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| Reader Comments • Jump to last comment |
1 • Disk encryption (by pcninja on 2015-09-21 00:40:10 GMT from North America)
I don't use disk encryption, but I want to. The only reason why I don't do it, is because I lack back-up medium and I don't know how to set it up. Also, I don't really want to have to do a fresh install if something goes wrong.
2 • Disk Encryption (by KenWeiLL on 2015-09-21 02:04:26 GMT from Asia)
I don't use disk encryption too. Afaik, it degrades disk's read-write (speed) performance?
3 • disk encryption... (by tom joad on 2015-09-21 02:23:53 GMT from Europe)
I just started using encryption on my laptop. I did just the ubuntu mate partition and I used luks or whatever is included when you do a new ubuntu install.
My hard drive is an SSD so I haven't really noticed a performance hit. When I encrypted the partition I put a 18 character password on it. So far that has worked fine.
Personlly I really like the security that if someone grabs my laptop I can be pretty certain they wouldn't get my stuff. If they want it they will have to work at it.
After I did my laptop I attempted to encrypt a traditional 320 gig western digital hard drive in my tower. There I did experience a performance hit, a big one. My tower took forever to start, it was cranky and hung a lot. So I did a clean re-install and it is fine.
Personally, I think encryption of an entire disk is good bet. For business folks, lawyers, government employes, military personnel, etc I think encryption makes good, reasonable and prudent sense.
4 • Disk Encryption (by John on 2015-09-21 04:23:14 GMT from North America)
I prefer to use a truecrypt vault on a usb flash drive to store passwords that are sensitive such as money accounts and the like. Other passwords that are less sensitive such as email, forum passwords etc. I use kee pass. I also use encfs to encrypt certain folders on dropbox. When the distro allows it I like to encrypt at least my home folder in case my laptop is lost or stolen. Might as well make it as hard as possible for the thief to crack it.
5 or 6 character passwords isn't strong enough to keep a kid out. Passwords needs to be 10 characters or more with mixed uppercase, lowercase, digits, symbols. 16 characters is fair, 32 characters desirable, 63 if you're paranoid. Even your WiFi pass phrase needs to be strong. The longer the better.
Encryption isn't un-breakable. The strongest password can be cracked given enough time and resources. Why make it easy, make it as hard as possible.
5 • Ultimate Edition (by Baltazar on 2015-09-21 06:14:00 GMT from North America)
I just tried Ultimate Edition and it looks nice... a bit to dark themed to my like though. It feels snappy and all on my SSD, but the one roadblock I have found is that its Software Center will not work...
And, I missed the option or something and installed it to Mate desktop instead of Xfce...
Anyone feel that UE's page is a bit bland and its requirements to post to its page a bit excessive... feel like they will ask for social security numbers at any moment now. Gives a bad jive...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
6 • Disk Encryption (by Bob on 2015-09-21 06:57:44 GMT from Europe)
Disk encryption - what for? I am too lazy to do backups. So it is always good to know that NSA can do that easily for me :-)
7 • Accessing hard disk images (by HermanH on 2015-09-21 07:41:59 GMT from Europe)
Use kpartx for accessing parttitions in a hard disk image:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUHXVr3_0SQ
http://www.normation.com/en/blog/2011/04/07/mounting-partitions-stored-in-a-logical-volume-or-a-disk-image/
8 • Rubberhose filesystem (by Paraquat on 2015-09-21 07:44:52 GMT from Asia)
I don't normally bother to encrypt my hard drive. I just make sure that there isn't anything risky on there like credit card numbers and passwords.
Closely related to this topic...Julian Assange. He's famous now for Wikileaks, but most people don't know (or have forgotten) that he was a pretty famous hacker in his youth, and is one of the authors of the rubberhose filesystem on which most modern disk encryption is based:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubberhose_(file_system)
If you haven't seen it yet, it's worth tracking down a copy of the film "Underground: The Julian Assange Story". Even non-geeks I know liked it:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2357453/
9 • Finally a stable Semplice Linux (by Flynn on 2015-09-21 08:18:46 GMT from Europe)
I'm really glad, that the Team around Semplice has been released a second branch, now based on Debian stable. And "Semplice for Workstations" (Jethro Tull) is a nice name and also a great description. IMHO. Now everone can choose between Semplice based on sid and Semplice based on stable. I'm looking forward to. Great work@Team Semplice
10 • Crypto Needs Help (by Arch Watcher 402563 on 2015-09-21 10:19:55 GMT from North America)
The threat model of "someone else's hands" needs clarity. The common cases are (ex-) friends, family, or colleagues -- frenemies. But malice isn't necessary. A workplace computer shuffle can put one user's e-mail in the hands of a new hire. An encrypted disk won't help.
What's needed are security at desktop and app levels. The best comes from keyfiles on external USB dongles for data access, even if you have the computer AND the user login AND the encrypted disk gets automounted. There isn't enough focus on such rigging.
