I am looking to find out whether anyone is using the Linux distro Qubes OS? It is self described as a "reasonably secure operating system." Qubes are like sandboxes, I guess, in a similar way that Graphene OS uses this idea on phones. I like the sound of this:
A 'dom0' qube is basically the 'admin qube', this is used to administer the entire operating system. It has been designed in a very security conscious manner like the rest of the OS, resulting in no network connectivity, and only being used to run the desktop environment, and the window manager.
I look forward to hearing from stackers with their impressions.
I used Qubes OS for quite some time and was satisfied but it really is a very heavy operating system. Think of having a desktop on which you have a lot of isolated virtual machines running. It requires enough ram memory to run at a satisfactory rate as well as you have to look which laptop is compatible. It is a very secure operating system by default, but I find it stiff. I went with something different that really works everywhere and is if not the most secure system one of the most secure. OpenBSD and I really will never go back to linux ever again. I could write a lot but they have excellent documentation that is really worth studying. I suggest you try Qubes OS if you have a compatible laptop or computer. I see in previous comments that Tails were mentioned. Anonymity does not imply a secure and shielded operating system necessarily. Anonymity is one thing, security by default is other. In general, check what suits you best.
Thanks for the informative reply. I have never looked into OpenBSD, but I will now.
It's very picky about the graphics card you use.
Qubes is basically the Xen hypervisor with a nice VM template system and near-seamless desktop integration for VMs.
In addition to the security provided by putting stuff in separate VMs, it's great for development and other cases where you need to fire up a clean OS install. The integration tools like clipboard and file transfer makes working across multiple VMs practical.
There are several cons and caveats, though:
I use Qubes for all my desktops/laptops that I do any real work on. Every developer involved in security critical stuff should be using it; if you're not doing this kind of isolation it's way too easy for an exploit to compromise your code/builds, eg via a web browser exploit.
Thank you for this reply. Your opinion is good enough for me.
I installed it on my laptop (with the intent of running a full BTC node on it) but had some issues with it detecting my secondary external monitor. Unfortunately I had intended to route it through a KVM along with my desktop machine, so lack of external monitor support made me change my plans.
Seemed like a quite nice OS the little that I used it though. I'm hoping they keep making progress and it becomes viable vs the other mainstream OSs.
Yes, on desktop, daily / main driver
On laptop though, not so great as it affects battery and triggers fans
Qubes OS is the best OS, you can completely separate different areas of your digital life. If you're going to dive in, get a qubes certified machine for minimum hassles
https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/certified-hardware/
Nop! Still using proprietary OS out here because of good UI/UX
Try https://tails.net
I do use this once in a while. I don't think it's practical as a daily driver.
I tend to fear what few people are using, It usually is too glitchy for moi
Very few developers. Bound to be vulnerabilities.
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