Hey guys, first post here and on an alt, I hope I don’t get flamed. If there’s not enough info I’ll post another thread tomorrow.
Its been ~5-7 years since using Linux (Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Debian/Mint/Fedora/etc) as my daily driver. Windows since then for dev and games with kids, but now I have a laptop that can run my dev env in a VM.
I’m an advocate for privacy and security, but I’m also at the “config once, mostly work for a while” camp… I don’t like spending a ton of time fixing things. I don’t need Whonix or QubesOS-level compartmentalization (unless it runs Barbone’s now), but I tried OpenSuse Tumbleweed on a recommendation and the fine-tuning of flatpak controls seemed really nice. I’d love to be able to sandbox as much as possible without breaking things. Memory and exploit-hardened kernel/apps is a huge plus. Basically GrapheneOS as a Linux distro would be fantastic, even though it comes with its own issues.
Am I overthinking here? Should I commit to Debian, Fedora, or OpenSuse and learn to sandbox and harden properly (if so which has best docs and community)?
I forgot the copy-paste specs my laptop hardware info to my phone earlier, but its an HP Victus 15-fa0032dx
HP Victus 15.6" 144Hz FHD IPS Gaming Laptop (Intel i7-12650H 10-Core, 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, RTX 3050 Ti 4GB GDDR6), Backlit KYB, WiFi 6, BT 5.2, HD Webcam
I don’t use the Bluetooth or webcam, so those drivers aren’t necessary. Does Wayland work for this, and is that really necessary?
Sorry for the noob questions. Mid-30s guy with kids wanting to get this done this week if possible. Please excuse spelling and grammar mistakes.
SIDE NOTE: NOT AT ALL opposed to learning new systems, especially for security, as long as it doesn’t require hunting down obscure undocumented commands.
As pointed out by @themoonisacheese, immutable distros are getting some traction recently and they are good for making a system reproductible, allowing easy rollbacks, but this should not make a big difference, privacy-wise. It also add some work for configuration / learning.
Here are two levels I’m thinking of from what you presented:
You go with any stable (big fan of Debian here too) so to avoid data breaches from brand new packages (xz…), then you can compartimentize your application with Flathub and manage the rights with Flatseal. If you go with software with less telemetry (Firefox), this should be a reasonable and easy to use setup. The rest of the privacy will depend on what is going on inside of your web browser, probably.
The next step would be something like Qudes-OS + Tor. If your workflow / usecase allows it, this should be a good step up for privacy. Your laptop seems beefy enough to handle the many VMs, and the install is easy enough imo.
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As pointed out by @themoonisacheese, immutable distros are getting some traction recently and they are good for making a system reproductible, allowing easy rollbacks, but this should not make a big difference, privacy-wise. It also add some work for configuration / learning. Here are two levels I’m thinking of from what you presented:
You go with any stable (big fan of Debian here too) so to avoid data breaches from brand new packages (xz…), then you can compartimentize your application with Flathub and manage the rights with Flatseal. If you go with software with less telemetry (Firefox), this should be a reasonable and easy to use setup. The rest of the privacy will depend on what is going on inside of your web browser, probably.
The next step would be something like Qudes-OS + Tor. If your workflow / usecase allows it, this should be a good step up for privacy. Your laptop seems beefy enough to handle the many VMs, and the install is easy enough imo.