There's little focus on simple sweeping. There are "recent documents" listings all over $XDG_CONFIG_HOME. Autoclean them at shutdown or on demand. Ditto personal search engines and databases. Offer ways to shut them off completely, e.g. Arch AUR package akonadi-fake. Switch avahi off by default at installation.
The CPU may matter more than disk encryption. Search the terms "processor+backdoor" for many interesting reads.
Related/recommended,
http://www.dyne.org/software/tomb/
http://www.thoughtcrime.org/blog/lavabit-critique/
http://retroshare.org
11 • Disk Encryption (by Stan on 2015-09-21 10:44:35 GMT from Europe)
I'm surprised to see that at the moment of this post, 67% of voters does not use Disk Encryption.
I don't use Disk Encryption because my main computing happen on a Desktop, if someone breaking in physically where is located I would have bigger problems, my Desktop data would be an insignificant damage.
In my smartphone I don't use encryption either, because I follow my own strict personal policy: *No Internet Banking* *No e-shopping* *No sensitive data*
I use Encrypted Containers instead, e.g. TrueCrypt, and offline password manager.
My important data in the "cloud" most likely will be in an encrypted container.
IMHO disk encryption is mainly for highly mobile users who carries all their sensitive data everywhere.
What I do not like of Disk Encryption it mainly protects your data hen the device is powered off.
12 • Disk encryption (by solt87 on 2015-09-21 11:44:19 GMT from Europe)
I encrypt everything but the /boot partition, but I selected "whole disk" as the closest option.
Yes, it affects disk performance, but with standard LUKS parameters, it's subjectively unnoticeable.
13 • Semplice Linux (by Wse on 2015-09-21 12:02:07 GMT from Europe)
A marvelous distro based on Debian Jessie and Openbox! Everyone should try it and once you try it, you'd want to use it.
This Eugenio Paolantonio has a very good feeling on aesthetics.
14 • Disk Encryption (by Sitwon on 2015-09-21 13:40:34 GMT from North America)
Over the past few years I have been transitioning all of my systems to Full-Disk Encryption. On some distributions it is handled automatically by the installer, on others it requires some manual intervention during the install. But at run-time, you only notice it when you boot the machine and need to decrypt the drive. There's no noticeable difference in performance.
As for doing a fresh install when something goes wrong... the only thing that would force you to do a fresh install would be corrupting the partition table (you'd be doing a fresh install anyways) or losing the password/key you use to decrypt the drive. When you boot from a rescue CD, you might have to type one extra command to decrypt the disk, but after that it's just like recovering any other system.
If you use the computer for work, encrypting the hard drive can go a long way to saving your company and saving your job should the computer or drive ever be stolen. From a compliance stand point, the company doesn't need to report it as a breech if the drive was encrypted.
If it's your personal computer or device, it's still a worthwhile exercise. Even if you don't use that device for banking or "sensitive data", you'd probably be surprised at how much damage could be done with data you didn't think was sensitive. Or how much sensitive data could be compromised from just that little bit of access.
Encryption doesn't protect your data from the government. A judge can compel you to decrypt a drive if prosecutors can convince them that there is relevant evidence on the drive. However, it could force prosecutors to notify you earlier in the process if you the subject of an investigation, which would give you additional time to prepare your defense. And even though the judge can compel you to decrypt the drive, it could give you some leverage to bargain (plea bargains or immunity) depending on the charges and evidence in question.
Many people will be thinking at this point, "I'm innocent, I have nothing to hide. Why should I care?" But the reality is that you may be charged for something that you didn't know was a crime, or you may be unknowingly complicit in someone else's crime, or you may just be falsely accused of a crime. Having an encrypted drive is an additional layer of legal defense for law-abiding citizens. The fact that your drives are encrypted cannot be used as evidence of wrongdoing. (Just as locking your car doors is not evidence that you're smuggling drugs.)
There are some out there who get really paranoid about encryption and imagine they live in a world of spy-craft and sophisticated attackers who want to steal their data. Realistically, that's probably not you. The more likely threat vector is that an opportunistic thief will steal your device and try to resell it for a quick buck. They won't be sophisticated enough to do a coldboot attack, or even know what that is. On the off chance that you're targeted for your data, at least you've added one more obstacle to slow them down. It complicates the theft and increases the chance that they will be caught. And again, it's a worthwhile mitigation because it gives you a bit more time to react to the theft and protect yourself.
Security is not about preventing risk, it's about mitigating risk.
The only cost is the one-time investment in learning about LUKS and how to use it. But that could potentially save you from losing everything you have. So this simple mitigation is worth the cost.
15 • Accessing hard disk images (by yetanothergeek on 2015-09-21 14:32:27 GMT from North America)
If you pass the -P or --partscan option to losetup, it will automatically create a separate loopback device for each partition of a disk image.
