this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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I'm just tired. On the last post about having Linux at our work, many people that seems to be an IT worker said there have been several issues with Linux that was not easy to manipulate or control like they do with Windows, but I think they just are lazy to find out ways to provide this support. Because Google forces all their workers to use Linux, and they have pretty much control on their OS as any other Windows system.

Linux is a valid system that can be used for work, just as many other companies do.

So my point is, the excuse of "Linux is not ready for workplaces" could be just a lack of knowledge of the IT team and/or a lack of intention to provide to developers the right tools to work.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

it's important to mention wherever that incorrect point is brought up:

the only reason people say there are no viruses on linux (which is wrong from the get go) is because there just isn't enough market share for lots of malware to be written and distributed with a linux target in mind. it is out there and it is a risk, just much rarer than windows malware. if more people start using linux, user-targeted linux malware in the wild will likely become just as common (and effective) as the stuff targeting windows.

never assume your system is safe by default and requires no hardening or awareness from the user/org.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The only truly secure computer is one that’s air-gapped, disassembled, the components put in a faraday cage, which is then lowered into a hole and filled with concrete. And even that’s not necessarily a sure thing, in the context of possible future technology.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

The only safe computer is one that doesn't exist.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

That sounds a lot like a quote from the Cyberpunk 2020 rpg.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Linux is very targeted by hackes, Linux is the OS (most used by servers/infrastructures) that keeps most personal data while Windows is just to hack users that miss click or gets hack by Windows vulnerabilities. Hackers do targets to Linux systems as all servers and infrastructures runs Linux. They do target, but it's just different intention or methods.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

while you are correct that linux systems are targeted by bad actors all the time, the distinction that i am making here is that a vast majority of the time malware is targeted towards organizations and their linux servers, which could be both unapplicable and unseen to a home linux user. not much of that hacker effort is going into distributing malware that would find and infect a personal linux user like myself through, for example, a compromised public web page. instead, most of that user-targeted malware is made to infect windows users simply because they outnumber linux users by a large amount.

i guess what i mean to say is that there is plenty of malware for every type of popular system as well as people and organizations to exploit it, but due to the effects of having a small user market share, home linux users can develop this misinformed notion that traditional malware you might get from a web download or malicious email does not exist for linux.