I’ll transition two devices from Windows 10 to Linux, but I haven’t decided which distro yet. The recommendation list on privacy guides is quite short, and I’m wondering why. Was it to keep it concise, or are they just the best. I’ve been testing ZorinOS on my main PC,I find it good enough, is it good privacy and security wise? Or should I just stick to the recommendation list?
Stable release distros, and Ubuntu distros in particular are known for being bad in terms of security. And sticking with parent distros (as opposed to derivatives) is preferable because they are more likely to be maintained long term.
2 Likes
There are a few of Linux recommendations because the standards in terms of privacy and security is set very high by GrapheneOS (in the cellphone category).
It is so good, it makes most of the Linux distros look like a joke, security wise. Keep this in mind because GrapheneOS still technically is Linux underneath.
Now that Android 16 is coming with some Desktop support, I think Linux will even be less relevant. Best desktop will be GrapheneOS desktop.
Really? Like really? Is GrapheneOS really this good? If you could compare Qubes OS vs GrapheneOS in general, which one would be the best OS in your opinion security wise? And, is there any other OS out there for desktop that surpasses Qubes in terms of security?
Yes. AFAIK, there is no linux distro out there with the same feature list as Graphene. It is so good that upstream AOSP reimplements their code from time to time if it didnt have particular requirements.
I cant really say much to Qubes as I do not daily drive it or have even used it. Qubes seems to solve problems/address differently.
Unless you need to use programs only available on PC or tasks that can be done only on PC.
That would be my only advice, and then just pick-up what suits you the best.
In terms of privacy, and distro is way better than Windows. In terms of security, unless you are targeted, usually by state, just be responsible, update your PC regularly and stick to best practices.
If I had to recommend one distro to regular PC users, it would be Mint. It’s based on stable, long-term OS, it has properly set-up software center (only verified flatpaks by default), it has reasonable UI, how desktop environment actually should look like, and good community support
3 Likes
If you are new to Linux - I would stick with PopOS or Mint. Fedora is also user friendly if you want to go that way.
But if you know what you want and why, then following PG recommendations is great from a privacy and security POV. But if you want user friendliness, Mint is great. I personally feel Fedora is a great balance between the two if you are not an absolute beginner with Linux.
That’s my two cents on the matter.
3 Likes
Even with the recent news regarding AOSP? I’d say it’s the other way around
If GrapheneOS will have more power over and ease with their potential alternate OEM than they’re having with Pixels, then they could potentially thrive more than ever.
The transition between OEMs will probably be pretty rough, though
For the present devices, I think this still true today and in the near future, when Android 16 arrives.
For Android 17 and Pixel 10? Unsure but still debatable.
Nothing is really certain. Maybe some new mobile devices with disposable VMs (virtual phones) will arrive and shake the scene.
We will always be the cockroach running from one safety nest to another. They (Google) may destroy Graphene but there will be other nest to hide on too.
We are more adaptable than Google.
1 Like
Closest option to graphene on the linux desktop is V54 Series 14.0 inch coreboot laptop - NovaCustom paired with https://www.qubes-os.org/ and Dasharo Pro Package - NovaCustom, but not as convenient as phone OS.
Yesterday they released nice little video https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=X7_e64S2dfg about this package.
And recent video about the laptop features Finally! True Privacy in a Laptop: NovaCustom Review - Techlore.TV - Digital Rights For All
2 Likes
The closest thing to GrapheneOS on the desktop is either GrapheneOS Desktop Mode, or ChromeOS
If you just mean GNU/Linux, note that QubesOS is also a Xen distro
I’ve been using ZorinOS and my experience has been nice, but I’m not sure how good it is privacy and security wise. When it comes to privacy and/or security, I’ve never seen anyone recommended Zorin. That’s why I’m checking out alternatives, so I can test them and maybe transition to it.
1 Like
Most popular distros (Like Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Zorin OS, etc.) will have more privacy or security issues compared to Fedora Workstation. Most of the information on why is included on the Linux Overview and Desktop/PC pages.
Fedora Workstation isn’t as user-friendly as something like Zorin OS or Linux Mint and their community is much smaller, meaning you may have a harder time solving problems you run into. That’s not to say it’s for advanced users only, just that it isn’t as polished as some others. If you haven’t had any issues running Zorin OS, you’ll probably be fine running Fedora so I’d recommend giving it a try. It just might require some extra setup work depending on your hardware.
This is not true. There are so many NOT user friendly things in Fedora but i will just mention the last thing that made me switch to Ubuntu.
On my Fedora workstation isntallation i had set up automatic updates. Apparently there was an issue with VLC updates (some kind of library conflict) that prevented VLC to update. But the thing is that also prevented everything else to update because if one library does not update nothing updates. And this is still an issue with many users (you can check the forums). So i was with out of date browsers for several days because of library conflict. And you can check the Fedora forum for the last 30 days to see how many posts there are with things breaking after an update. I cannot install Fedora on my mom or grandma PC and risk them being with out of date browsers because of some conflicts.
Not to mention the other things like vanilla Gnome, drivers, app availability, codecs, printers - all not user friendly!
4 Likes
I have seen. PrivacyAcademy recommends ZorinOS, and PrivacyAcedemy gives most solid privacy advice for regular people (non-geeks).
They also partnered with NovaCustom too, selling ZorinOS pre-installed Privacy Laptop - NovaCustom bundled with video courses “Privacy computers made easy”.
I bought PrivacyAcademy subscription to see if I can recommend to other people, and loved their courses. They show exactly in video were to click when adopting new privacy tech, or exactly how to create master password etc, making adoption a lot simpler.
ZorinOS is bad OS security wise, but it is best what is available for non-geeks transitioning to linux from monopolies like windows or mac.
P.S. And for mobile they show how to install (or buy) GrapheneOS (something like 10 visual lessons on GrapheneOS)
1 Like
Security issues that is a perhaps but privacy issue? No, no there is not!
Guys - why? Why only Desktop Linx? Server Linux? Offline - local repository .iso Red Hat clones.
Rocky Linux 7 GB
Download switzerland 1:
AlmaLinux 6.8 GB
Download switzerland 2:
I do not recommend daily driving RHEL variants for desktop systems for personal use:
- limited software availability
- back in the CentOS 7 days this was actually fairly decent with EPEL and RPMFusion but most motivation seems lost after 8 onwards and the situation is dire
- outdated packages
- providing backports of security issues instead of whole updates is bad.
- no BTRFS
- 2025: compression and checksumming and snapshots are glorious
- older kernels with fewer security features available
Just use Fedora please.
Even for servers I wouldn’t necessarily use them unless you need a specific feature for compliance or compatibility.
2 Likes
You should understand what a local repository is. You “download” all packages from your .iso file.
Fedora needs Linux mirrors aka external sources.
I recommend both: Fedora .iso and AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux .iso
In the world of Linux there are no fights / competitions like Windows versus Mac.
1 Like