The Issue Between Linux and Windows and How I currently Feel about Things.

[LinuxUserSince2013]

Normally I keep my mouth shut about this. But as of lately I have been hearing about people leaving Windows 11 and installing Linux instead. Recently I made a comment on youtube saying that Linux is secure out of the box. Of course someone had to respond back that... Apparently they don't believe that. It was on a video where a guy was showing a few command line things to do to make Windows 11 more secure. Because some of the security stuff is hidden. I think that big tech like Microsoft actually wants people to get hacked. And if someone tries to sue them, they can always say "Look you could of run a few commands and hardened your system." I'm thinking to myself, "What normal computer user wants to watch youtube videos to learn that Microsoft has an article on how to harden the system?" Some of us, who are computer geeks, kinda like doing that sort of thing. But also think about how much time you put into watching and reading stuff just so that you can be more secure on the internet? I don't know about you all, but I got other things in life I like to get done too.

One of the things I love about Linux Mint is that it is a polished OS and I don't need to do a whole lot to make it into a secure OS. Turn on the firewall, keep it up to date, and maybe run bleach bit. For the most part that is all I got to do. I keep my web browsers clean by clearing the Cache every time I shutdown. And of course I block tracking adds in the browsers and hosts file. I think that is plenty.

If everything is true that they are saying about Windows 11, why would anyone still be defending it? I have a copy of Windows 11 installed on unsupported hardware, but it's only for updating my brother printer, my garmin gps units, and sometimes I want to run chkdsk on some drives I have formatted to exfat, or fat, or ntfs, for compatibility reasons. I'm always open to hearing suggestions about how I could get rid of Windows for those tasks. I swear if it wasn't for the fact that computer hardware companies cater to Microsoft the most, Windows would be dead and gone!

That is how I currently feel about things.

 

[Condobloke]

Well said !

 

[The Duck]

I swear if it wasn't for the fact that computer hardware companies cater to Microsoft the most, Windows would be dead and gone!

That is how I currently feel about things.

I don't use Windows 11 and know absolutely nothing about Windows 11.

I know a lot of Windows OS users who use Windows 11 and have no complaints.

The wife uses Windows 11 and will never use anything else been there done that and back to Windows.

Windows OS will always be around just too many users unwilling to learn another OS plain and simple.

Windows OS will always rule for hard core gaming because of graphics card drivers I don't care what anyone else says.

Yeah Linux may have Nvidia proprietary graphics drivers although they do not have the same graphics features for the gaming graphics cards.

I don't believe you can download the Catalyst Control Center for AMD / ATI graphics cards.

Opensource graphics card drivers have improved and are improving although try to run X-Plane Flight Simulator and try to run it and it will crash if it even runs.

I'm for users using any OS that they are most comfortable with using.

I have zero loyalty to any OS.

I use Linux is because it's free and I'm cheap and use old desktop computers.

I give the suggested donation at the time of download for the Linux distro iso I choose to download rather I use it or not.

For my computer use any OS will work.

 

[kc1di]

I Gave up bashing windows a long time ago it fill some peoples needs and it's a choice they make. So I too choose and I choose Linux a long time ago. Never cared for Window even back in the 3.1 days. Just always like linux! Choices are good.

 

[theLegionWithin]

the reality is that globally, most consumer or business computers (desktops/laptops) are using WindowsOS so that is what hardware manufacturers use as a baseline for compatibility (ie: your printer or gps units) - I dont see that changing in the next few decades. I personally switched over to using linux about a year or so ago and it's been my experience that while linux (whatever distro) is more secure "out of box" than winOS is, with proper administration they can both be equally secure. that being said, they're both trivially easy to break - everyone here has borked several installs, I'm sure.

 

[The Duck]

it's been my experience that while linux (whatever distro) is more secure "out of box" than winOS is, with proper administration they can both be equally secure.

Exactly.

that being said, they're both trivially easy to break - everyone here has borked several installs, I'm sure.

I have broke many installs thinking I understood and knew what I was doing and boy was I wrong.

Learn by breaking is how we learn leastwise it is for me.

 

[Rocketing-warp9]

Ditto-

 

[LinuxUserSince2013]

I don't know if any of you care about what google search AI said about my question. "is linux more secure than windows 11?" I found the answer interesting. Oddly enough google search AI agrees with me, because most information online agrees that Linux is more secure out of the box.

AI Overview
Yes, Linux is generally considered more secure than Windows 11 due to its robust permission system, open-source transparency (faster vulnerability patching), diverse user base (less of a single target), and modular design that allows minimizing the attack surface, though Windows has improved significantly and user practices matter most on either OS. Linux's default strict user privileges and vetted software repositories make it harder for malware to gain widespread access compared to Windows, where users often have administrator rights by default.

Why Linux is Often Seen as More Secure:

Permission Structure: Linux requires explicit administrator (root) passwords for system changes and software installation, limiting malware's ability to spread or modify core files.

Open Source & Community: The open-source code is reviewed by many developers, leading to faster identification and patching of bugs and vulnerabilities.

Software Management: Linux uses trusted repositories (package managers) for software, reducing risks from untrusted .exe files common on Windows.

