Why moving to Linux to avoid Microsoft spying is impossible for most people

Discussion in 'Linux' started by roga, Aug 29, 2015.

  1. ipx

    ipx MDL Addicted

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    #1141 ipx, Nov 25, 2018
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  2. mwnn

    mwnn MDL Novice

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  3. ipx

    ipx MDL Addicted

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  4. Krager

    Krager MDL Senior Member

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    #1144 Krager, Dec 9, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2018
    I've been sick of Windows for a long time, but it's what developers write software for. Though you see a lot more developers now offering stuff for macOS and Unix variants.

    I've been off and on with Linux for many years. They've done something really lame in my mind with sysVinit which has put me off to Linux for good. Plus there's some management issues I don't like about the OS and community.

    Now my favorite OS is FreeBSD which is quite a work of technical art, super well organized, lean and fast. The downsides are more limited software availability and hardware support compared to Linux, though it does have a solid Linux emulator.

    All these Unix variants suffer from involved setup and configuration, I doubt that's going to change. If you want to use a Unix variant with its freedom from tyranny, you have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Though from what I understand macOS is Unix based and is gaining popularity.

    Someday I hope to be free of Windows, maybe FreeBSD. If I want to jump down the hardware rabbit hole, macOS might be an option if it's not too awful, never tried it.
     
  5. smallhagrid

    smallhagrid MDL Addicted

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    #1145 smallhagrid, Dec 9, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2018
    Despite all of its supposed failings, lots of Linux variants are rock solid - utterly dependable & able to do most anything EXCEPT for running the worst examples of overly demanding win-doze bloatware.
    That being said, if one desperately NEEDS such things, then running one's chosen win-doze version as a VM under most Linux variants is a great option.

    As to Linux in general - it is best IMO for newbies to start off by getting a grasp of Linux thusly:
    Linux as an overall OS family type=> Distros as the variants=> and Desktop Environments as what you look at as the ultimate GUI.

    For anyone considering what passes these days as the Apple OS, I suggest taking a good long, deep look at the history of the Apple co. itself in hopes of grasping the wintel corruption that has taken it over for some time already.
    This is why it is possible to use thatOS on generic PC h/w - as all the branded Apple computer things are merely re-badged PCs with higher prices to attract folks that see that line as a balm for their technophobias, etc. .

    Personal disclaimer relating with the paragraph above:
    Much of my past work was repairing/rebuilding original, genuine Macintosh machines with their unblemished OS & Motorola CPUs prior to the iMac nonsense & the huge 'goodwill donation' by beezlebub bill that brought the Apple exclusivity to its end.
    That change allowed me to devote my full time works to helping folks with non-Apple PCs for many years since - while also being a very happy Linux user personally & helping friends to very easily move away from win-doze & become delighted Linux users.

    Those I've helped away from the M$ OSes are amazed by the utter reliability of Linux - but not only that - because after paying what they've named the 'AV Tax' for so many years they were easily able to shed that regular expense while only needing to make any computer changes of any sort every 5 years or more due to using LTS versions - or very rarely due to a h/w failure.

    Of course there are many, many personal opinions based upon tastes & needs;
    All the same, I insist that when it comes to basic, everyday computing needs - a good Linux variant is a great choice.

    Is Linux also a perfect solution for heavy gamers or mainstream multimedia producers ??
    I have no clue as such high budget realms are not the areas I chose to work in all these recent decades.

    Back to this thread's exact topic before closing now:
    Making a choice based upon avoiding spying by an OS should NOT be necessary at all, ever.

    It is better to choose what suits one's needs best, then make whatever adjustments are needed to provide what one desires as a security level - and even if that means running a some very invasive M$ OS behind a carefully tuned, dedicated firewall PC that blocks unwanted traffic in both directions - then that is what can be done & it works very well IMO.
     
  6. mwnn

    mwnn MDL Novice

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  7. smallhagrid

    smallhagrid MDL Addicted

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    Even without all the alphabet soup/3-letter spy agencies & such...
    The internut is a wide open, public network.
    As such the ONLY way to avoid all these worries is to NEVER use, have, or allow an internut connection.

    Is that practical or even possible anymore - or more like something to be made into a comedy skit ??

    At least in the US, when one looks around out in public all the deadwalkers with their smartphones (mini-PCs) right in front of their faces are omnipresent...such folks are usually paying a premium for all their data usages & if/when there is any outage they become at least somewhat helpless & even may panic.

