GNU/Linux

[dant]

Yes on VNC: get the latest version, use SSH, and tighten
down your firewall to allow only trusted IP addresses.

I use tightVnc and there are plans to improve security,
built-in such as forcing SSH for untrusted networks.

 

[Skyalmian]

I messed with Ubuntu once every distribution since the fifth major release or so, but never fully switched to it. Gaming, plus everything having been set up the way I wanted it on Windows, and liking too much all the Windows applications I was already using, kept me from doing so.

Over time, the gaming fetish faded and I lost interest in the redundancy in playing them over and over, even the multiplayer ones. Then I lost desktop. Prior to losing it I had placed everything of value onto an 8 GB Flash Drive -- Mozilla SeaMonkey (browser), its profile, all documents, OpenOffice, Pidgin, VLC, 7-Zip, Process Explorer, etc. and all their profiles all run in portable mode (or from PortableApps) from the TrueCrypt'ed drive, that I could plug into any Windows system and read/write off of it only.

I was without a desktop for over a year, so I had to always use another's system for limited times, then December 2009 I was gifted with a laptop. April 2010 I printed out the beginner's guide to Arch Linux and installed that onto a new, clean 500 GB hard drive for the laptop and have been using it since. The original laptop's hard drive still has Windows 7 and games on it, and I swap them out when I feel like playing Half-Life 2, Just Cause 2, etc.

I hang out at the Arch Linux Forum. My desktop configuration doesn't change much but I do post in the monthly screenshots threads. :}

 

[manitoban]

Hi Skyalmian,

We encourage all new members to make a post in the Newbies section -- something about yourself and how you found the forum, doesn't have to be long. Welcome to the forum. :)

 

[gaman]

Yes on VNC: get the latest version, use SSH, and tighten
down your firewall to allow only trusted IP addresses.

I use tightVnc and there are plans to improve security,
built-in such as forcing SSH for untrusted networks.

Another great remote desktop tool is the NX client from http://www.nomachine.com. It is very fast and uses ssh so it is encrypted. However, the server side only lets you control a linux desktop (unlike VNC) unless you set it up to do RDP proxying.

 

[newuser23]

Hello

Another nice way to test out linux distros is to use a live usb.

_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tools_to_create_Live_USB_systems

Unetbooting has the ability to hold up to 25 distros
Linux Live usb creator has an easy simple interface.
Some of these programs offer data persistence.

:)

 

[D69]

yum ! unetbooting rox :D
For all those geeks who are into security I recommend Katana.
It is not a distro itself but a nicely combined set of security and help operating systems - not only linux

__http://www.hackfromacave.com/katana.html

 

[Sirius]

Wow, it seems to be a very useful software collection. I have never heard of it. It's worth to press Ctrl + D. :D

From its description:

Katana is a portable multi-boot security suite, designed for all your computer security needs. The idea behind this tool is to bring together all of the best security distributions to run from one USB drive. Katana includes distributions which focus on Penetration Testing, Auditing, Password Cracking, Forensics and Honey Pots. Katana comes with over 100 portable Windows applications such as Wireshark, HiJackThis, Unstoppable Copier, and OllyDBG. Also included in this distribution are: Backtrack 4 pre, the Ultimate Boot CD, Organizational Systems Wireless Auditor (OSWA) Assistant, Slax 6, Ophcrack Live, Damn Small Linux and Damn Vulnerable Linux. This also includes an option to add the Ultimate Boot CD 4 Windows, which cannot be included in the download for licensing reasons.

Well, BackTrack 4 pre is not the latest BackTrack 4 at present, but perhaps it can be easily replaced/upgraded within the Katana package. BackTrack 4 pre doesn't run on my computer (X-Server crashes). :(

 

[dreamer]

 

[Lumiere_du_Code]

Each of these lists only changes the year in the title :D "The best Linux in 202x". According to all the reviewers.
Essentially, none of the reviewers are addressing the most important point: that users should first decide on a specific distribution family (Arch, Debian, Fedora) and then on the philosophy of a specific distribution, rather than just picking them at random without understanding that. Any reviewer can name any distribution they want, release hundreds of such videos, all under the title "Best Distro of the Year," and it won't change anything. It's purely subjective opinion and nothing more, a video for the sake of it.

Regarding the first one on the list, Pop_OS, it's very strange to see it in recommendations. It's very raw and quite mediocre in terms of functionality (settings).

And the second one, BigLinux, I've been using it for several months, and overall I'm satisfied. There were some issues and confusing moments that I had to sort out, and some strange problems/bugs appeared and then disappeared on their own. But scheduled or manual system snapshots really help.

Fedora - well, maybe, but you'll need to add a lot of third-party repositories and codecs. It's easier to install a distribution based on it, but with everything you need and without corporate restrictions, for example, Ultramarine, Nobara or Bazzite (atomic).

I just recently ran MX from a flash drive, two versions: the basic KDE based on Debian and the Arch-based version from their community. The sheer number of native utilities, programs, and fine-tuning options is truly impressive. The only thing that confused me was the application menu; I don't know if it's possible to change it without a lot of fiddling around with it to the normal/default KDE menu with tiled icons, not a small and clunky list.

CachyOS with their customized kernels may not work on some hardware configurations; testing is needed.
EndeavourOS appears to be a stable alternative here.
But they both run on X11 (Xorg), not Wayland (if it matters to the user, I personally prefer Wayland).

NixOS is quite complex and specific; it can't be recommended for everyone, especially beginners. It has its own package manager, requiring extensive study and memorization of documentation and manuals.

There are also Artix systems with various init systems that operate and boot the system from power-on significantly faster than systemd, but they also require extensive learning.

Personally, after working with an Arch-based distribution, I don’t want to switch to Debian- or Fedora-based; it’s impossible to explain =)
In my opinion, the main advantage of the latter two is the ability to install a program from a package (.deb or .rpm, respectively). But BigLinux can do this too, even though it's Arch.

 

[broken.english]

But they both run on X11 (Xorg), not Wayland (if it matters to the user, I personally prefer Wayland).

Unfortunately the introduction of Wayland as successor of X11 is a very lengthy process and may go on for years to come. Some apps just don't work with Wayland and maybe never will due to insufficient manpower or other reasons. One example is synaptic.