Target Diversity: With fewer desktop users than Windows, Linux is a less lucrative target for widespread malware campaigns, say this YouTube video and Reddit users.

Access Control: Features like SELinux and AppArmor provide fine-grained control over what applications can access.

Windows 11's Strengths & Weaknesses:

Improved Security: Microsoft has significantly enhanced Windows security with features like Windows Defender and stricter update mechanisms, say this LinkedIn article.

Primary Target: Its massive user base makes it the biggest target for malware developers, according to this Reddit post and this LinkedIn article.

User Permissions: Running as an administrator by default historically made it easier for malware to gain control, though User Account Control (UAC) helps mitigate this.

The Verdict:
Linux generally offers better out-of-the-box security and control, making it a strong choice for security-conscious users, especially on servers. However, with good security practices (strong passwords, caution with downloads, up-to-date software) and built-in tools like Windows Defender, Windows 11 can be very secure for most users, as argue this YouTube video and this LinkedIn article.

 

[The Duck]

I don't know if any of you care about what google search AI said about my question. "is linux more secure than windows 11?" I found the answer interesting. Oddly enough google search AI agrees with me, because most information online agrees that Linux is more secure out of the box.

What I find interesting is that you seem as though you actually believe and trust Google.

No matter what OS is being used the weakest vulnerability is the user.

Most users will not learn the basic how to knowledge required to setup their computer to a secure level.

The user most always unknowingly allows the bad guys in by opening an attachment or pop up etc.

The only thing most users are interested in learning is how to use social media which they are very willing to learn how to do.

This is only my opinion based on the many computer users I know whose computers I have cleaned and secured after being compromised.

 

[f33dm3bits]

How is it a war, it's just a competing different OS's. Not like people are getting killed over it.

 

[kc1di]

No matter what OS is being used the weakest vulnerability is the user.

I would agree with that statement. Another way to put it. The problem lies between the chair and the keyboard.

 

[f33dm3bits]

The problem lies between the chair and the keyboard.

PEBKAC

 

[deb_user]

I have Windows 11 installed in a VM just in case I ever need it, and to see what is going on there. I sometimes fire it up and let it update for a couple of hours. I've found no other use for it. I have tried to find something that it's useful for, but have had no success. I don't see a war, just choices. My choice is Linux, but that affects no one else. The rest of my family uses Windows, and that affects me not at all. I'm retired, and I can use any OS. My children still work, and thus are required to use Windows. It's not warfare, it's just survival.

 

[LinuxUserSince2013]

What I find interesting is that you seem as though you actually believe and trust Google.

No matter what OS is being used the weakest vulnerability is the user.

Most users will not learn the basic how to knowledge required to setup their computer to a secure level.

The user most always unknowingly allows the bad guys in by opening an attachment or pop up etc.

The only thing most users are interested in learning is how to use social media which they are very willing to learn how to do.

This is only my opinion based on the many computer users I know whose computers I have cleaned and secured after being compromised.

Are you the kind of person that doesn't trust anyting but yourself?

 

[The Duck]

PEBKAC

 

[LinuxUserSince2013]

View attachment 29707

I disagree with that, no matter how careful the user is, there is always malware creeping over the internet. That is why we use better systems to help defend against it. It doesn't seem like you guys have been keeping up with the chatter. They are saying the Microsoft is actually making screen shots of what you are doing on your computer and sending that data back themselves.

 

[The Duck]

I have Windows 11 installed in a VM just in case I ever need it, and to see what is going on there. I sometimes fire it up and let it update for a couple of hours. I've found no other use for it. I have tried to find something that it's useful for, but have had no success. I don't see a war, just choices. My choice is Linux, but that affects no one else. The rest of my family uses Windows, and that affects me not at all. I'm retired, and I can use any OS. My children still work, and thus are required to use Windows. It's not warfare, it's just survival.

Exactly.

Now this is well said.

 

[The Duck]

I disagree with that, no matter how careful the user is, there is always malware creeping over the internet. That is why we use better systems to help defend against it. It doesn't seem like you guys have been keeping up with the chatter. They are saying the Microsoft is actually making screen shots of what you are doing on your computer and sending that data back themselves.

Hell they have been doing that for a long time just as Google does and Safari also does.

Sounds to me that you may be a bit out of touch and misinformed from where you are sourcing information from.

 

[LinuxUserSince2013]

Hell they have been doing that for a long time just as Google does and Safari also does.

Sounds to me that you may be a bit out of touch and misinformed from where you are sourcing information from.

I get my information from the same places everyone else does. The internet! And the latest videos say Windows 11 is worse than Windows 10. As far as google is concerned, I am not going to talk about google, because google is so much into everything online there is pratically NO escape from them.

 

[deb_user]

I haven't bothered to keep up with what Microsoft is doing. My last use of Windows was Win7, and I only used it because the employer required it, and only on the company computers, never my own. The Win11 VM on my current computer has not been activated, no key entered, and I don't worry much about MS spying on it, because the email address I used for it is fake. Windows still works, I just can't personalize it, and that's not a problem for me. I just don't care about MS spying.