Ask HN: Is Linux Safe to Daily drive in 2026?
39 comments
I've been using it exclusively for a few years now, but I'd still say: it depends. e.g. we've yet to see an actual photoshop replacement in OSS (Krita seems to be on a good trajectory now that they've pivoted to a broader scope). First stop is checking whether you have viable replacements for things that you use.
Ubuntu is going to strong-arm you into Snaps, the snap-ectomy is nontrivial, and they have a habit of reappearing. Some people don't have a problem with Snaps - so non-issue if you don't care. Otherwise I'd go with a downstream distro that removes them: pop os, mint, or even upstream (Debian).
XFS is an extremely mature file system if you don't need anything fancy, and you're probably less likely to lose data compared to $proprietary. The other major ones (ext4 and btrfs) are probably just as good, but XFS honestly does stand out in terms of maturity and simplicity.
A common trap is trusting the installer with partitioning. My last Ubuntu installation ran out of space on EFI. 5gb is overkill, but given how abundant disk space is, who cares. Separating / and /home is a good idea for rescue/reinstalling but without btrfs subvolumes (Ubuntu uses btrfs subvolumes by default) it becomes a bit challenging to figure out how to dice things up: e.g. docker containers are stored in /var, so they can deplete your system drive space. Last time I didn't use btrfs, 200gb for / never caused issues for me.
Oh, and Windows has a habit of removing other boot loaders from its drive. If you dual boot, use a different disk for the entire installation.
That's really the extent of the gotchas I'd give to a person literate enough to install an OS. I would slightly urge towards immutable (Silverblue), but Ubuntu is just fine.
Ubuntu is going to strong-arm you into Snaps, the snap-ectomy is nontrivial, and they have a habit of reappearing. Some people don't have a problem with Snaps - so non-issue if you don't care. Otherwise I'd go with a downstream distro that removes them: pop os, mint, or even upstream (Debian).
XFS is an extremely mature file system if you don't need anything fancy, and you're probably less likely to lose data compared to $proprietary. The other major ones (ext4 and btrfs) are probably just as good, but XFS honestly does stand out in terms of maturity and simplicity.
A common trap is trusting the installer with partitioning. My last Ubuntu installation ran out of space on EFI. 5gb is overkill, but given how abundant disk space is, who cares. Separating / and /home is a good idea for rescue/reinstalling but without btrfs subvolumes (Ubuntu uses btrfs subvolumes by default) it becomes a bit challenging to figure out how to dice things up: e.g. docker containers are stored in /var, so they can deplete your system drive space. Last time I didn't use btrfs, 200gb for / never caused issues for me.
Oh, and Windows has a habit of removing other boot loaders from its drive. If you dual boot, use a different disk for the entire installation.
That's really the extent of the gotchas I'd give to a person literate enough to install an OS. I would slightly urge towards immutable (Silverblue), but Ubuntu is just fine.
I would say yes! I would consider not sandboxing your internet browsers because the integration isn’t fully there yet, but everything else works. A lot of Flatpaks are maintained by their developers so you get releases faster with a layer of separation from an otherwise “slow” distro.
In my humble opinion, consider Fedora instead because of Ubuntu and Snaps. You’ll have the flexibility of Flatpaks, RPMs, Snaps if you really want, etc. Some suggested immutable distros (Silverblue), but you can adopt a containerized workflow incrementally with regular Fedora so that you don’t run into its sticky corners.
In my humble opinion, consider Fedora instead because of Ubuntu and Snaps. You’ll have the flexibility of Flatpaks, RPMs, Snaps if you really want, etc. Some suggested immutable distros (Silverblue), but you can adopt a containerized workflow incrementally with regular Fedora so that you don’t run into its sticky corners.
