this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2025
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Hi there,

Win10 is soon not supported. Tbh Linux have been on my radar since I started to break from the US big tech.

But how is security handled in Linux? Linux is pretty open-source, or am I not understanding it correctly. So how can I as a new user make sure to have the most secure machine as possible?

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[–] rollmagma@lemmy.world 2 points 12 hours ago

That's an interesting question. It's pretty nuanced. I don't know of any laws that would stop Microsoft from going "oops, we had a bug in our software, sorry about that". Same for the linux distros. Unless you're a corporate customer, then that would be included as part of some contract. So at the end of the day you trust Microsoft's reputation. You'd trust your distro of choice as well. So as a thought experiment I would suggest that the most secure operating system provider is the one that ships a very similar version of its OS to both end-users and enterprise customers. Some Linux distributions fall into that category, some definitely not.

Also, keep in mind that some distros are run mostly by individual contributors not employed by any knowingly reputable company, so I'd stay away from those by default.