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Conversations with creators and thinkers who are charting the way forward in a tech-saturated society. In our shift to a digital future, we need alternatives to Big Tech. Homepage: techtonic.fm
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May 27, 2024: We should all switch to Linux
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Today: We should all switch to Linux
Microsoft’s launch of new spyware in Windows is a good reminder that Big Tech intends to exploit you via its computers and surveillance phones. A good non-corporate alternative is Linux, a free and open-source operating system.
Today we speak with “Peter Fung” (not his real name), a security expert living in Switzerland, about why, and how, we should all switch to Linux.
Below, sites mentioned in the interview:
• DistroWatch.com: comprehensive listing of Linux distributions
• Ubuntu for desktops: Linux distro OK for recent-model computers
• elementary OS: recommended Linux distro
• Zorin OS: recommended Linux distro
• Pop!_OS: recommended Linux distro
• LibreOffice: recommended alternative to Microsoft Office
• ONLYOFFICE: recommended alternative to Microsoft Office
• Apache OpenOffice: another alternative to Microsoft Office
• NextCloud: recommended alternative to Google Drive
• Element: secure communications platform (don’t use WhatsApp!)
• Session: secure messaging (seriously, don’t use WhatsApp!)
• Fairphone: “smartphones that benefit the planet”
• Murena: deGoogled smartphones
• Ubuntu Touch: Linux-based smartphone OS
• GrapheneOS: deGoogled Android OS
• LineageOS: deGoogled Android OS
• CalyxOS: deGoogled Android OS
• Greenweb Solutions: our guest’s company
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Artist | Track | Comments | Images | Approx. start time | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
We should all switch to Linux | ||||||||||
Tomaš Dvořák | Game Boy Tune | |||||||||
Mark's intro | ||||||||||
Interview with Peter | 0:08:43 (MP3 | Pop-up) | |||||||||
Mark's comments | 0:45:52 (MP3 | Pop-up) | |||||||||
Highly Effective People | Under Surveillance | thanks to Evan "Funk" Davies | 0:54:26 (MP3 | Pop-up) |
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Listener comments!
ultradamno:
Webhamster Henry:
Bas NL:
morphe':
chresti:
Webhamster Henry:
newton:
Ken From Hyde Park:
Wendy del Formaggio:
Wendy del Formaggio:
newton:
PaulRobeson1924:
malĥerbo (nl):
newton:
hoeg:
# apt install freedom
:D
Deb from California:
dale:
Webhamster Henry:
joe_rosevear:
dano59:
I’d almost prefer that (as a socialist) to Apple’s proprietary shtuff - if only Apple’s design wasn’t the more elegant. The Windows GUI is a paste-on over DOS to emulate the Mac OS
ness:
Dean:
joe_rosevear:
Art:
Deb from California:
Webhamster Henry:
DjLorraine:
Art:
dale:
Dean:
I tried to run Linux (an Ubuntu distro) on the laptop I used in law school...which was '01-'04. Didn't give it fair time and attention.
The frog-in-water scenario is a myth, by the way.
Webhamster Henry:
newton:
dale:
Fuzzy:
6.6.31-2-MANJARO
dale:
tim:
sim_mobile:
Dean:
chresti:
Dean:
ultradamno:
Deb from California:
joe_rosevear:
Webhamster Henry:
Listener Robert:
Bas NL:
zachary:
winston legthigh:
Christina in Canada:
malĥerbo (nl):
Webhamster Henry:
zachary:
(Process) A➡(Process) B:
I've been working with my old ASUS laptop, with Windows 8, battered as it is, and will keep hanging on to it until it meets it's imminent demise, regardless of all the bugs it succumbs to (and believe me, it does often lag BIG TIME)!
However, my brother has turned me on to a "mini-server" that runs on Raspberry Pi. And I am now seriously considering buying my own.
Dean:
Abandon Mac and Windows, and embrace the command line.
zachary:
Mark Hurst:
hoeg:
sim_mobile:
zachary:
Christina in Canada:
zachary:
Happy to help you with your Linux journey.
winston legthigh:
Mark Hurst:
(Process) A➡(Process) B:
joe_rosevear:
Ken From Hyde Park:
Franco Twinkie:
Webhamster Henry:
sim_mobile:
Mark Hurst:
Threemoons 🌛🌕🌜:
Webhamster Henry:
coelacanth∅:
i could work with it now, but i need to get a laptop that doesn't have physical problems.
joe_rosevear:
Webhamster Henry:
Mark Hurst:
Fuzzy:
zachary:
You can boot to it, check it out, test your hardware, without overwriting or installing anything.
Art:
Webhamster Henry:
zachary:
Listener Robert:
But I also once gave some Jehova's Witnesses the Discordian trip for about 20 minutes and got them to say they couldn't spend more time and walked away.
tim:
(Process) A➡(Process) B:
zachary:
Dean:
...and your OS will follow.
Kathleen from JC:
Enflod:
zachary:
Debian: www.debian.org...
General concept: ubuntu.com...
sim_mobile:
Mark Hurst:
?:
zachary:
tim:
Listener Robert:
newton:
Webhamster Henry:
Mark Hurst:
Dean:
Fuzzy:
coelacanth∅:
people use phrases that mean nothing to most people and often don't even know of another way to phrase it!
the guy who installed linux for me would say things like "native command line" and was incapable of rephrasing it in english.
i had no choice but to give up.
