OP
Freepoorman
Active Member
I see blindly trusting that an OS will forever remain free from attack as bad OpSec. That's probably why a Windows dev caught onto xz Utils while the Linux community were just shocked to their core...
ClamAV has a bit of a learning curve...
- Thread starter Freepoorman
- Start date
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
I have been on the Internet since the early days of the 1990's, when everything was taken on trust and AV and Firewalls were not necessary for home use. Then came the development of the Anal protagonist who just wanted to disrupt everything, In all that time.I can only remember getting 1 virus [that was when I let a friend use my computer.] back in the win97 days,
I have been using Linux full-time for around 20 yrs, without an activated AV most of the time, I do run the occasional scan to protect family and friends who still have windows. but not found anything on my machine.
OP
Freepoorman
Active Member
But what is the harm in being paranoid? I don't have an AV daemon and I only use Clam for manual scans. If I didn't download my movies and games for free I wouldn't be bothered with it, but while I do, I like (at least feeling like I) take necessary precautions. The alternative to piracy (potential malware), is guaranteed bloatware..
OP
Freepoorman
Active Member
I think this might be the best option. I'll look into this
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
its not good for your health.
@Freepoorman you are certainly entitled to run Clam or any other AV product you wish to, whether paid or free, although I would not suggest pirating one 
I am with the two Brians - @Condobloke and @Brickwizard - I have been using Linux since 2010, and exclusively since 2014.
Experience counts for a lot, hence
...is not an issue. And
Hardly. Despite the proliferation of articles from ARStechnica and others at the beginning of this month, the xz utils issue is old news. It happened around end of January, and by earliest days in February, Linux devs were rolling out patched kernels.
I run 86 GNU/Linux distros, and every one of them is safeguarded. I have a firewall at my router, and all 86 in my stable have either ufw or firewalld software firewalls running.
Many windows-like alternatives (linux) can be found at alternativeto.net, so I have no need for Wine, and
The alternative might just be ...honesty, in paying a fair price for the sweat off the brows of the people who provide the content in order to make a living.
It might be.
Cheers
Wizard
I am with the two Brians - @Condobloke and @Brickwizard - I have been using Linux since 2010, and exclusively since 2014.
Experience counts for a lot, hence
...is not an issue. And
Hardly. Despite the proliferation of articles from ARStechnica and others at the beginning of this month, the xz utils issue is old news. It happened around end of January, and by earliest days in February, Linux devs were rolling out patched kernels.
I run 86 GNU/Linux distros, and every one of them is safeguarded. I have a firewall at my router, and all 86 in my stable have either ufw or firewalld software firewalls running.
Many windows-like alternatives (linux) can be found at alternativeto.net, so I have no need for Wine, and
The alternative might just be ...honesty, in paying a fair price for the sweat off the brows of the people who provide the content in order to make a living.
It might be.
Cheers
Wizard
OP
Freepoorman
Active Member
"Fair price" for a game nowadays is more than 100USD...
And I'm not going to feel bad for downloading games that are more than 10 years old. I have to go without entertainment because I can't afford to make millionaires richer? The real devs get paid a salary, they already spent that money long before I decided to download their game.. The corporations will not starve because I'm playing FarCry 3 for free
Oh, I am not here to preach ethics and morality, that is entirely up to you.
However if your system gets compromised as a side-effect, that is also entirely up to you.
It won't be Linux's fault, nor problem, lol.
However if your system gets compromised as a side-effect, that is also entirely up to you.
It won't be Linux's fault, nor problem, lol.
OP
Freepoorman
Active Member
Besides these points, buying games from Steam and Windows Live etc requires that I download and install their closed source software and just teust them that they aren't stealing and selling my information while I sacrifice computing power...
I'm moving this to Linux Security, because it is not about Ubuntu.
Wizard
Wizard
I've used WINE for years. Mainly for a couple of Windows graphics apps with which I became very proficient during XP's reign, and FOR which I've yet to find any really good Linux equivalents.
I know I'll get castigated for this, but I have zero issues with WINE; never have had. It's sandboxed, for a start. For another thing, it only actually runs when you request the system to execute a Windows binary (run an app/program). The rest of the time, it just sits there, completely dormant.....unlike Windows itself, it does NOT continually run background processes, and/or leave itself wide-open to incoming malware 'hooks'n'stuff.
The last couple of years, especially, WINE has undergone a huge transformation; security fixes'n'patches having formed a large part of all that additional code. And there's a huge number of "eyes on the code"; the WINE team (and contributors) probably numbers several thousand globally.
On top of all this, there's the ease with which Puppy can be 'backed-up' & restored. It takes perhaps 5 minutes. I have a script that runs once a week, and does a copy/paste on the sub-directory of every Puppy in the kennels, so I'm assured of regular, simple-to-perform backups.
Mike.
I know I'll get castigated for this, but I have zero issues with WINE; never have had. It's sandboxed, for a start. For another thing, it only actually runs when you request the system to execute a Windows binary (run an app/program). The rest of the time, it just sits there, completely dormant.....unlike Windows itself, it does NOT continually run background processes, and/or leave itself wide-open to incoming malware 'hooks'n'stuff.
