available something that would never be true with a Microsoft or Apple product. The developers of the open source software that goes into Ubuntu are amongst the most committed to transparency, accountability, security, and privacy that you can find.