this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2024
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I use Arch btw


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[–] [email protected] 48 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

All jokes aside, using Linux really does bring some peace of mind when it comes to malware.

While Linux malware certainly exists, it's nowhere near as prevalent as Windows one, so that's one less headache to give serious consideration to.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 7 months ago (2 children)

once linux is more common, that will change for the worse

[–] [email protected] 17 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

Probably still not as bad as Windows due to open source nature

After all, there's plenty of Linux servers around, hacking them can be a huge market, so there already is an incentive to hack into Linux.

Also, it's a bold assumption that Linux will overtake the desktop market the way it did with servers in any reasonable timeframe.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (4 children)

Just wait until Windows 10 drops support, we'll probably see a 2%-4% increase within a year. Who knows, maybe more. I was fine with Windows 10, but when I made the move to Windows 11, I said fuck no. It's what made me switch to Linux as a daily operating system. I'd say with tools like ChatGPT, it will make it much easier for your average joe to switch over. Windows has reached peak enshittification. Do more, teach people, show people how much money they can save.

I already convinced the company I started working at to replace their outdated BIOS firmware with Coreboot. And soon, we're going to start using Proxmox VE on all of our machines. We have about 40-50 computers, and we're going to install it on every single one of them (edge virtualization) and manage it them all from a server. Once that's done, we'll have even a bigger incentive to switch to Linux. I'll also soon setup Nextcloud with OnlyOffice, as a replacement for Microsoft Office. I hope to see us transition over fully.

They probably spend around $5000-$6000/more a year in licensing for software. Once we have all Free Software, I think it'll truly be better for the long run. Sure, a couple issues with people getting used to it, but these are short term issues, down the line we can save so much money and have better security/privacy.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

That's very generous and optimistic considering the amount of people who promised to switch to Linux once Windows 10 came around, and later when Windows 7 support was dropped. Though I wish it were true.

Great to know you switch to open software! One point to note though: you might need more expensive system administrators or some support service for your Linux setup. The issues will still arise, and you need for someone to solve them very quickly - something that is normally part of commercial offerings. Also, it would be super cool to set up some cash to support the devs.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Yeah, the story is gonna be pretty much the same. 0.01% will switch, the rest will just rant and buy new hardware.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

You did get extra cash for this work, right? Or was it part of the job?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

I'm a low level IT Support Specialist (it's my first IT job), I honestly just recommended all these and my boss wants to go through with it, plus it's something I love to do. In the coming weeks we will start to implement Coreboot w/ LinuxBoot and Proxmox onto most of our machines. I've messed with Coreboot a lot, not a dev, just good enough to build/customize and install it for them. I honestly want to see the world change, I mean hell yeah money is great too, but at the end of the day, all I want is for other companies/people to see that this way of doing computing is much better. Sure, you may have to get through the hurdles of learning it, but if you have someone to guide you it makes it so much easier. Now imagine if everyone used it, everyone could lend a helping hand.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

OK, you're young, I get it.

No way am I doing that for free.

I work in IT too BTW... just not as young as you.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I mean I already get paid for the work I do, I make $55K/year currently. Should I be asking for more?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

For this? Absolutely! I would...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I obviously know nothing about your business but this sounds like a mistake from an outsider's perspective. Enterprise software exists so companies can call somebody and get help when something goes wrong. Also more people are familiar with Windows and Microsoft Office so it's much easier to onboard new employees and find IT Administrators who can support their environment and keep things running smoothly.

I think the setup you're describing will cost more in the long run because your company will have to find people with more specialized knowledge to help maintain everything.

I love Linux and open source software but I also think they should only be used when they fit the need.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

We're going to buy the enterprise support plans for Nextcloud and Proxmox. I understand that some specialized knowledge would be needed, but we're making guides for it where anyone can do it (guides for flashing Coreboot, setting up Nextcloud, etc., this will be a guide for my boss for him to look back on). We will test this through slowly and try to see if this is something we can realistically do or not.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Linux is now at 4% of all installations so far in 2024 - the highest it's ever been. And there is also an uptick in desktop installations as it seems people are moving away from Windows, (Thanks Win11!), and Apple.

But it remains to be seen how many of these new users actually stick to a distro as an everyday driver. I've been living the "year of Linux" for 30 years now.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 7 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

That is gonna be fixed... eventually.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Even open-source systems can sometimes get vulnerabilities and backdoors - except for them it's big and rare news rather than everyday occasion.

Also, it's the open-source nature that allowed to spot the backdoor relatively early.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago (2 children)

At that point BSD will take the place of linux I guess.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

And Plan9 will take the place of BSD, and TempleOS will take the place of Plan9?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Plan9 is probably really secure due to its obscurity. Any malware that targets Linux, Unix Windows, or Mac would do absolutely jack shit to Plan9 because it's so much different.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

And TempleOS will take the place of BSD.

Millions of colors and separated CPU ring privileges are overrated anyway.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago (3 children)

I have yet to see a person that uses an AV on his Linix install.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Has it found anything that can run on Linux?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

it's picked some stuff out of my proton prefixes. but i think those were false positives

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Yeah, fasle positives.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

Yeah. Sometimes I wonder why anyone would bother :D

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

I have a virus on my pc. It's called Arch Linux. I love how they brought over one of the most prominent features from windows: system degradation over time. Not every Arch issue can actually be solved without a reinstall unless you're one of the top percentile Linux gurus that understands everything there is to know.

Seriously. Even Gentoo works better after 3 years of use than an Arch Linux installation.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Try Void, thank me later.