# losetup --show -f -P full-disk.img
/dev/loop0
# ls /dev/loop0*
/dev/loop0 /dev/loop0p1 /dev/loop0p2 /dev/loop0p3 /dev/loop0p4
# mount /dev/loop0p2 /my-data/
# do-something-with /my-data/
# umount /my-data/
# losetup -d /dev/loop0
BTW, while full disk images certainly have their uses, it seems like a horribly inefficient way to back up a system. For one thing, you are likely to be needlessly backing up several GB of free space. It also makes it difficult to manage incremental backups. In the event of a catastrophic disk failure, you're probably better off partitioning a new disk from scratch anyway rather than trying to restore the entire disk layout from a backup.
16 • a (by a on 2015-09-21 14:44:45 GMT from Europe)
I have LUKS encryption on a data drive, so I voted "other". I used to use that drive with an "old" CPU but it made everything very slow, so I switched to an unencrypted drive later.
People saying "I use an SSD so encryption doesn’t slow things down" don’t make much sense, because it’s the CPU that decrypts and encrypts the data; the amount of data stays the same. If anything, using encryption on an SSD could slow things more than on an HDD if the controller does on the fly compression (encrypted data can’t be compressed, so the SSD will have to read and write more), and because the time needed by the CPU to handle encryption will be more noticeable compared to the time needed by the drive to access the data.
To comment 14 (Sitwon), I doubt the law about encryption is the same in every country on the planet.
17 • Disk Encryption (by Stan on 2015-09-21 15:09:43 GMT from Europe)
@14 (Sitwon):
Interesting comment, I still cannot find a real value of full disk encryption for personal use on desktops. My data will be secure only when the device is powered off and I'm not subject of a legal process, other than that these days most of the threats are online. However I highly recommend encrypted file containers.
To me encrypting my /home folder or entire disk makes no sense if I have to de-crypt the data to be able to run a "dangerous" web browser, I rather prefer to protect only the important parts and unlock it on demand when I need something.
18 • Disk Encryption (by Kekinash on 2015-09-21 16:58:53 GMT from North America)
Here in the US you must have your computer and all mobile items encrypted, no because the government, I don't care about them, they already have the backdoors to access my encrypted data , but because ID thieves. If you are like me, keeping on the computer bank statements, and all kind of sensitive data, you must protect your computer, and encryption is another layer thieves must peel before accessing it. Of course you need to protect your computer or mobile when is on.
Not doing it is just be lazy and irresponsible.
19 • Disk Encryption (by lashley on 2015-09-21 20:31:04 GMT from North America)
I do do not use encryption simply as other has stated not keeping sensitive data on their PC. I run multiple drives for multiple reasons which are not a security concern.
My main concern would be banking and financial institutions selling personal sensitive info to the highest bidder.
My country's complacency in regards to safeguarding personal information of citizens they have collected and allowing hostile nations gaining access to that information. No excuses.
Why encrypt?
20 • Disc Encryption & the "Ring -2" Bug in Intel Chips 1995-2011 (by anamezon on 2015-09-21 21:03:04 GMT from Europe)
Disc encryption is all fine and good (though IMHO a bit of overkill in most users' cases) if sensitive (or not-so-much) data needs to be somewhat protected e.g. during disc transfers or in case of a theft, etc.; however in case of systems with Intel chips (starting with Pentium Pro ca. 1995 and up to Sandy Bridge ca. 2011, take a look here, if you want:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/08/11/memory_hole_roots_intel_processors/?page=1
) it will be just of a minor nuisance for an skillful person with access to the system - the CPUs themselves are irreparably (!!!) buggy on level "ring -2" a.k.a. SMM, making them succeptible to rootkits underneath everything else - userland, OS & kernel, even the chip hypervisor :( so, encrypt all you like, on such systems whatever passes for decryption through the CPU is already in a readily-obtainable form ... sad but true, and it seems there is no fix for these series of Intel CPUs ...
21 • Disk encription (by Wse on 2015-09-21 21:15:51 GMT from Europe)
Let's say you have your home partition encripted. You boot your computer with a Linux live iso, then make yourself root and quite easily read that encripted partition of the your distro. It is quite easy to get inside the password blocked Windows installation with practically any Linux Live iso. You can even delete the parts or whole of system32 and completely disable that installation. There are some isos boot straight into root, such as Puppy or System Rescue. Try to encript your home partition, or directory and then check it with a live iso.
Should we encript?
22 • Disk encryption (by Stan on 2015-09-21 22:01:41 GMT from Europe)
Disk encryption does not save you from this situation
https://trac.filezilla-project.org/ticket/5530
You better shutdown that pc to be safe.
23 • The New (Mint 17.3) Desktop Settings Tool (by late-to-the-party on 2015-09-22 00:15:10 GMT from North America)
I'm surprised no one is commenting on Mint's (new) Desktop Settings Tool ... for me, changing desktops without logging out is exciting news. I expect to eventually see the feature "cloned" in many distros. Well done, Team Mint!
