Linux Distro

Which Linux Distro would you folks suggest as the safest out there? Currently, I'm using Ubuntu 6.06.1. Also, that is easy to install and use.

 

The one you are using now is pretty safe and easy to use all ready.
The safety of the system largely depends on what you, as a user, do with it.The system can't execute anything without your consent, this is basically the same in all distros.You have to install an application and you have to give it the right permissions for it to work.
An other thing to consider is how fast the community reacts on newly found vulnerabillitys and my experience is that it's rather fast indeed.

There are several applications you can add on to enhance that safety, like ClamAV for instance, but i haven't encountered any virusses in the time that i'm using it now.

Lamehand

 

I am like 2 days from trying out SUSE 10.1, and the AppArmor looks interesting in that one.

However you can get SELinux which has a different logical approach to things in your Ubuntu distro.

 

OpenBSD (not linux, but better)

 

Hi Alphalutra1,

Care to expand on the main points why you think it is better?
Is it easier to learn or use?
More secure?
Better hardware compatibility?

 

From what I have read, BSD [at least one distro] has "perfect code" making it more secure than many linux distos. Not sure how valid this claim is, but the article proved interesting. If only I can find it again.

 

It is very easy to use, once you learn it . Nice package management, very lean install which allows the user to decide what is installed since not much is prepackaged.

OpenBSD is arguably the most secure OS around with its secure by default stance. It's hardware compatibilty is pretty good, and the thing that I like the most about openbsd is that they right their own drivers suited for their own os, thus minimizing bloat and the blob. It also supports several architectures.

Cheers,

Alphalutra1

 

@Sosaiso: Thanks. It sounds interesting.

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Easy like Linux? Or easy like Assembly Language and C++ once you get over the part where your brain explodes?

Thank you. It's worth looking into more.

 

Easy like linux without the GUI, my brain hasn't exploded... yet

The manual located on their website is excellent, and http://www.bsdforums.org/forums/ is full of people who have provided good help, without too much of the RTFM approach.


Alphalutra1

 

Well, my brain is GUI, so it's going to be Linux for me. At least to start with.
Thanks!

 

You can always try PC-BSD or Desktop BSD which are based off of freebsd except they are now GUI based instead of command-line based. It's kind of what ubuntu has done to debian.

Cheers.

Alphalutra1

 

So free BSD is not GUI based?

 

Ubuntu is about the most secure distro, it's also easy to maintain because there's so much help around compared to other distros, and because so many people use it there are lots of HowTos, Wiki pages, precompiled binaries - just about everything you need it already done! you only need to know how to use a search engine to find what you are looking for. or, you can use the forums, or the IRC (just launch XChat, i think it might open staright to the Ubuntu channel, if not it's at irc.freenode.net #ubuntu) it uses deb's too which i think is a big plus for Ubuntu.
http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci1202417,00.html

 

Not really. All configuration is not gui. However, you can of course install x.org and get a desktop manager like kde, gnome, fluxbox, etc. installed and use it, along with all of your gui apps.

Cheers,

Alphalutra1