I am looking for an easy to use Linux. I tried to install Ubuntu on a USB to create an anonymized environment (using Whonix), but for some reason it went into Live mode and would not save. I found out that if I delete the disk and install Ubuntu, it will delete the host Windows, but I can’t delete the Windows because it is shared by my family members. I checked if there was any alternative Linux to Ubuntu, and found out that there was Puppy. But I don’t want to use it. The point is that I want to download Proton VPN, Virtual box, and Brave, and if it is an OS that can coexist with Windows, does not go into Live mode, and is easy to use even for a Linux beginner like me, then it is good.
I don’t know if Fedora can be installed on a USB, but per PG’s recommendation, it is the best for beginners (also backed up by personal experience). I gave Fedora to a family member who had only previously used Windows and they had no problem picking it up and really enjoy it.
How did you install Ubuntu on the USB, if you simply flashed the DVD iso onto it, then it will only be in live mode (that is an installation environment only).
Note that if you install a Linux distro on a USB you will get terrible performance and could lose data due to the low quality of the flash drive hardware
You can do all this with a VM from Windows. Much easier and you don’t have to boot into another OS.
Though if you really want to use a separate OS, create a partition (minimum 15GB) for where you install your Linux permanently. Linux Mint should be a good beginner distro. If you want to take the anonymity up a notch, install Tails which works like Whonix and setup persistence using your removable USB drive.
Yeah I just flashed.
I’d probably recommend installing Linux on a portable SSD like a Samsung T7 in this case. If you’re really a Linux beginner I would avoid touching your main hard drive and bootloader. Easier to leave Windows alone entirely, install GRUB and Linux on an external drive, and just select that drive in your BIOS whenever you want to boot to it.
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Does this recommendation apply to Mac OS devices with
Unified Memory and is it a good idea to buy something like
M2 NVmE SSD enclosure with Thunderbolt-USB 4 connection or do you think that would be too much?
I daresay it depends on performance and capacity requirements and scope of work.
First I need to clarify I don’t use Linux.
If I were to give Linux a try I would start with PopOS. I have an ebook from Michael Bazzell which should be a decent reference if I run into trouble.
There is a reason why Distrohopping is a thing. You try all the popular distro. Sadly you wont know your favorite distro unless you at least try the popular ones. PopOS is an ok starter but I’ve had issues with them.
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https://distrochooser.de/ could be a good place to start.
You might want to check this out:
However, to my knowledge, apple silicon, when the OS isn’t wiped off entirely, has its own proprietary integrity check that doesn’t allow booting into another OS. This is a security measure to prevent booting into a modified OS.
Edit: clarification
Edit_2: It turns out the apple silicon platform doesn’t allow booting from an external drive at all.
Reference:
Even then you realize at the end that journey you’d rather have new and up to date package to stay secure and implementations that doesn’t break your use case. These kinds of things can only be seen with commercial backed desktop distros (Fedora and Ubuntu) where they have the money to do software testing.
I want to have more sane choices but the above two are the least terrible, for my use case at least.
Could you tell me how to do it?
The same case, it’s just about the DE for the person’s need and everything works just out of the box.
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Sure but not many distributions work out of the box, don’t break, and have decent security
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I don’t know what others on here think about Michael Bazzell, but in his Extreme Privacy Linux book he recommends Pop!_OS developed by PC firm System76. Michael’s publications (and now defunct podcast) taught me a tremendous amount about practical steps to take for online privacy and I have found his books to be hands down the best thorough, step by step guides available for the beginner. If interested you can get his Linux book in PDF form (with unlimited free updates after purchase) here: IntelTechniques Books
The problem with Pop!_OS is that you don’t get the choice to use your own DE such as GNOME or KDE, if they provide it. It will be the best Debian/Ubuntu based distro made ever.
What prevents one from moving to a different DE or window manager with Pop!?
Quick Youtube search, and I found a video about using KDE Plasma on Pop!. I’m sure others exist or are documented.
It would be better if they package it themselves for better integration. If not, I have to totally remove cosmic or gnome and use TTY to install plasma so that plasma doesn’t look crippled.
I will always recommend Aeon Desktop, immutable rolling always up-to-date, full flatpak and distrobox a rock .
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