24 • Disk Encryption (by Ari Torres on 2015-09-22 00:32:54 GMT from North America)
no encryption for this boy,are we safe? i don't care :)
25 • Encryption that really worketh well. (by Ted on 2015-09-22 00:39:11 GMT from North America)
The best and most reliable encryption is "no storage devices" as were available in the early 1960s. Not needed then, not needed now, though when one must, be wise to employ non-conventional means of storage.
Then consider something simple enough that its structure is finite in normal calculations and infinite in transition calculations. This enables a dynamic variable that with cybernetic assistance cannot be possible for humans to hack.
Keep it simply symbiotic.
26 • Linux Mint 17.3 .. Switch Desktops without Logging Out .. (by Graham_J on 2015-09-22 00:46:48 GMT from Oceania)
Why would anybody want to do that??
27 • @26 and disk encryption (by Will B on 2015-09-22 02:06:12 GMT from North America)
[ @26, Graham_J ]
I think that would be a really cool feature because you can sample different desktop environments and window managers on-the-fly (at least, seems that what they said). I would welcome such a feature, although I'm pretty set on Openbox.
[ Encryption ]
I personally don't use it, but I have set up encrypted FreeBSD and Ubuntu systems for customers (see my blog for articles). I think encryption is important, but I'm just either too lazy or change distros/OS's too frequently.
28 • Mint Window managers (by hhh on 2015-09-22 03:13:16 GMT from North America)
>Why would anybody want to do that??
To switch the window manager without logging out?
29 • @ 23, 26 & 28 Window managers (by Wse on 2015-09-22 05:26:20 GMT from Europe)
In Linux, isn't it simply "window-manager --replace?"
30 • Encryption & WMs (by M.Z. on 2015-09-22 06:16:29 GMT from North America)
@18
Why would it possibly be considered lazy if I have no sensitive data on my computer? If fact encryption would be a useless waste of time & effort if you avoid storing sensitive data on your PC or worse a laptop. Indeed the only truly irresponsible thing would be to carry sensitive info around everywhere on an easily stolen laptop, but if you have nothing worth stealing then who cares?
@23
As 28 & 29 hint at this is only the Window Manager we are talking about. It's a bit of a back end thing that will have no effect on what desktop you are using, it'll just enable wobbly windows as soon as you switch to Compiz. Not a bad enhancement but for my part I was far more impressed by this Compton compositor thing. I've noticed a fair amount of tearing while streaming video from certain sites in Linux & I'm glad to hear about this improvement for XFCE. I've really only noticed good tear free rendering in KDE up till now, so it's nice to know there are other options that may be equally good. Thanks to the Linux Mint team for making the option available & easy to use.
31 • changing WINDOW MANAGERS under Linux Mint MATE and Xfce... (by frodopogo on 2015-09-22 09:33:40 GMT from North America)
Go back and read carefully.....
it's not about changing desktops, it's about changing Window Managers.
I'm not familiar with any in the list but Compiz.
These kinds of things have performance quirks. In electric guitar circles, we have the idea of an A/B comparison, where you can switch immediately between two guitar effects so your ear can hear the most vivid contrast between them. If it takes too long to switch, you tend to forget part of what the first sound was, so when you hear the second sound, the contrast isn't that vivid.
In the same way, I can see how with something governing desktop effects, it would be handy to be able to try one, then immediately switch to another so any contrast in performance or appearance is as vivid as possible. Then will you truly be able to make an informed decision about which you prefer, without the memory of the first one fading before you apply the second one.
32 • #! Returns as BunsenLabs 8.2 (Hydrogen) RC1 (by TheGreatControversy on 2015-09-22 12:41:06 GMT from North America)
BunsenLabs 8.2 looks like the legit continuation of CrunchBang. :) Hopefully UEFI support is added to the final release, otherwise it will be for me, only the occasional use in V-Box.
33 • Mounting partitions in image (@8,15) (by PePa on 2015-09-22 17:41:07 GMT from Asia)
Like comment 8, mounting partitions within an image is easy with kpartx. Unfortunately, on my system, losetup doesn't offer a -P option...
This creates the mapper to the partitions:
sudo kpartx -av full-disk.img
This mounts the second partition on mountpoint my-data:
sudo mount /dev/mapper/loop2p2 my-data
34 • Encryption (by Poet Nohit on 2015-09-22 20:43:29 GMT from North America)
Using encryption is a waste of resources. It does not protect against anything except the most casual of snoops (which you shouldn't care about in the first place).
If you need your data protected, your best bet is to steghide it and memorize the passwords involved. Otherwise, you're just kidding yourself.
35 • Mint 17.3 (by lashley on 2015-09-22 23:47:30 GMT from North America)
I have to agree with the vast majority of comments on switching window managers without logging out. There is no need for such tool, no point in it.
