Is qubes a secure OS? it calls itself "a reasonably secure operating system", which is a bit weird

I am currently on windows 10, looking to switch to linux and wondering which one to choose.

>>105825955 (OP)
If you're not used to gnu/linux I wouldn't start with qubes. It's secure but it does so by affecting convenience. It all depends on your threat level I guess.

The only truly secure system is a brick at the bottom of the ocean, and even that is not for certain.
Familiarise yourself with the threat model of each distribution you are interested in and make the choice that suits your usecase.

>>105825980
ok, should I just start with ubuntu? no specific threat level, just general paranoia

>>105825955 (OP)
>Linux Desktop
>Secure
Hahahahahahahahaha

Just use windows, retard.

>>105825994
Understand your threat model. In the meantime, if you want a rough and opinionated roadmap for Linux:
> install one of the mainstream distros (Ubuntu, Debian, fedora, etc)
> once you’re feeling comfortable distrohop (if your first distro used deb, hop to one that uses rpm, or the other way around)
> learn bash and use it daily. Write small utility scripts
> once you feel comfortable, install arch without the install script. Read the archwiki and understand how to harden your install.
> QubesOS

>>105826410
>> learn bash and use it daily. Write small utility scripts
Why?

>>105826416
>>> learn bash and use it daily. Write small utility scripts
>Why?
If you have to ask, then best get yourself a Macbook and don't sweat that whole "thinking" thing. Leave that for your betters. The nice man at the Apple Store will hold your hand and tell you what to do.

>>105826712
NTA but what if you want a secure computer without becoming a computer scientist?

>>105826832
These niggas only rice their computers they aint getting security with any OS

>>105825955 (OP)
>>105825994
nothingburger. modern OS is secure as long as it doesnt have telemetry (so in windows disable it https://gist.github.com/ave9858/a2153957afb053f7d0e7ffdd6c3dcb89)
qubesOS use case: the hypervisor allows you to use both windows and linux at the same performance without the security issues of VMs, so like duelbooting but you can switch easily
tailsOS use case: if you live in a shithole where the police actively raids houses of marketplace buyers you need an amnesic operating system to not get caught with a 100% chance

>>105825955 (OP)
you can't just install qubes on a normal computer. you need a beefed up thinkpad or something with 16gb ram at the very minimum (32gb to 64gb is generally safer, and will give you a better experience). honestly qubes is overkill for normal people, people who aren't journalists, political dissidents, avid dark web users, etc. if you're just an average person, an encrypted distro of your choosing will be fine. if you need to use the dark web or whatever just use tails. as someone already mentioned, familiarize yourself with threat modeling.

>>105825955 (OP)
Some tips from a long-time Qubes user
1. "Reasonably secure" is part of their security model. The original thesis and whitepaper that led to the creation of Qubes argues that there's no such thing as secure software, and created an OS around that model. The point is low attack surface (hardened Xen) + isolation, and you're supposed to use it with the assumption that certain VMs (like the one you install a web browser to and browse the internet with) are compromised at all times. It's essentially an OS that is designed to assume you will be compromised and give you the tools to reasonably secure regardless, instead of the default model which just applies security patches and hopes for the best.
2. Qubes isn't a Linux distribution. It's literally not Linux (even though it comes with a stripped down Fedora Linux that runs in a VM for management/DE) so people who lump it in with Linux don't know what they are talking about. It doesn't boot the Linux kernel and you don't have to use Linux on it. Chances are you will use at least 2 different Linux distros on it at minimum (Fedora and Debian) and possibly Windows.
3. It's not useful for a beginner, or even a skilled user who isn't interested in learning an autistic paradigm. It has a suite of original software and unique Qubes-specific terminology (TemplateVM/AppVM, Salt, qrexec policies, qubes-fireall and networking) that you have to learn to reap the security benefits, otherwise there's no point in using it. If you use it incorrectly and just stumble around with trial and error, there's a 100% chance you accidentally do something that compromises your security, so it's a big ask from the user.

