Audacity - which version to use?

[Saracen999]

At the risk of answering my own question, my current version (2.4.2) does everything I need. Or at least, everything I currently realise I need.

So why ask? Well, it's pretty old, and the UI is a bit clunky. So I have no drastic need to upgrade, but ....

Again, why ask? Because of the 'controversy' over the Muse takeover some years back, and their statement about data collection/telemetry, about their subsequent reversal, and about (also removed) Privacy Policy comments about "occasional" transfer of user data outside of the EEA, and to Russia.

So my current perspective is I believe versions up to 3.0.2 are pre-Muse, and therefore should be telemetry-free. Though, the cynic in me says that COULD depend where you get them. Old versions are on the Muse-run site, but who knows if those versions have been, erm, silently amended to include telemetry? I have no reason to think they have done this, but no doubt they could, if they wanted.

That suggests that I could go to v3.0.2, provided I get it from a non-Muse site, and probably be safe .... or at least as safe as downloading software from the net ever is. In fact, I don't need to d/l 3.0.2, as I did that ages ago and still have the installer, that I never got around to.


BUT ... Muse seem, as far as I can tell, to have reacted to the telemetry comments by stating it's opt-in, and only opt-in. Question is .... do we believe them? I mean, they would say that, even if it wasn't true though it very possibly is entirely true.

I'm out of touch entirely with current opinion on whether the Muse versions are trusted, or not. Anyone up-to-date on oinions?

As I said, I don't really need to upgrade, but, well, considering it.

[Output]

I can't say I'm up to date on any of it, but I do recall there were some forks as a result.

Tenacity's latest release is apparently 1.3.3 and was released in November 2023 (and commits show it is still being worked on) and their Readme also says "We've implemented new features from Audacity 3.1 to make editing easier" along with mentioning that they've preserved the themes of two other forks with slight modifications to match those new features.

[Saracen999]

Good point. I'd forgtten them. That's certainly a very good option to look at. Ta.