Would suggest improving the distro and moving all the desktop environments to LMDE2.
That would be a more logical and sensible switch.
36 • Multiple Subjects (by Chris on 2015-09-23 03:08:04 GMT from North America)
DWW Poll:
IMO, each person & organization needs to identify their own Threat Model, create a corresponding Security Plan, and implement their plan. Such a Security Plan may or may not include some combination of encryption methods (Full Disk, Partition, File, External Storage, Etc.). As an example, the The Linux Foundation-IT recently released their Security Checklist (check it out for ideas):
https://github.com/lfit/itpol/blob/master/linux-workstation-security.md
As for what I selected in the poll, I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you! Just kidding, I selected Other. In addition to other security methods, I:
1. Keep critical files on an encrypted USB drive; and
2. Use FDE on my PCs (mostly laptops) to minimize my losses from potential theft/loss, minimize the value of my purloined property if improperly acquired by someone else, and secure any of my critical file data that may have been loaded onto my swap partition when I access my encrypted USB files.
Linux Mint Fast WM Switching:
I don't see any benefit of this to me and wish the Mint team would allocate their resources to more pressing matters (e.g., drop Ubuntu base) but YMMV.
The only potential benefits I can see to anyone are fast switching to benefit temporary application usage (e.g., @30's video tearing example) and a subjective quick comparison. However, in the unlikely event I would need to change my WM or compare WMs, I would make a permanent change or more objectively (e.g., benchmark) compare WMs using traditional methods not requiring a fast switch.
Bunsen Labs:
Welcome to the party...finally.
#! RIP
37 • Nope - nada. (by KGIII on 2015-09-23 13:20:39 GMT from North America)
I don't really do the whole encryption anything on anything, for the most part. I don't leave anything that would ruin me on a computer - at all. I've been at this for too many years to trust anything - including myself. So, rather than forget my decryption password or the likes, I simply don't do anything (including banking) online.
I do send encrypted files to people and I do encrypt sent emails but I don't think that's what you were asking about. There's only an illusion of security and, quite frankly, I lack secrets enough to withstand the 'pipe wrench decryption method' or anything like that. So, frankly, I don't bother with it much at all.
That and, well, you're just as likely to see me flitting about from distro to distro and only bothering to use a Live USB/DVD/CD while storing my data elsewhere if I bother to make any. I've moved to a position where I'm much more fluid and have also changed to being a much more passive consumer as I've aged.
Then again, I'd kind of like to take a distro, modify it, and then wrap it back up and make my own Live USB disk to just plug-in and go. Frankly, I have too many computers around the house. I'd probably do better just using a remote profile akin to what I have done in the past with Windows but, honestly, I don't really know how to accomplish that with Linux. I imagine it's possible - then I'd probably keep it encrypted because it's easier to maintain in one single location.
If that makes any sense...
Anyhow, I'll try to recall this post and to check back in. I can't say that I've ever posted here so I've no clue if it notifies of replies or the likes. I'll use a real email address but who knows if it displays that or not. The sad part is that I've known about this site for years and years but haven't ever bothered to comment before.
38 • WM switch & LMDE (by M.Z. on 2015-09-23 19:39:28 GMT from North America)
@35 & 36
Linux Mint often works toward a more polished & user friendly experience, & logging out & back in again feels clunky & unnecessary. I rather like this sort of touch & found it very useful to be able to preview new log in screens without a full long out & log in when that feature hit Cinnamon/MDM. This is the same sort of thing & helps make for a truly polished desktop experience that sets Mint apart from distros that require manual editing of config files. I expect more of these sorts of little enhancements in the future, along with other bigger things.
@36
You mean Mint Debian Edition? Version 2 has been out for months & runs quite well on my laptop. It's no longer rolling release & it has Debian stable as a base, but you get the latest version of Cinnamon (or MATE if you chose that version) automatically with your regular updates. They say it has some more rough edges & requires more knowledge compared to the main edition, but I haven't really noticed any difference except for Firefox taking a few extra days to update. That & the installer is a little less nice. From what the Mint folks say the main thing that prevents more work on polishing LMDE is the relative lack of users, so by all means download it & give it a try. I recently updated the Wikipedia article on Mint to reflect some of the changes in Mint 17 & & LMDE:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_Mint#Linux_Mint_Debian_Edition
It's much more informative now, but also feels like it could use some more polish.
39 • UEFI-support shouldn't be a dealbreaker (by Spacex on 2015-09-23 23:39:26 GMT from Europe)
@ 32
Uefi-support shouldn't be a dealbreaker for you. It takes 5 minutes to fix post-install. If you really like Bunsen, then surely it's worth a little effort on your part :)
40 • Window Manager Switching (by Dragonopolis on 2015-09-24 01:28:21 GMT from North America)
I believe some people are forgetting that Linux is also about choice as well as open/freedom/value. Organizations or individuals can choose a very focused based Distro/application that serves a specific need/ experience "or" Create a Distro/Application that takes a more Broad approach allowing many options to attract more user base.... Linux Mint has always given it's user base many options. Linux Mint did not have to offer more desktops than one.... Linux Mint did not need a Debian version of Linux Mint. I could go on and on.... However
Nobody is asking or requiring that every one use every option that is offered in any distro; including Linux Mint.
