Very helpful guide CHEF-KOCH, thanks for posting it. I wish to add a few things based upon my own experiences as related to usability vs. privacy: Ubuntu Its data collection is utterly simple to stop in under a minute and is done already on some 'child' distros - so it is not really a huge concern anymore. Linux Mint It may be great - but I must say that for this technically oriented user it has mostly been a PITA as it is just as prone to fail during boot-up on newer h/w as it is on older h/w for no apparent reasons - whether from optical media or USB. Also worthy of note is that windows refugees find Ubuntu Mate highly acceptable in making the switch. Debian A great distro to be sure - but surely NOT for beginners as it is not nearly as user friendly as the others mentioned here. TailsOS Tails is also not very user friendly. Whonix I cannot claim to know anything at all about this one !! Qubes As a career techie the concept of this OS fascinated me - so I worked to grasp its basic concepts and execution. My conclusions thus far=> Absolutely brilliant in concept while also being so complicated as to give one a headache trying to slowly wade through its documentation - which was definitely beyond this techie's depth and as a result I did not even try to use it yet. My own personal conclusions regarding the use of the internet vs. privacy vs. security: I suggest that the reader 1st consider that the internet is a wide open, public network and that it is powerfully monitored in many ways by many corporate agencies which have truly massive computing power - with and without any ordinary user's direct knowledge or permissions. On top of that, many, many commerce centered agencies also very powerfully profile their users mercilessly and endlessly simply in efforts to grow their own profits endlessly. Worse even still are all the other ways in which the populace is endlessly surveilled by all forms of cameras on many different agency's networks, satellites as well, and facial recognitions, chips in everything, and with their own actual consent via 'smart' devices that they buy to monitor their living spaces for adding conveniences. And what about data centered cellular phone sevices ?? If anyone has any illusions about having ANY privacy or security in using those, well - I'm sure there is someone who will be more than happy to sell you some very valuable land on the Brooklyn Bridge !! Leading here=> Device + OS + apps + internet = open & shared pretty much no matter how obsessed anyone may be about 'securing' their privacy. As has been said by many wiser folks than myself before: The BEST & ONLY way to have these desirable functions is to be truly & 100% internet free. Any volunteers for THAT ?!? Of course there are degrees of separation as well - and it is for the individual to find their own comfort level and live with it. A fine example of the technology which has already been OVER us all for decades already is to be found very openly in the movie entitled 'Enemy of the State' with Gene Hackman & Will Smith (made in 1998). Please note - the tech revealed therein was already less comprehensive than what was actively in use, even back then. Nowadays you might as well just accept that the innocuous delivery or plumber's van you are walking or driving by may have tech that can not only ID you via multiple methods almost instantly - but can even tell what the pattern dyed into your undies is after counting the money in your wallet & reading all the data from your 'smart cards'. No worries though - all this stuff is around to 'keep us all very, very safe'...and: Is it truly doing that for us, I would ask ??
Alright, let's give my personal feedback as well. Ubuntu : Good enough for a beginner, easy to install, easy to update (not needed to use CLI) Fedora : Another good alternative to Ubuntu, but you'll need to CLI if you need to get Vendor packages (Nvidia drivers and such) Solus : Pretty okay if you are alright with random hangs when you update (an issue between ISP's according to DataDrake), it's faster than the previous two. Debian : My personnal favourite, it just works, not the easiest to install if you're doing an expert install (that gives you lots of control) but once it's done, it's rock stable (even in testing branch) Arch : It's interesting to learn to use it as you learn lots of things, its wiki even works on other distros given its quality, it's good cause' you're in control of what you want for your system Qubes is the perfect example if you want true privacy (but who have privacy when you are on the internet lmao) but i wouldn't recommend it because it's too difficult for the random Joe
First time I ever heard that. TailsOS is actually really easy to use, you even got a new "hidden" mode which "transforms" the entire Desktop into a "Windows Mode".