>>105826125
See >>105827060 (it's not Linux)

>>105826832
>NTA but what if you want a secure computer without becoming a computer scientist?
you dont need to be a computer scientist at all, but their is no such thing as a computer that is secure out of the box. People itt are using the term "threat model" for a reason, you have to understand what the threats you are most likely to face and what cann be done to address them. I came across this vid in my recommended a while ago and while visually its got a cringe hacker thing going on, it does a pretty good job of explaining various attack vectors most laymen dont think about. And by the end you should realize just hard it is to make a secure computer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUVKSwO_ZNw

>>105827662
>skip to a random part of the video
>he's arguing you have to use an external wifi adapter because the internal wifi card can be identified by its MAC address, which compromises your privacy
This nigga genuinely has no idea what he's talking about
The gay cyberpunk hacker aesthetic is exactly indicative of the quality of this video anon

>>105827060
this. im paranoid too but tails is way better for most use cases

>>105827708
Tails is just a different beast entirely
There's no reason you can't use it and qubes at the same time, for different purposes
But I think OP is asking about a daily driver OS. You really can't use tails for that.

>>105827705
the idea was not to tell him how to secure his shit, but to illustrate many of the possible vectors his shit could be attacked by. But he also needs to think about how much each of these things are to his particular use case for the computer in question.

>>105828144
*how much of a threat

>>105828144
The vectors described are wrong doe

>>105825992
This comment has always pissed me off
"Heh, if you wanna be secure, try turning off your computer kiddo"
There is zero useful advice here, it's literally a cliche catchphrase that only functions to make you sound smart, but you don't sound smart, you just sound like a pretentious douchebag

>>105825994
Separate out your root partition from your user files if you’re planning to change later, that way you could dual-boot while distro-hopping and still have a working system. Also timeshift (automated/manual backups) your root partition if somethin fucky happens.

>>105825994
Use OpenBSD. A focus on correctness makes it much more secure than most Linux distros, and it's reasonably user friendly. It's certainly more straightforward to install than Arch or Gentoo.

>>105829968
>A focus on correctness
What does that mean? How is openbsd more focused on "correctness" than something like debian? Use normal language

It's tinfoil hat garbage you will never need unless the US government is actively trying to find and murder you.

>>105830630
>pleaseeeeeee don't use qubes or graphene OS :(((
Could you make it any more obvious?

>>105827060
This was informative. Thanks.

>>105827060
What's the minimum hardware that you need in order to have a decent experience? iirc qubes has no gpu acceleration no? Its all on the CPU

>>105833637
Last time I checked you need IOMMU in your CPU, but this requirements even is fit on a Thinkpad X230, so I wouldn't be worried about that. 16GB should work, more is obviously better.

>>105833637
>What's the minimum hardware that you need in order to have a decent experience?
EPT/AMD-V and I/O MMU (like the anon above me said)
Preferably TPM 1.2, not TPM 2.0, though you can't always control this, try to find a board with TPM 1.2
16GB RAM
>iirc qubes has no gpu acceleration no? Its all on the CPU
Yeah

more like pubes os

>>105834616
Pubes are based and natural, which is something jews don't want you to acknowledge.

>>105834714
post foreskin

>>105834723
I'm uncircumcized

>>105833637
32gb of ram should be a minimum for a decent experience. Anything less than that is shit. Also don't expect any hardware acceleration.

>>105835580
I'm >>105827060 and I only have 16gb ram and I feel fine.

>>105835822
I have been using it for a couple of years and constantly run out of memory.

>>105825955 (OP)
It is probably the most secure premade OS out there.
But then again how do you quantify and compare 'security'?
Exactly. And the developers of QubesOS understand this too. They specifically understand that nothing will ever have u limited security and the worst poison for security is the illusion of security. Hence they call it that.

>>105826712
>betters
lmao this tinkertranny thinks he's impressing anyone with bash scripts
how embarrassing