What supporters of Linux Mint should be saying is.... It's great to see Linux Mint continuing to offer more options for its user base and potentially attracting new users/supporters as well
If this is not what a person wants from Linux Mint ...Perhaps you've made a incorrect choice... Lucky for you Linux base distros have plenty of options for you.... Perhaps a more Focused with less options type of Distro based on Ubuntu....... such as Elementary OS..... the choice is yours.....
Peace
41 • @17 (re encryption) (by Simon on 2015-09-24 04:10:42 GMT from Oceania)
Exactly. I encrypt sensitive data (including family photos etc.: if they're not happy about the thought of a thief browsing through photos of them, then it's our responsibility to ensure such data is encrypted), but leave everything else unscrambled for the convenience and small performance gain. It makes no sense to encrypt the many GB of files in /usr and so on when I couldn't care less if a thief were to pick through those.
I don't encrypt my entire home directory (again because there's no point); but I do symlink browser profiles and email data directories and so on to an encrypted drive, so I can be confident that personal communications and other personal information would remain secure if the computers were stolen.
42 • Encryption (by imnotrich on 2015-09-24 04:58:21 GMT from North America)
Although I encrypt everything sent to the cloud (my SpiderOak back up account), I have not yet gone to the trouble of encrypting my hard drives locally.
Why? Well for one, encryption adds an extra level of complexity (translation: makes it next to impossible) if I ever need to recover data from a dead or dying hard drive.
I agree encryption would be important if someone had physical access to or stole my hardware, such as after a burglary but I dispute how useful it would be against external/remote/government threats such as NSA surveillance. Believe it or not, most encryption schemes have back doors and for those that do not. the NSA has sufficient CPU horsepower to crack anyway. If they want to.
43 • Is desktop switching new? Is it useful? (by dbrion0606 on 2015-09-24 05:42:44 GMT from Europe)
Before 2010, it was possible with Mandriva to choose between WM/DE at login ; no need to edit config files (it was a second line in the login menu, IIIRC), the freedom of choice was respected ... This makes more sense than switching while working (often, one is concentrated on what one does/receives). I played once or twice with tis freedom of choice....
44 • Is desktop switching new? (by Wse on 2015-09-24 20:10:30 GMT from Europe)
Have a look;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUbCwmg0N1Q
http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=hybryde
45 • Window Manager switching (by M.Z. on 2015-09-24 20:42:13 GMT from North America)
@43
Again, the talk with regard to Mint is actually about the _Window Manager_. I've looked up & run the command so switch out XFWM for Kwin. I also did some light reconfiguration work in XFCE in order to get all the neat Kwin effects in XFCE automatically without running that replace command every time. It's a neat tweak to the XFCE desktop that gives you all the effects of KDE while still using the XFCE desktop. I used the tutorial about doing so here on youtube in order to do it in Mint XFCE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0xTiTUiIng
It's far more manual & less user friendly than what Mint is offering with their new WM tweaks for Compiz/Compton etc., but Kwin is a bit of a different animal compared to the WMs offered in Mint XFCE & MATE.
46 • LUKS (by mw on 2015-09-24 21:39:05 GMT from Europe)
I am using LUKS on my notebooks since 5 years.
47 • Disk Encryption (by Andy Figueroa on 2015-09-24 22:14:44 GMT from North America)
My "Other" response details is that I encrypt selected files only because that meets my needs.
48 • disk encryption (by hotdiggettydog on 2015-09-24 22:53:35 GMT from Europe)
I don't encrypt disks or partitions.
Cryptkeeper folders work well enough for me.
Anything really sensitive is kept as encrypted archives offline.
49 • Window Manager switching (by Muthu on 2015-09-25 14:15:30 GMT from Asia)
@45 I think Voyager-X2-HD Version based on Xubuntu's LTS is also a good tweak to the XFCE desktop that gives me all the effects of KDE while still Iam using the XFCE desktop. Just Check it out guys. It is Cool.
50 • Distrowatch search (by Jessey on 2015-09-26 18:31:32 GMT from North America)
Am I the only one who gets annoyed that you can't search distros by file system's supported. For example Deepin supports BTFS out of the box but Linux Mint does not. I tried to search for distros that use HFS+ by defult but the package was no in there. Another common one is Reiser 4. Yet, distrowatch has no way to sort distros by the file systems they support.
