Why Linux is better than Windows or macOS for security

I was not suggesting you should buy one of these.

Putting a Linux system on your own PC costs $0.00.
It won't turn it in to supercomputer, but you can still benefit from it's performance,stability and security.

Market share says nothing about how good a system is.
Windows has a high share on desktop, because it's pushed through our throats by the OEM's...

 

I disagree with none of that, but compatibility will stop most folks from ever using it.

 

Maybe if they need special software like Photoshop or CAD or if they are hardcore gamers.
I think 90% of the users just use the PC for browsing the internet and type a simple document.
Also, you'll be amazed of the amount of software that is currently available.

 

Microsoft Outlook makes it a deal breaker as well. Since Outlook and Photoshop are both available for the iPad, that is where a lot of those folks will go. I would rather use Linux than an iPad, but I don't represent that group.

 

I haven't used Outlook for many years but I think that some missing functions in Thunderbird can be added with add-ons, e.g. sync with Exchange.

And if it comes to Photoshop: True - but for how many ordinary users is Photoshop really a relevant application? I'm sure that most users use just a tiny fraction of it. Gimp, e.g., would be certainly more than enough for them. But hey, it must be Photoshop - simply because it has become a dictum.

 

I know that in corporate world Outlook is a standard. In private life people not use e-mail daily. when they use it they usually choose GMail via web browser. Quick search states Gmail web client has 36% market share while Outlook below 6% and around 1% Outlook Web

 

Indeed. Thunderbird does everything I need, including fetching mails from Gmail.
And most people use web mail nowadays.

Ordinary people can't even afford to buy it...

 

I listed Outlook as it is the deal breaker for me. According to this almost everyone is doing email on their phone which takes it out of this conversation: https://www.litmus.com/blog/email-client-market-share-august-2021/
Anyone giving examples of minimalistic setups being a reason to use Linux is missing the point that these folks will use their phone or an iPad to do these things rather than the hardest to use PC OS. I'm not trying to be argumentative on this. Beyond "it's free" can anyone present a compelling reason to switch? I'm not saying it sucks. I'm saying can you convince someone to use it?

 

Photoshop? It's $10 a month. At least in the U.S. I buy it. Just for hobbyist use.

 

he's probably talking about the perpetual license.

 

One person can use both mobile and desktop/laptop e-mail. The do not contradict each other. I think usage is as follows: people read e-mails on their phones and click links in them. Think about confirmation, receipts, remainders or newsletters about something. Maybe they respond sometimes with one sentence and signature. I probably overstated that people don't use e-mail daily. They don't write new e-mails daily in free time though.
The same people wanting to write regular sized e-mail that opens a new thread with proper formatting etc are probably doing it on something with bigger screen and a keyboard. It is not a daily task, but when that days comes it is way easier to do it right with physical keyboard rather than touch screen for most people.
iPad? Well, it is not that popular where I live due to costs and it's distinct ecosystem, so I can't comment on that. Even the page mentions that iPad accounts only for 3% of mobile opens.

 

Ah, I see they only have subscriptions now.
However, looking on their page, I see '$20.99/Month'. Still no deal for me.

Since I use Linux now for ~15 years, Windows is harder to use for me.

 

Photoshop, meh. Back in days of film, I was fairly good in the darkroom with an enlarger & such. Dodging, burning in, other tricks. Now, with Photoshop, anyone can do those things. I concede that a person with artistic talent plus computer skills can do superbly artistic melanges, but it's still something like Picasso switching to an Etch-a-Sketch.

 

They no longer exist.

 

Maybe the price is a regional thing? I think they also license it cheaper bundled with Lightroom. But yeah, still a waste of money if you don't use it.

And absolutely. If you have used Linux that long it's probably easy for you. Most Windows users would probably ask "sudo who?"

 

LOL. True. Photoshop makes it all too easy. They even have a 1 click colorizer now.

 

I think ultimately my point was the idea that just because someone doesn't need what they are currently using that does not give them reason to switch. People will use what they know, even when it costs more to do so. People would need to feel that the tradeoff for leaving Windows for Linux wasn't a step down or backwards. They'd need to feel that they were gaining something and not compromising or settling. People are resistant to change. I know people that will pay full price for their "trusted" AV because they are familiar with it, even if there are "better" products or even better pricing it they were to shop around. If I were no longer working in IT I might even switch myself. Unfortunately it only takes on deal breaker to stop someone from doing so, even if it seems like a minimal problem with what some would consider an acceptable workaround. When Linux comes up with that "killer app" or becomes with no doubt the best option for most I'll help push the idea. I'm no huge MS fan, but people need to tools they need, even if they really don't. It's all perception. If that makes sense?

 

well, i didn't know that. now i do, thanks to your post.

 

Related point:

"The Year of the Linux dissatisfaction"

 

Dyspeptic op-eds aren't my cup of single malt. For me, MX w/XFCE is singing childishly sweet. like little Stefanie Hertel. However ----- "To each his own," as the lady said when she kissed her cat.

 

Fair enough.
My concern is just to not create any additional psychological barriers to use Linux by rumors/FUD. Some people have some time in life when they want to tinker with things and it may be Gnu/Linux as well. Unless they are convinced something can't be done by people that are do not know what they talking about.

 

LOL, I knew this was coming.

But yes I agree. I personally take it with a grain of salt when people say that Linux and macOS are way more secure than Windows. It also depends on your definition of more secure. It's obvious that there is way less malware available and that there are probably less known vulnerabilities when compared to Windows. But this is most likely because of the low market share, so hackers are less inclined to develop malware and to look for exploits, that's my take.

 

It seems that you haven't read the thread you started yourself. I responded to this argument here (and presented some other arguments why Linux is more secure).

 

No I did read your reply. And I'm not exactly a Linux expert, so I'm sure you are right. But let's say if malware manages to run, would these measures do anything to block them from doing any damage? Because in the end, that's all that matters. On Windows there are plenty of third party security tools that can easily block malware.

But what I would really like to see is that the same group of hackers get one year to look for holes in Windows, Linux and macOS and try to remotely exploit them, which will normally be via browser sandbox escape and privilege escalation in OS. If there are way more exploitable holes in Windows, only then I will agree that macOS and Linux are way safer.

 

I highly recommend anyone that is even curious about an alternative OS (Except macOS, which you can't without their hardware) create some Virtual Machines and run multiples to test them out. Many won't even try but if you have the skill and curiosity then it is worth the effort to learn something new. It might ever turn out to be profitable. I have to maintain a Linux server as part of my job and we have multiple little projects we run on Raspberry Pi devices we custom build. I'm not going to try to convince anyone of what they can or can't do. It all depends on their own level of skill and confidence. It's usually pretty easy to identify who is adventurous and who is not. If someone wants to try Linux I help them set it up and make their own decision.