I’m pretty sure their security is well done (albeit I cannot prove it at the moment) seeing how good of a Linux support you have.
Also, the original question was if Dell was safe for user privacy and I, as others, wanted to recommend something better.
I don’t think they’re anything special for security, but they have modern hardware and I like their business model and the repairability of their laptops (that’s why I personally chose a Framework laptop)
Not sure if things evolved since this date but it was already discussed the weakness of Framework devices.
Also, Mint isn’t a distro recommended and focused in security. You can find more about why checking the PG Linux distro recommendation list.
You recommended something as secure, which is known to have security shortcomings and didn’t write why these recommendations are secure in your opinion.
By that I meant the distribution is secure enough. Everyone’s threat model is different…
Please don’t recommend KDE Neon. Even the KDE devs only recommend it for KDE enthusiasts. They also recently updated the Neon website to indicate the same.
I actually wanted to create a thread on this.
Perhaps the best way to make this crystal clear is by using a real example of what I mean.
I’m still doing research for you but I’ll reply to you soon so you can see what I mean!
I know you made this post a while ago but I wanted to help as much as I possibly could as security updates are so important.
This Mac Pro Tower is no longer receiving updates even though it has great hardware:
It just seems like a huge waste to have a computer with these specs:
Intel Xeon E5 with 10MB L3 cache and Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
64GB RAM
That’s a pretty old machine, I don’t think it’s typical for hardware vendors to support their hardware for over ten years. In this case, Apple makes both the hardware and the software so you stop receiving OS updates as well although you can just install windows or Linux anyway.
We haven’t yet seen how long they’ll be supporting Apple Silicon Macs since they haven’t dropped support for any yet, I’m hopeful they last longer than the Intel ones since they have more control over the hardware.
Here’s something I’ve found that I’ve NEVER seen before on a PC company website.
I’ll try to upload the screenshot!
I was very impressed to see this on Dell’s site:
Screenshot:
Well, I have an ultra portable Dell laptop that was manufactured in 2009 and it’s STILL running an up to date version of Windows 10 Pro with full security updates etc. It kind of defeats the purpose of buying Apple hardware if you just install Linux/Windows on it?
I just like to keep tweaking and altering devices so that they can keep working!
Does it receives firmware updates or only software updates?
I appreciate your reply!
I haven’t checked for firmware updates but it still receives Windows 10 Pro Updates and it’s only a dual core ultra portable 1.2Ghz CPU and even so it runs great. It’s a Dell Latitude laptop
Do these really matter?
I’ve had a lot of experience with Acer and they don’t even realease firmware updates. Only drivers, BIOS updates, and App downloads like their “Acer Care” App and other similar Apps, but no firmware at all?
I read this question differently than the responses I’ve read here (unless I missed it).
My assumption of this question was whether Dell was a privacy respecting company with their products or does it come with Data collecting configurations/apps?
Dell has software included that keeps an eye on configurations and driver versions. Does it also monitor and collect user data?
I can’t find information to answer this about a Dell PC/Laptop.
Yes, it is important for a laptop to receive firmware updates. Firmware updates can fix bugs, improve performance, and protect against security vulnerabilities. Keeping your laptop’s firmware up to date ensures that it remains secure and performs optimally.
I’m not sure what you are looking. Maybe you need to define what matters for you in terms of security and privacy. I can tell you that I’m still to find a serious company that deploy Acer laptops that are know to not receive firmware updates. I hope this doesn’t confuse you even more but you may find helpful to check Acer HSI security level here LVFS: HSI Devices
A few comments mentioned some laptops brands that you could check: Dell, Lenovo, Framework, NovaCustom and Apple.
I tend to avoid using a laptop that doesn’t receives firmware updates, when I need to do things that matters but again, this is my use case. Maybe you would be fine with some level of exposure however you sounded looking for something with a certain amount of security.
In ye olden days, we just assumed that all of the OEMs shipped pre-shittified PCs (because most did), a fresh install of a clean version of Windows or Linux was the first thing I did after checking for and updating the bios and firmware (this was before Windows was as pre-shittified as it is today).
If you are going to be doing a fresh install of Linux [1] (you should) it isn’t that relevant what is or isn’t pre-installed by the OEM, since you are going to wipe and replace regardless.
edit: the exception to the above is bios, firmware, etc, that exists independently from the OS.
or even Windows, if you are still willing to use it ↩︎
Great advice. Thank you.