+1 for fedora. I use it for work. I use an exotic browser (LibreWolf) running teams. Slack desktop from https://packagecloud.io/slacktechnologies/slack it does everything well (screensharing, audio, video) all on Gnome Wayland.
the beauty is you can use native packages not flatpaks, so better chance everything works because it's been tested by the maintainer against the fedora release. at least that my theory.
the beauty is you can use native packages not flatpaks, so better chance everything works because it's been tested by the maintainer against the fedora release. at least that my theory.
Linux comes in a wide range of distributions, so it is hard to make universal claims. One area where security defaults need to improve is sandboxing.
If security is a major concern, bwrap or firejail can easily provide that extra sandboxing.
NixOS and GuixSD make it quite trivial to sandbox applications in a declarative fashion using firejail.
An alternative is to use e.g. Flatpak, which gets you sandboxing for free via bwrap. But I am not a fan of application images that bypass package management.
If security is a major concern, bwrap or firejail can easily provide that extra sandboxing.
NixOS and GuixSD make it quite trivial to sandbox applications in a declarative fashion using firejail.
An alternative is to use e.g. Flatpak, which gets you sandboxing for free via bwrap. But I am not a fan of application images that bypass package management.
I heard about the sandboxing being especially sketchy, thanks for a point in the right direction for mitigation.
Additionally, any thoughts on snap? (presently looking into Flatpak)
Additionally, any thoughts on snap? (presently looking into Flatpak)
Functionally, it is very similar to Flatpak. The main reason people do not like it (for reasons independent of sandboxed applications in general) is that Canonical controls the store and that it is not open-sourced, and that it is very difficult to remove it on Ubuntu setups (a major pain-point for people who need an unsandboxed Firefox setup).
I wouldn't use snap or Flatpak, just sandbox using bwrap or firejail. They are really easy to use.
Containers also provide good development sandboxing. With distrobox you can run many distributions inside your own within a clean and isolated environment.
Containers also provide good development sandboxing. With distrobox you can run many distributions inside your own within a clean and isolated environment.
Just use flatpak. Let's not steer newbies towards barely maintained untested bespoke solutions.
Flatpak uses bwrap, it's not esoteric folklore software. The OP asked a serious question and they're entitled to a serious answer.
My understanding of safety concern around Linux is mainly the security, namely, full disk encryption. Full disk encryption avoid an attacker unplug your harddrive and directly read the data.
While it is possible, it is definitely not easy to setup right, particularly if you want hibernation to disk properly setup. There is certain requirement on the disk layout setup, use LVM, setup TPM, setup bootloader parameters, setup hibernation and wake.... any step is wrong you have to use a boot drive to rescue, and it is very hard to fix if you don't have LVM in the first place. For example, Arch Linux's archinstall won't setup this whole suite for you.
This is really nessary if you are going to take the computer outside and it might get lost stolen. You definitely don't want other people to read the content after it was lost. I think this kind of security is default on Windows / Mac / iOS / Android right now already, but Linux is still so hard.
While it is possible, it is definitely not easy to setup right, particularly if you want hibernation to disk properly setup. There is certain requirement on the disk layout setup, use LVM, setup TPM, setup bootloader parameters, setup hibernation and wake.... any step is wrong you have to use a boot drive to rescue, and it is very hard to fix if you don't have LVM in the first place. For example, Arch Linux's archinstall won't setup this whole suite for you.
This is really nessary if you are going to take the computer outside and it might get lost stolen. You definitely don't want other people to read the content after it was lost. I think this kind of security is default on Windows / Mac / iOS / Android right now already, but Linux is still so hard.
Using Mint, I've found the tools 'Timeshift' (for the OS) and 'Backup Tool' (for the Home folder) to be handy & assuring from the dangers of tinkering and/or an upgrade. Both allow saving their outputs to outside 'safes'.
Another benefit of Mint is a well-attended user forum (with swell tech support). That can important if your technical problem is rarer... with audio, say. (NOT a Linux strong-point.)
Unless your uses are bog-standard, I'd look for similar features to rely on in any distro.
