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Windows 11 for the gaming and Fedora KDE on my laptop and surface go
What is your desktop OS?
I have tried countless linux distros, none of them satisfied my security needs. Deksktop OSs are all flawed by design. I can say that with probably more confidence than a dumbass like me should have. I will link a bunch of websites where I have found useful information. Do your own research. My personal conclusion is that Standard Linux distros are a big nono, Immutable ones are better. Maybe try secureblue. But it also sucks, because it's always about tradeoffs. I am still searching for what I want, currently dual booting into kionite with hardedining applied and windows as my primary. I want to leave windows at some point completely, but I can't find anything like equalizer APO for linux. Qubes OS is a very niche thing and imo a waste of time for most people. I'm sorry if I offend anyone with my incoherrent ramblings, but I wrote this in one go on my phone without stopping for a second except for adding the links. I wish you more luck than I have had until this point researching this.
Some useful links:
https://madaidans-insecurities.github.io/index.html
https://www.qubes-os.org/intro/
https://privsec.dev/
https://seclists.org/dailydave/2010/q3/29
I recmmend reading every link possible on all the linked sites that refrences something. And of course, check other sources aswell. This is very basic information, that as I already mentioned, was sharted out by a dumbass in one go.
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[deleted] GigaN Deksktop OSs are all flawed by design
They're not, especially the ones that allow you to tweak everything.
From the first link he shared:
It's a common assumption that the issues within the security model of desktop Linux are only "by default" and can be tweaked how the user wishes; however, standard system hardening techniques are not enough to fix any of these massive, architectural security issues. Restricting a few minor things is not going to fix this. Likewise, a few common security features distributions deploy by default are also not going to fix this. Just because your distribution enables a MAC framework without creating a strict policy and still running most processes unconfined, does not mean you can escape from these issues.
The hardening required for a reasonably secure Linux distribution is far greater than people assume. You would need to completely redesign how the operating system functions and implement full system MAC policies, full verified boot (not just for the kernel but the entire base system), a strong sandboxing architecture, a hardened kernel, widespread use of modern exploit mitigations and plenty more. Even then, your efforts will still be limited by the incompatibility with the rest of the desktop Linux ecosystem and the general disregard that most have for security.
I've replaced Fedora Kinoite with Arch and I'm now considering using Tommytran's script, I'd probably make it my daily Linux driver if what I want to do with it doesn't pose any particular issues.
5 days later
Debian 12 on my PC and NixOs on Laptops, looking to go full nix soon and keep Debian on Servers. (Also some Windows for Gaming only)
3 months later
Private: Gentoo Linux since years and I am very happy with it.
Mobile: GrapheneOS, and I am also very happy with that.
At work I am forced to use Windows. Definitely NOT happy with that.
In my private life the only windows I have are made from glass :)
rainforest In my private life the only windows I have are made from glass
I bricked all my windows up. They aren't getting me that way.
Qubes. Very secure, but with a learning curve and some restrictions due to the level of security.
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Windows 11 and Graphene OS
Tails OS is not focused on security, it's focused on privacy. Security and privacy are not the same things.
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Was thinking of switching to Linux.. I don't do much in front of my computer with windows.
I was kind of excited when I switched to Gos, and maybe am I in search of something 'challangeing'.
With zero knowledge about Linux or anything remote of windows. Will I even manage to handle Linux?
My main goal is something easy and prepared for gaming. Will Nobara be a good entry point into Linux?
What should I research before a potential switch?
[deleted] Avoid Linux forks, I suggest you Fedora Workstation, Opensuse Tumbleweed or Arch Linux, I personnaly use Arch, but all three are good, offer regular updates, support features that improve security and confidentiality and work perfectly well for gaming, Arch may give you a little more control because you only use what you install, Fedora Workstation comes with more software, some people claim that installing and using Arch Linux is difficult because you have to maintain it but this is not true or at least not anymore, don't tinker with it without knowing what you're doing, and you'll be fine.
You can use a VM and see what works best for you.
[deleted] Will Nobara be a good entry point into Linux?
Should be. Its just Fedora with a bunch of gaming stuff pre-set into it, and Fedora itself is already super user-friendly. Not to mention, I believe you can always(?) 'try out' a Linux distro from the USB drive you used before properly installing it anyway.
Since you're coming from Windows, its recommended to use versions of Fedora/Nobara named/labelled "KDE". "KDE", and any other labels such as "Gnome", "xfce", "Cinnamon", refers to what's called the desktop environment, aka the desktop UI (taskbar, menus, etc). KDE is recommended because it is the most "Windows" desktop environment.
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[deleted] If you are curious and managed to install and use GOS, installing a popular Linux distribution won't be a big issue. Honestly even back in 2008 when I installed Ubuntu 8.10 for the first time, it was easier to use and manage than Windows right away (to be fair, I was coming from Windows Vista back then, so the bar was low :D).
Nobara is a good idea for gaming, you could also look into Bazzite or HoloISO depending on your needs. I personally would simply install Fedora as it comes with Steam and NVIDIA drivers ready to install. It has a large user base, is not just gaming focused and uses better security practices compared to most Linux distributions, but choice again is all up to you.
You'll be surprised how easy everything is from the get go. Depending on your choice you opt in to a different Desktop environment (the look and feel of the OS, but you can change that later on). For the mentioned systems these are usually Gnome, KDE or Steam Gaming Mode. I think the workflow of Gnome is far superior to Windows, while KDE is similar to Windows out of the box, but highly customizable. Installing apps is easy with one click in the respective app stores, so no more downloading and installing of .exe files. System and app updates are centralized and automatic, but will never be forced on you upon restart. And you can usually encrypt your SSD easily on installation (on Windows Home it's a bit more complicated). That might hit gaming performance, so it depends how secure you want your PC/Laptop to be.
Maybe check out YouTube for videos on Fedora, Nobara, Bazzite and HoloISO and find what's best for you. If you need help, there are forums and wikis everywhere (including this one, although not specific to Linux gaming). And in order to see how well your favorite game will run on Linux or what hoops you have to jump through, you can consult protondb. You'll see most games work well on Linux, some even better than on Windows.
[deleted] I'd add that if you're using an AMD GPU, you don't have to do anything because open-source drivers are provided by the kernel and they're as good as or better than proprietary drivers, the Steam client has a Linux version but this isn't the case for GOG, use Lutris and Heroic Game Launcher for GOG and Epic Games, Protondb as suggested above and a source of information that may be useful to you, in Steam, go to settings, compatibility then enable steam play for compatible games, you can now force a Windows game to launch via the Proton compatibility layer which is a set of open-source frameworks and software including Wine, OpenGL, OpenCL, Mesa and Vulkan, the Steam Deck for example is based on Arch Linux.