Qubes OS is a security-oriented, Fedora-based desktop Linux distribution whose main concept is "security by isolation" by using domains implemented as lightweight Xen virtual machines. It attempts to combine two contradictory goals: how to make the isolation between domains as strong as possible, mainly due to clever architecture that minimises the amount of trusted code, and how to make this isolation as seamless and easy as possible.
To compare the software in this project to the software available in other distributions, please see our Compare Packages page.
Notes: In case where multiple versions of a package are shipped with a distribution, only the default version appears in the table. For indication about the GNOME version, please check the "nautilus" and "gnome-shell" packages. The Apache web server is listed as "httpd" and the Linux kernel is listed as "linux". The KDE desktop is represented by the "plasma-desktop" package and the Xfce desktop by the "xfdesktop" package.
Colour scheme:green text = latest stable version, red text = development or beta version. The function determining beta versions is not 100% reliable due to a wide variety of versioning schemes.
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Extremely stable and good operating system, while it is not technically a distribution of Linux, instead being more accurately a distribution of the Xen Hypervisor, which explains the reason hardware compatibility is such an issue.
The default Linux templates which can be used to make VM instances are Debian and Fedora both very stable distros.
I've never had any issues ever when running it on hardware which was certified as compatible with. My daily driver is a X230 with a 3rd gen i7, and 16gb of DDR3 RAM
But I'm considering upgrading to the (as far as I know most powerful certified laptop) which can be found on the offical qubes website, it is some laptop out of NovaCustoms, which has a 12th gen i7 and up to 64gb of DDR4 RAM, so it'll be a massive upgrade on that front. But I will miss the 13 inch form factor and thinkpad keyboard if I do swap over.
Overall the best thing about Qubes is, if configured right your security level is exponentially higher than any other OS. And even with a poor configuration and bad practice you will still be more secure than most simply due the base OS being isolated from the internet, and usb system being sandboxed into its own VM by default.
the only other OS I use for personal computing is Trisquel, but that is normally only for some basic functionally and as a toy cause its fully FOSS, but for all more reasonable use cases I prefer qubes. It simply provides security no other OS can.
The only downside is it will likely take awhile to get used to how copy/pasting works across VMS and having to transfer files from one to the other, but that is more than made up for by the security features.
I highly recommend trying it out if you have access to a x230, or really even anyone that is compatible on the HCL.
Concept seems good but I wasn't able to install it on a test laptop, seems to have a lot of bugs in the installer and severe hardware compatibility limitations, including some very basic issues: it seems wasn't able to write any changes to the partition table, so the first installation said it was complete, but on reboot it couldn't find a boot device. Thereafter it couldn't delete any partitions on the HDD. This seems a very basic bug Maybe with more development it will become a viable option for a desktop, but given the bugs encountered, can't imagine it would be trustworthy enough for production use.
Qubes has been my main OS for over five years, and I have found it to be a reliable foundation for software development.
I appreciate the time and skill put into the production of Qubes OS: it is a well tested and carefully documented tool.
At first I had a negative impression of Qubes OS because it seemed to put obstacles between me and what I wanted to get done. But eventually I learned how to use it and gained an understanding of the security problem that it solves. By partitioning the OS into separate domains, a kind of ablative resilience is achieved. If one virtual machine gets compromised, you can just throw it away.
Qubes requires a conceptual grasp of how computer software works. You don’t have to be a programmer to use it, but if you aren’t then expect to spend some time building up the prerequisite knowledge for using Qubes.
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