Booting from Grub can be 'interesting' at times, if there's a weak point.
Another benefit of Mint is a well-attended user forum (with swell tech support). That can important if your technical problem is rarer... with audio, say. (NOT a Linux strong-point.)
Unless your uses are bog-standard, I'd look for similar features to rely on in any distro.
Booting from Grub can be 'interesting' at times, if there's a weak point.
Safe in what sense?
As someone who's been daily running it since 2008, I'm gonna say yes anyway though. It's secure (one definition of safe) and no more likely to eat your data than any other OS. Still back things up though, hardware failures happen.
What to config? Nothing. Don't touch shit if you don't know what you're doing. That's the secret to having a stable system, not messing with it.
As someone who's been daily running it since 2008, I'm gonna say yes anyway though. It's secure (one definition of safe) and no more likely to eat your data than any other OS. Still back things up though, hardware failures happen.
What to config? Nothing. Don't touch shit if you don't know what you're doing. That's the secret to having a stable system, not messing with it.
This, exactly. I tend to run into a lot of problems, but that is mostly because I tend to tinker with it in non-standard ways (hard to be surprised about your computer no longer booting when you intentionally tried to change the encryption setup). However, if you install a distro closest to your use-case and and then stick with just general applications (i.e. the kind you can get from Flatpak), you should not run into issues.
Of course, some things will randomly break unexpectedly, but you get that with Windows and MacOS, too.
Of course, some things will randomly break unexpectedly, but you get that with Windows and MacOS, too.
Usually no, at least not out of the box.
If you don't sandbox your desktop applications, it is just not safe by principle. You are running binaries using the same user account with zero audit into what it is doing. You need access control.
If you don't sandbox your desktop applications, it is just not safe by principle. You are running binaries using the same user account with zero audit into what it is doing. You need access control.
Assuming you're already running a PC with a desktop OS, you can use virtualization to 'get your toe wet' and try linux without diving in entirely with a real install. On windows virtualbox is free for non-commercial use and pretty simple to set up.
If you've got a spare drive then install it on that leaving your existing install alone, or if you have spare space on your existing drive you can shrink a partition (backup important data first) and set up a multi-boot
If you've got a spare drive then install it on that leaving your existing install alone, or if you have spare space on your existing drive you can shrink a partition (backup important data first) and set up a multi-boot
WSL2 is available to get ones toes wet as well, without needing to go through the install process of any Linux flavor, nor needlessly involve Oracle.
Sure it doesn't have a full Desktop Environment, but one can run GUI apps, and easily pass files between.
Sure it doesn't have a full Desktop Environment, but one can run GUI apps, and easily pass files between.
I've been running Linux Mint exclusively as a daily driver for fourteen years. The software company I started used it for everything from development to marketing to accounts. We had zero issues, and security audits always gave a clean bill of health.
Full disc encryption is now just a checkbox away when installing your distro of choice. Sticking to verified software is best practice.
Full disc encryption is now just a checkbox away when installing your distro of choice. Sticking to verified software is best practice.
Perfectly safe. I would argue that it is the safest of the three, the least invasive both in terms of its design and in terms of privacy.
The open source model of development has encouraged the correct incentives for people to become active in identifying and fixing possible exploits in a global, communal effort.
Every server on the cloud has (by a large margin) chosen Linux as the OS to trust specifically for this reason.
The open source model of development has encouraged the correct incentives for people to become active in identifying and fixing possible exploits in a global, communal effort.
Every server on the cloud has (by a large margin) chosen Linux as the OS to trust specifically for this reason.
for most people linux is the least secure. linux assumes the user knows what they are doing, whereas windows and mac os assume the user needs protection.
Linux out of all those three is very specific in that it can be configured to be perfectly secure and, at the same time, if you explicitly ask it to shoot you in the foot, it will.