    Many folks now even buy into the silly anti-privacy cliche of 'I have nothing to hide, so why be bothered ?' and/or the notions that spying by the corps ensures their 'safety'.

    Again I insist - this is all a matter of very personal choice - and has been in process since around 1995, and was extremely empowered a bit later by a thing called UCITA, which very few folks have even heard of or know anything about.

    For any doubters, I strongly suggest viewing an old movie entitled 'Enemy of the State' with Will Smith & Gene Hackman; then take a second to imagine that it is possible for all that spy technology to not only have existed for a long time, but to be well beyond the state depicted therein, in the time passed since that movie was made.

    Such a perspective of what actually is & the acceptance thereof is able to help in having some personal peace in this crazy world - if that is desirable to the individual.
     
  8. Krager

    Krager MDL Senior Member

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    It seems the privacy concerns with Windows pale in comparison to other bigger privacy threats. At least in Windows you can mostly shut that stuff off. A little might still squeak out, but nothing like what the men in blacks suits can do with all the covert tech incorporated into our devices. I think if we truly realized the extent of domestic spying we'd all chuck our internet devices in the river. It's also a numbers game, I don't think they can watch every byte of everybody's data, but if they zero in on you it's all over.
     
  9. nodnar

    nodnar MDL Expert

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    hm. never saw men in black before.:D
    but then i am not a professional terrorist.
    and i disagree heartily when you say that a little may squeak out.it is none of m$`business anyway.
    and never mind the men in black. i doubt if any dictatorship can afford the manpower.
     
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  10. gorski

    gorski MDL Guru

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  11. ipx

    ipx MDL Addicted

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    #1151 ipx, Dec 10, 2018
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  12. nodnar

    nodnar MDL Expert

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    Jeremy Corbyn is a total crook, of course. he supports even palestinian arabs. money well spent imho.
     
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  13. gorski

    gorski MDL Guru

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    ...the accent being on h... :p
     
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  14. Tiger-1

    Tiger-1 MDL Guru

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  15. Krager

    Krager MDL Senior Member

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    #1155 Krager, Dec 17, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2018
    I'm getting to the limit of what I can tolerate with Windows. I'm getting up to speed with win10, was on win7 until I got a new machine. I've got most of my settings scripted which I always do for fast reloads, like to be able to do a clean install quickly when I need to. So I was putting off dealing with the task scheduler because it was pretty tedious and boring on win7. Getting into Windows 10 task scheduler has been an ugly experience, it's like digging for a body in the city dump. It's unnecessarily convoluted and covert. It's not just the exceedingly large number of tasks. There's a whole bunch where I'm not able to see what triggers them and the action they perform. They keep making things more difficult to manage, I mean that was the one thing Windows had going for it up to win7. I guess they're trying hard as they can to steer people away from their product. It's convincing me anyway. I swear this is the last one, but I keep saying that and ending up assholes and elbows into a new version of Windows.
     
  16. Anemisme

    Anemisme MDL Novice

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    I always laugh at those websites, they usually take what's more popular (Ubuntu is a joke now, better use Mint) and then just throw some informations and stuff already copypasted for a decade.
    Where's Manjaro and Solus ? Both are solid choice compared to Elementary and so on...
    That's why I always rely on Distrowatch, because they don't recommend X things, they just put distros and you make your choice.
     
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  17. Tiger-1

    Tiger-1 MDL Guru

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    yep I agree , now I'm think in ReactOS or old
     
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  18. nodnar

    nodnar MDL Expert

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    reactos...i wonder if it handles 64 bit..but is a thought. more comfy than linux anyway..
     
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  19. gorski

    gorski MDL Guru

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  20. Krager

    Krager MDL Senior Member

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    #1160 Krager, Dec 17, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2018
    Wow that looks like something to really keep on eye on. I wonder if the hardware support is there, does it use Windows drivers? I like FreeBSD a lot, but third party support in terms of drivers and software is pretty limited so it keeps me away from it as my full time OS.

    After watching the video I see it's still in early development. So maybe down the road. Windows XP in classic skin was actually my favorite design for Windows of all I've used. I ran ClassicShell on win7 to make it more XP like. Win10 is icky to me in comparison though OpenShell helps a lot. Would be really pleased to run ReactOS as my full time system.