(even now, even though i can figure out almost everything that i need to now, i still don't know what a "native command line" is)
sim_mobile:
Enflod:
Webhamster Henry:
Art:
Will thee SG OCNY:
Mark Hurst:
luca:
Will thee SG OCNY:
chresti:
zachary:
"How we got Linux on the iPhone, iPad and other iDevices"
Webhamster Henry:
Dean:
"Native" command line = the tool that comes bundled with the OS, rather than a more sophisticated command line tool that you can add to your installation.
sim_mobile:
joe_rosevear:
That is because LInux, when set up right, can run easily on older machines that are discarded by Windows users.
Dean:
zachary:
Hear, hear, Joe!
Art:
zachary:
Will thee SG OCNY:
Webhamster Henry:
sim_mobile:
Webhamster Henry:
newton:
Dean:
Listener Robert:
Webhamster Henry:
Dean:
sim_mobile:
https://optics.ansys.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500005392522-Ubuntu-Linux-installation-guide#:~:text=This%20page%20shows%20the%20installation,with%20the%20default%20desktop%20environment. ans
Deb from California:
Listener Robert:
Zumzar:
Btw, if you think you are on some kind of 'independent path' if you are using Linux, think again - probably 95% of US corporations use Linux on their servers.
From security point of view, Linux is definitely not a holy grail, Only a few months back it was discovered by pure luck that one of dependent I/O libraries contained a back door possibly installed by Chinese hackers. If this made to Linux release, this backdoor would allow access to virtually all computers running this distribution.
Handy Haversack:
Dean:
I avoided my 40th reunion; my 50th will be 2027. I'll likely avoid that, too.
Mark Hurst:
joe_rosevear:
winston legthigh:
Deb from California:
Fuzzy:
Listener Robert:
tim:
Mister Dobalina:
Webhamster Henry:
Listener Robert:
MarciB:
joe_rosevear:
Dean:
Will thee SG OCNY:
Mister Dobalina:
Handy Haversack:
Handy Haversack:
Dean:
zachary:
What was the last distribution you have used? My young children (6 and 9) both run and manage their own machines with very little, if ever, help from me in terms of updating and maintaining. It's easy enough to apt update/upgrade a machine to get the latest packages on a Debian distribution.
Linux runs the vast majority of servers because POSIX design is brilliant when running services. Plus, it's free as in speech and as in beer.
And yes, there are security issues and general bugs, just like any other software. The difference is in how it can be updated and patched. Some software publishes refuse to fix issues on old versions. Where as in the Linux world, its easy to keep files (if you maintained a separate home partition) and upgrade to a new OS if necessary.
Webhamster Henry:
Techtonic is now the go-to program for recorder news.
Deano de los Muertos:
zachary:
Mister Dobalina:
sim_mobile:
The history of computing is rife with clever exploits. Linux is somewhat better due to open source code. The exploit you're talking about was caught because a developer noticed increase in lag time. This exploit was so long in the pipe and with a host of sock puppets, it had to be either a corp or nation state funding it. Against that kind of bad actors, most any OS is vulnerable.
Dean:
I haven't landed on a favorite recorder player, but there are many I admire. I adore the Telemann sonatas. You?
joe_rosevear:
Ken From Hyde Park:
MarciB:
DjLorraine:
Dean:
Deb from California:
It seems like "pursuing privacy", if that it your reason for switching to Linux ... may not be an "ironclad" certainty.
Mister Dobalina:
MarciB:
Webhamster Henry:
Will thee SG OCNY:
luca:
chresti:
Listener Robert:
Mister Dobalina:
Christina in Canada:
Dean:
Webhamster Henry:
zachary:
sim_mobile:
DjLorraine:
zachary:
luca:
newton:
joe_rosevear:
Dean:
sim_mobile:
zachary:
Webhamster Henry:
Deb from California:
.
If I "do something" on my email or Facebook ... it happens ... on both my computer and my cell phone.
.
(Is this helpful to you ... ?)
.
zachary:
ultradamno:
I'd look at that
MarciB:
joe_rosevear:
Dean:
Ken From Hyde Park:
luca:
newton:
Handy Haversack:
Deb from California:
Bas NL:
zachary:
Christina in Canada:
zachary:
efd:
Bea:
Fuzzy:
chresti:
joe_rosevear:
luca:
zachary:
tim:
Thanks Evan “Under Urveillance” Davies for the outro!
zachary:
I take it you are using an iPhone and sync via iTunes/iPhoto?
(Process) A➡(Process) B:
The first time I heard this, I was thinking "Mark Hurst should listen to this!". Then Evan later namedropped him in the back announce! Ha!
luca:
zachary:
Mark Hurst:
Will thee SG OCNY:
Be well everyone!!!
Webhamster Henry:
zachary:
zachary:
Zumzar:
I am pretty sure that most of personal computer/device users use automated updates or have someone else run OS upgrades. Everything else is an unnecessary complication for them.
zachary:
Yes. I run too many things to have updates run automatically. In most cases, it works out for users.
Glad to hear you are another Linux user. By your original comment, you said it was too much to install (we just installed Debian on my son's new computer and while we did not use it, there was an automatic disk partition routine) and maintain. I think they are less complicated if not the same as Windows machines in most cases.