The last couple of years, especially, WINE has undergone a huge transformation; security fixes'n'patches having formed a large part of all that additional code. And there's a huge number of "eyes on the code"; the WINE team (and contributors) probably numbers several thousand globally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like everybody above, I only run a firewall as standard. For day-to-day Linux activities - combined with the robust permissions system - this is all that's required. Like @Brickwizard , I, too, will run the occasional AV scan.....primarily to protect Windows-using members of the family with whom I'm in regular contact. To date, nothing has ever been found.
On top of all this, there's the ease with which Puppy can be 'backed-up' & restored. It takes perhaps 5 minutes. I have a script that runs once a week, and does a copy/paste on the sub-directory of every Puppy in the kennels, so I'm assured of regular, simple-to-perform backups.
Mike.
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OP
Freepoorman
Active Member
I guess you're all right. Old habits die hard though
Using "pirated" software doesn't mean it's full of nasty stuff or polluted it just means a user is unwilling to pay the overpriced cost.
Back in my Windows days most of the software I installed and used including the Windows OSs was pirated.
I was a cheap bastard then and I'm a cheap bastard now and just didn't / don't want to pay the high prices.
Why do you think I'm using Linux it's free and I'm cheap that's why.
OP
Freepoorman
Active Member
Why do you think I'm using Linux it's free and I'm cheap that's why.
Same here. I like it that I don't need to pirate software anymore and that there are opensource alternatives to everything I was used to on Windows.. I get my games from sites I trust, and yet I'm still paranoid... I guess it just helps me relax better being paranoid and having my bases covered
Lighten up on yourself and enjoy the games you download.
I don't worry about stuff until it happens just no point imo.
If you want to be paranoid be paranoid for a good reason such as smoking good marijuana.
Keep a good current backup of your Linux system which is your best defense imo.
Do any of you donate to some of the opensource projects you use or have you donated, such as the Linux distribution that you use as your daily driver? Sure it's free to use but developers need some motivation to continue a project. It helps for both full time and part-time developers of a project because full-time opensource developers need to make a living too. Not all of them work for a company and for part-time opensource developers it will be nice to have some extra cash in the bank from the work they put into a project during their free hours. It can be a one time or monthly donation, it doesn't have to be much. Just what you can afford. Just some food for thought.Back in my Windows days most of the software I installed and used including the Windows OSs was pirated.
I was a cheap bastard then and I'm a cheap bastard now and just didn't / don't want to pay the high prices.
Why do you think I'm using Linux it's free and I'm cheap that's why.
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I run Flight Simulators on my old game computers and they are old but good enough for me to use.
I can get the newest version from an online source but for the cost and the fact I'd have to build a new game computer I'm just not impressed.
As for whoever and wherever you source your games or software from they're collecting and selling your data and don't think they ain't you agreed to it.
I quit worrying what everyone collected years ago because I don't care they've already got it and they're going to do it.
If you don't want data collected and If you don't want nasty stuff on your computer that you just have to stay off the WWW.
Oh, aye; that's for sure!
It took me perhaps the best part of 2 1/2 years - after making the 'switch' - before I felt completely comfortable with NOT having AV running constantly in the background.
It's more "mindset" than owt else. It is astounding how easily we humans get in a rut with our routines. It's usually a sight harder trying to break free of them.....
(I've just done a "manual" run of my kennels back-up script......and timed it, out of curiosity. Exactly 8 minutes and 53 seconds to back-up 11 Puppies and the contents of the UEFI boot-loader partition. Not bad, huh?
)Mike.
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@f33dm3bits :-
I make occasional donations to our Admin, rockedge.....toward the costs of keeping the current "new" Puppy forum alive & kicking. It's not set-up as a regular monthly thing, but I make maybe 2 or 3 over the course of the year as one-off PayPal transactions.
rockedge seems embarrassed at taking our money! A bunch of us got together, and almost had to blackmail him into adding a PayPal 'Donate' button to the 'front page'. I think he's glad he did now, though.
(It might not seem much, I know, but so many folks have next to no interest in what makes their favourite websites tick.....and even less idea of just how much it costs to keep 'em going.)
In the words of a popular UK TV supermarket advert....."Every little helps".
Mike.
Using "pirated" software doesn't mean it's full of nasty stuff or polluted it just means a user is unwilling to pay the overpriced cost.
Back in my Windows days most of the software I installed and used including the Windows OSs was pirated.
I was a cheap bastard then and I'm a cheap bastard now and just didn't / don't want to pay the high prices.
Why do you think I'm using Linux it's free and I'm cheap that's why.
I donate where I can as long as they don't use PayPal.
I used to donate on a regular bases although that stopped when the newer Linux kernels stopped supporting the Nvidia proprietary graphics drivers I need.
I generally give a minimal gratuity when I download an iso unless the site makes it a big PITA to do so which some of them make it hard to donate to.
Most of these open source places won't take money orders and will only take credit card donations through PayPal I don't / won't use PayPal.