51 • New Bee looking for OOTB experience? (by JustSayItJonah on 2015-09-27 12:52:26 GMT from North America)
@39
"Uefi-support shouldn't be a dealbreaker for you. It takes 5 minutes to fix post-install. If you really like Bunsen, then surely it's worth a little effort on your part :)"
Something to consider, if it is NewBee related, they probably don't want to jump through any extra hoops, especially if they are coming from windows (Just a OOTB=out of the box, experience.). Plus, if you posted "a how to" instructions or a link to "a how to" for UEFI, this may help the person out (instead of out the door. ;)). Just my 2 bits.
52 • @51 (by Wse on 2015-09-27 13:56:14 GMT from Europe)
Or google crunchbang-monara.
53 • multiple DE (by zykoda on 2015-09-30 07:12:45 GMT from Europe)
Simultaneous multiple X sessions, each with a different DE, switchable by Ctrl+Alt+FX are already possible allowing fairly rapid switching......resources permitting!
Number of Comments: 53
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1172 (2026-05-11): Fedora 44, dealing with extra fonts, Fedora plans to provide AI tools, problems with Ubuntu's new coreutils, TrueNAS extends its development cycle, postmarktetOS improves the boot splash screen, Redox ports tmux |
| • Issue 1171 (2026-05-04): Xubuntu 26.04, extending memory with VRAM, Ubuntu plans AI features, Devuan developer forks GTK2, Mint introduces hardware enablement builds, Linux running on a PlayStation 5, local kernel exploit found in Linux |
| • Issue 1170 (2026-04-27): ENux 5.2.1, picking a second distro, AlmaLinux expands CPU support, FreeBSD publishes Status Report, Ubuntu MATE skips 26.04 release |
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| • Issue 1165 (2026-03-23): Argent Linux 1.5.3, disk space required by Linux, Manjaro team goes on strike, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA driver support and builds RISC-V packages, systemd introduces age tracking |
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| • Issue 1163 (2026-03-09): KaOS 2026.02, TinyCore 17.0, NuTyX 26.02.2, Would one big collection of packages help?, Guix offers 64-bit Hurd options, Linux communities discuss age delcaration laws, Mint unveils new screensaver for Cinnamon, Redox ports new COSMIC features |
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| • Issue 1154 (2026-01-05): postmarketOS 25.06/25.12, switching to Linux and educational resources, FreeBSD improving laptop support, Unix v4 available for download, new X11 server in development, CachyOS team plans server edtion |
| • Issue 1153 (2025-12-22): Best projects of 2025, is software ever truly finished?, Firefox to adopt AI components, Asahi works on improving the install experience, Mageia presents plans for version 10 |
| • Issue 1152 (2025-12-15): OpenBSD 7.8, filtering websites, Jolla working on a Linux phone, Germany saves money with Linux, Ubuntu to package AMD tools, Fedora demonstrates AI troubleshooting, Haiku packages Go language |
| • Issue 1151 (2025-12-08): FreeBSD 15.0, fun command line tricks, Canonical presents plans for Ubutnu 26.04, SparkyLinux updates CDE packages, Redox OS gets modesetting driver |
| • Issue 1150 (2025-12-01): Gnoppix 25_10, exploring if distributions matter, openSUSE updates tumbleweed's boot loader, Fedora plans better handling of broken packages, Plasma to become Wayland-only, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1149 (2025-11-24): MX Linux 25, why are video drivers special, systemd experiments with musl, Debian Libre Live publishes new media, Xubuntu reviews website hack |
| • Issue 1148 (2025-11-17): Zorin OS 18, deleting a file with an unusual name, NetBSD experiments with sandboxing, postmarketOS unifies its documentation, OpenBSD refines upgrades, Canonical offers 15 years of support for Ubuntu |
| • Issue 1147 (2025-11-10): Fedora 43, the size and stability of the Linux kernel, Debian introducing Rust to APT, Redox ports web engine, Kubuntu website off-line, Mint creates new troubleshooting tools, FreeBSD improves reproducible builds, Flatpak development resumes |
| • Issue 1146 (2025-11-03): StartOS 0.4.0, testing piped commands, Ubuntu Unity seeks help, Canonical offers Ubuntu credentials, Red Hat partners with NVIDIA, SUSE to bundle AI agent with SLE 16 |
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| • Issue 1143 (2025-10-13): openSUSE 16.0 Leap, safest source for new applications, Redox introduces performance improvements, TrueNAS Connect available for testing, Flatpaks do not work on Ubuntu 25.10, Kamarada plans to switch its base, Solus enters new epoch, Frugalware discontinued |
| • Issue 1142 (2025-10-06): Linux Kamarada 15.6, managing ZIP files with SQLite, F-Droid warns of impact of Android lockdown, Alpine moves ahead with merged /usr, Cinnamon gets a redesigned application menu |