Generally the out-of-the-box experience of Ubuntu and Fedora is at least as secure or better than that of Windows. macOS tends to lean towards a more hardened configuration. Matching that is possible (Android being a great example), but will require some work on your part and is generally not worth it unless you download and run untrusted software.
And one area where desktop Linux really shines is how easy it makes it to only limit yourself to software you can generally trust: that in the default repositories. If you use a well-maintained distribution, keep your system up to date, and only use software that your distribution delivers, chances of your machine getting compromised by anything other than a strictly targeted attack are very slim.
It's understandable that eventually you might want to run third-party software. In that case, I'd definitely advise against running random scripts or commands from the Internet, especially the `curl | bash` kind, and adding third-party repositories to your system unless you absolutely trust their source. This and running out-of-date Internet-facing software are the most common attack vectors.
For third-party software, consider using Flatpak (desktop) and Podman/Docker (server). These sandbox software by default, limiting the damage it can do to your system. With Flatpak, always pay attention to what permissions your application will be granted (those are listed at installation time) and try to limit their scope as narrowly as possible. You can manage the permissions with `flatpak info -M` and `flatpak override`. There's also Flatseal, a GUI alternative which I personally haven't tried.
One more thing to watch out for: extensions. Some software, such as Visual Studio Code and derivatives, has very lax policies on extensions. Even if you install it from a trusted source, but then install an untrusted extension, the extension will run with full access to your files! If you're using such programs, I recommend installing them in Flatpak and limiting their permissions as well. I've been burned by some VSCode extensions in the official marketplace that immediately contacted Chinese IPs upon installation.
Of course, those are tips for those looking to get started. Long-time users interested in hardening should definitely look into SELinux, seccomp, namespaces, dm-verity, and their associated utilities.
Generally the out-of-the-box experience of Ubuntu and Fedora is at least as secure or better than that of Windows. macOS tends to lean towards a more hardened configuration. Matching that is possible (Android being a great example), but will require some work on your part and is generally not worth it unless you download and run untrusted software.
And one area where desktop Linux really shines is how easy it makes it to only limit yourself to software you can generally trust: that in the default repositories. If you use a well-maintained distribution, keep your system up to date, and only use software that your distribution delivers, chances of your machine getting compromised by anything other than a strictly targeted attack are very slim.
It's understandable that eventually you might want to run third-party software. In that case, I'd definitely advise against running random scripts or commands from the Internet, especially the `curl | bash` kind, and adding third-party repositories to your system unless you absolutely trust their source. This and running out-of-date Internet-facing software are the most common attack vectors.
For third-party software, consider using Flatpak (desktop) and Podman/Docker (server). These sandbox software by default, limiting the damage it can do to your system. With Flatpak, always pay attention to what permissions your application will be granted (those are listed at installation time) and try to limit their scope as narrowly as possible. You can manage the permissions with `flatpak info -M` and `flatpak override`. There's also Flatseal, a GUI alternative which I personally haven't tried.
One more thing to watch out for: extensions. Some software, such as Visual Studio Code and derivatives, has very lax policies on extensions. Even if you install it from a trusted source, but then install an untrusted extension, the extension will run with full access to your files! If you're using such programs, I recommend installing them in Flatpak and limiting their permissions as well. I've been burned by some VSCode extensions in the official marketplace that immediately contacted Chinese IPs upon installation.
Of course, those are tips for those looking to get started. Long-time users interested in hardening should definitely look into SELinux, seccomp, namespaces, dm-verity, and their associated utilities.
> Some software, such as Visual Studio Code and derivatives, has very lax policies on extensions. Even if you install it from a trusted source, but then install an untrusted extension, the extension will run with full access to your files!
Installing VSCodium on NixOS, you need to specify the extensions as part of your system configuration. This means extensions get pinned. But beyond that, they still have full user access.
Installing VSCodium on NixOS, you need to specify the extensions as part of your system configuration. This means extensions get pinned. But beyond that, they still have full user access.