| • Issue 1141 (2025-09-29): KDE Linux and GNOME OS, finding mobile flavours of Linux, Murena to offer phones with kill switches, Redox OS running on a smartphone, Artix drops GNOME |
| • Issue 1140 (2025-09-22): NetBSD 10.1, avoiding AI services, AlmaLinux enables CRB repository, Haiku improves disk access performance, Mageia addresses service outage, GNOME 49 released, Linux introduces multikernel support |
| • Issue 1139 (2025-09-15): EasyOS 7.0, Linux and central authority, FreeBSD running Plasma 6 on Wayland, GNOME restores X11 support temporarily, openSUSE dropping BCacheFS in new kernels |
| • Issue 1138 (2025-09-08): Shebang 25.8, LibreELEC 12.2.0, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, the importance of software updates, AerynOS introduces package sets, postmarketOS encourages patching upstream, openSUSE extends Leap support, Debian refreshes Trixie media |
| • Issue 1137 (2025-09-01): Tribblix 0m37, malware scanners flagging Linux ISO files, KDE introduces first-run setup wizard, CalyxOS plans update prior to infrastructure overhaul, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1136 (2025-08-25): CalyxOS 6.8.20, distros for running containers, Arch Linux website under attack,illumos Cafe launched, CachyOS creates web dashboard for repositories |
| • Issue 1135 (2025-08-18): Debian 13, Proton, WINE, Wayland, and Wayback, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, KDE gets advanced Liquid Glass, Haiku improves authentication tools |
| • Issue 1134 (2025-08-11): Rhino Linux 2025.3, thoughts on malware in the AUR, Fedora brings hammered websites back on-line, NetBSD reveals features for version 11, Ubuntu swaps some command line tools for 25.10, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA support |
| • Issue 1133 (2025-08-04): Expirion Linux 6.0, running Plasma on Linux Mint, finding distros which support X11, Debian addresses 22 year old bug, FreeBSD discusses potential issues with pkgbase, CDE ported to OpenBSD, Btrfs corruption bug hitting Fedora users, more malware found in Arch User Repository |
| • Issue 1132 (2025-07-28): deepin 25, wars in the open source community, proposal to have Fedora enable Flathub repository, FreeBSD plans desktop install option, Wayback gets its first release |
| • Issue 1131 (2025-07-21): HeliumOS 10.0, settling on one distro, Mint plans new releases, Arch discovers malware in AUR, Plasma Bigscreen returns, Clear Linux discontinued |
| • Issue 1130 (2025-07-14): openSUSE MicroOS and RefreshOS, sharing aliases between computers, Bazzite makes Bazaar its default Flatpak store, Alpine plans Wayback release, Wayland and X11 benchmarked, Red Hat offers additional developer licenses, openSUSE seeks feedback from ARM users, Ubuntu 24.10 reaches the end of its life |
| • Issue 1129 (2025-07-07): GLF OS Omnislash, the worst Linux distro, Alpine introduces Wayback, Fedora drops plans to stop i686 support, AlmaLinux builds EPEL repository for older CPUs, Ubuntu dropping existing RISC-V device support, Rhino partners with UBports, PCLinuxOS recovering from website outage |
| • Issue 1128 (2025-06-30): AxOS 25.06, AlmaLinux OS 10.0, transferring Flaptak bundles to off-line computers, Ubuntu to boost Intel graphics performance, Fedora considers dropping i686 packages, SDesk switches from SELinux to AppArmor |
| • Issue 1127 (2025-06-23): LastOSLinux 2025-05-25, most unique Linux distro, Haiku stabilises, KDE publishes Plasma 6.4, Arch splits Plasma packages, Slackware infrastructure migrating |
| • Issue 1126 (2025-06-16): SDesk 2025.05.06, renewed interest in Ubuntu Touch, a BASIC device running NetBSD, Ubuntu dropping X11 GNOME session, GNOME increases dependency on systemd, Google holding back Pixel source code, Nitrux changing its desktop, EFF turns 35 |
| • Issue 1125 (2025-06-09): RHEL 10, distributions likely to survive a decade, Murena partners with more hardware makers, GNOME tests its own distro on real hardware, Redox ports GTK and X11, Mint provides fingerprint authentication |
| • Issue 1124 (2025-06-02): Picking up a Pico, tips for protecting privacy, Rhino tests Plasma desktop, Arch installer supports snapshots, new features from UBports, Ubuntu tests monthly snapshots |
| • Issue 1123 (2025-05-26): CRUX 3.8, preventing a laptop from sleeping, FreeBSD improves laptop support, Fedora confirms GNOME X11 session being dropped, HardenedBSD introduces Rust in userland build, KDE developing a virtual machine manager |
| • Issue 1122 (2025-05-19): GoboLinux 017.01, RHEL 10.0 and Debian 12 updates, openSUSE retires YaST, running X11 apps on Wayland |
| • Issue 1121 (2025-05-12): Bluefin 41, custom file manager actions, openSUSE joins End of 10 while dropping Deepin desktop, Fedora offers tips for building atomic distros, Ubuntu considers replacing sudo with sudo-rs |
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