Thanks for the help. I will definitely take that advise into account.
Yes. Significantly safer than a Windows system in the default config.
If you expose a Windows server default install to the internet it will be compromised in days. (I don't know how. I do know AWS was very unimpressed with me.)
In contrast Linux systems are often set up that way without issue.
If you expose a Windows server default install to the internet it will be compromised in days. (I don't know how. I do know AWS was very unimpressed with me.)
In contrast Linux systems are often set up that way without issue.
I'm not aware of anything happening recently that would make it relatively unsafe. I have only used it for 20 years though, so can't say whether it was safe or not before that.
You get GUI app sandboxing with Flatpak these days.
You get GUI app sandboxing with Flatpak these days.
It's been safe to daily drive since at least 2012, which is when I started doing it.
At the time, I still had to have a Windows VM. But I've not needed that for about a decade or so. Obviously, YMMV. :)
At the time, I still had to have a Windows VM. But I've not needed that for about a decade or so. Obviously, YMMV. :)
If you mainly use a browser like chrome, it should be pretty safe. The general threat model is likely not as safe/mature as Win/MacOS as far as running a bunch of untrusted apps go.
I'll take a contrarian view here. Disclaimer: I'm interpreting "safe" as in "usability". I've been driving Ubuntu for years for gaming purposes, and it's come a long way. Most drivers are installed out-of-the box. The apps I care about run just fine.
But.... Relative to MacOS Ubuntu is certainly not as user-friendly. It's worth noting that Linux distros will force you to confront the command line at some point. If you come from OS-es where the most technical thing you have to do is pop open settings to set screen-share permissions or "right-click -> open" to install a package, you'll notice a stark difference.
But.... Relative to MacOS Ubuntu is certainly not as user-friendly. It's worth noting that Linux distros will force you to confront the command line at some point. If you come from OS-es where the most technical thing you have to do is pop open settings to set screen-share permissions or "right-click -> open" to install a package, you'll notice a stark difference.
I recently tried to help my mom reset her Apple account password on a modern Mac. Absolutely and utterly shite process at almost every step. I couldn't believe it. Even had a screen show up completely blank that was obviously supposed to have something there but I have no idea what.
Finder is garbage from a power user UX perspective.
And the extra hoops to jump through to manage windows instead of applications is super annoying IMO.
I think Apple is slowly enshitifying it's UX advantages.
Finder is garbage from a power user UX perspective.
And the extra hoops to jump through to manage windows instead of applications is super annoying IMO.
I think Apple is slowly enshitifying it's UX advantages.
It was safe to daily drive in 1996.
It is possible to get Linux into a state where it becomes a huge headache to update
This usually happens when you do non-standard things like try to change the desktop environment and then update to a new major version. If you pick a distro that is already close to what you need in the first place, this should not be as much of an issue.
Source: Personally got it into a state where it became a huge headache to update.
Source: Personally got it into a state where it became a huge headache to update.
It is possible to get it into such state, but on a good distro like Debian simply changing the desktop environment and updating to a new major version is not going to be one of those troublesome "non-standard" things :)
Ditto for windows.
Source: Personally (like the other poster) I have got both into a state where it became a huge headache to update.
Source: Personally (like the other poster) I have got both into a state where it became a huge headache to update.
You're fine with out of the box experience in most cases.
Try something from universal blue!
Try something from universal blue!
What do you mean by safe? What are you afraid of?
i have been using ubuntu at work for 8yrs now. i fail to grasp the question..
Yes!
I have
To clarify what I'm asking: - Is Linux relatively safe compared to Windows or MacOS in a desktop setting - If it's not, what needs to be changed, configured, or avoided to make it so (if it can be)
Thanks for your time.
EDIT: (clarification) I have been experimenting a little with Linux already. This is more of a second step towards daily use for me. A more pressing concern (for me) is [gui] app sandboxing.