Looking for new OS

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reactos8484
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Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2021 9:58 pm

Looking for new OS

Post by reactos8484 »

Hi All,

I am looking for a new OS. I just installed Win10 and I can't stand it. I can tell that Microsoft is spying on everything that I do, and it really annoys me. I spent 2 hours change settings to turn off spyware and it's still spying on me.

So I was looking into Ubuntu. I have used this in the past. However, I became suspicious that even this OS might be compromised. Low, and behold, I found the following:

At the event, Microsoft announced that it has bought Canonical, the parent company of Ubuntu Linux, and shut down Ubuntu Linux forever. … Along with acquiring Canonical and killing Ubuntu, Microsoft has announced that it’s making a new operating system called Windows L

Source: MOD EDIT: REMOVED due to malware installation attempts

............

So, Ubuntu is crossed off of my list.

What I'm looking for is an OS that is totally unrelated to Microsoft or Mac, something that will not spy on me, and something that is easy to use.

I came across ReactOS. Will this fit the bill? Is it difficult to use? Does it spy on you? Does it have a relationship to Microsoft?

I just want to be able to do simple things like browse the internet, look at videos, ect.

If ReactOS doesn't fit the bill, is there something else that I could try?
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EmuandCo
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Re: Looking for new OS

Post by EmuandCo »

Yes, you can try Ubuntu, as I never before heard such bollocks summed up in two sentences... Is OSToday on drugs or what? Microsoft and Canonical are two different shoes. They partnered up in some loose ends, but that's it. I recommend to never ever visit such a sorry excuse of a site again. Windows L.... Don't make me laugh! I strongly recommend that you restart your relationship with the internet immediately and from now on don't believe any and every crap someone wrote on the internet. Always verify these "claims".

Regarding ReactOS... We are a architectural clone of Windows NT 5.2, so we have at least one connection to Microsoft. The OS architecture. We won't spy on you, but MAC neither does and same goes for Ubuntu. Easy to use... We are alpha state and as such prone to missing features and bugs... Nope we won't fit there. Ubuntu and Mac does though.
ReactOS is still in alpha stage, meaning it is not feature-complete and is recommended only for evaluation and testing purposes.

If my post/reply offends or insults you, be sure that you know what sarcasm is...
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etechsupport
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Re: Looking for new OS

Post by etechsupport »

Ubuntu is a user-friendly operating system. Many computer users believe that Linux-based operating systems are difficult to use and that they are designed for developers.
Ubuntu is a free operating system.
It's completely safe.
 A high level of personalization.
There are several different Ubuntu flavours.
Ubuntu community that is supportive.
System requirements are minimal.
There is a plethora of free software at the Software Center.
Last edited by etechsupport on Fri Oct 29, 2021 3:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
florian
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Re: Looking for new OS

Post by florian »

BSD-family might also be an option for you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_ ... stribution
caseih
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Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2021 10:11 pm

Re: Looking for new OS

Post by caseih »

reactos8484 wrote: Thu Oct 28, 2021 10:02 pmSo I was looking into Ubuntu. I have used this in the past. However, I became suspicious that even this OS might be compromised. Low, and behold, I found the following:
That was originally an April Fool's Joke from 2016 (or even earlier). I've never heard of the web site you mention, but it's clearly not a real web site. Appears to just be a bot that scrapes the web and re-posts things to get ad revenue. Has an almost legit-sounding name to trick people into viewing it.

Be assured that Canonical is still an independent company that is doing quite well. There were rumors about a Microsoft acquisition a couple of years ago, and it might have even made sense then. But not at this time. Microsoft already has their own Linux distribution that they use on Azure. And the Microsoft WSL2 can boot any distro really, but Ubuntu is a favorite and is recommended by Microsoft.

Personally I recommend Linux Mint to a new user. It's based on Ubuntu, but is an independent project.
alexei2
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Re: Looking for new OS

Post by alexei2 »

FatDog64. In my view it's the best linux ever.
Windows 7 / server 2008 would be also a suitable option, drivers are still available.
Firewalls (both software and hardware) are a must to safeguard yourself - you can prohibit (almost?) all connectivity you don't need.
feldrim
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Re: Looking for new OS

Post by feldrim »

If you really want to have some privacy, you can try Tails OS. Or maybe Qubes OS.

But what those OSes collect is mostly telemetry, compared to nothing that is collected by Google, Facebook, TikTok and others.

So, OS is a part of the privacy but it's not a silver bullet. It's one of the steps, and there are dozens. I would suggest you to have an overall look of the measures of privacy, then to go for looking for the ways to fulfill your requirements. An OS is not so important when you have other controls in place.
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leppy232
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Re: Looking for new OS

Post by leppy232 »

feldrim wrote: Sat Oct 30, 2021 10:58 pmBut what those OSes collect is mostly telemetry, compared to nothing that is collected by Google, Facebook, TikTok and others.
It's "nothing compared to" -- usually, I let little grammar mistakes slip by, but this one completely changes the meaning of the sentence.
Anyway, I would recommend Linux Mint, FreeBSD, or if you're adventurous, Haiku. The first two are well known and used by all sorts of people for all sorts of things -- FreeBSD powers the Nintendo Switch, for instance. The third is in beta, but it has decent software support and I never really feel like I miss out on essential software when I need it, with decent choice in media players, word processors, one good web browser and a couple dubiously useful ones, and terrible driver support.
If you're hyper serious about privacy, you should realize that Intel and AMD processors are built with an intentional backdoor. It's not specifically designed for malware, it's designed so that sysadmins of big computer clusters can access one computer that's causing problems remotely, but it is a pretty juicy target for anyone who wants to get into your computer, regardless of your OS, because the backdoor is within your physical processor. Especially with companies as lazy as Intel and AMD, who have literally no major competition in the desktop market that doesn't begin with an A and end with a "pple Computer, Inc.". I'd personally suggest looking into an OpenPOWER-based computer. They use IBM-made processors, which don't have these vulnerabilities in them. Raptor CS in Illinois produces desktop motherboards compatible with those processors that have fully open-sourced firmware, so you can audit and flash all of the chips in your computer to make sure that none of them are sending any data anywhere without your knowledge. Pre-built computers from them are pretty expensive, blame the pandemic, but you can build one yourself for about $2500.
Last edited by leppy232 on Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Currently using: 0.4.15-x86-dev-4872-g8a3db97 (VirtualBox)
Pretty good so far, keep up the good work! :D
Formerly tested on: Dell Inspiron 2200, HP Pavilion p7-1155, want to test on: Dell Inspiron 8500, custom-build ROS machine (P4 2.8GHz, GF6800 Ultra)
alexei2
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Re: Looking for new OS

Post by alexei2 »

I've read about Intel ME. BTW, Tannenbaum regretted helping them (at the time he didn't know why they askded him).
What does AMD have?
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leppy232
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Re: Looking for new OS

Post by leppy232 »

alexei2 wrote: Sun Oct 31, 2021 3:45 pm I've read about Intel ME. BTW, Tannenbaum regretted helping them (at the time he didn't know why they askded him).
What does AMD have?
AMD Security Tools, formerly known as P̶l̶a̶y̶S̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶P̶o̶r̶t̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ Platform Security Processor.
Currently using: 0.4.15-x86-dev-4872-g8a3db97 (VirtualBox)
Pretty good so far, keep up the good work! :D
Formerly tested on: Dell Inspiron 2200, HP Pavilion p7-1155, want to test on: Dell Inspiron 8500, custom-build ROS machine (P4 2.8GHz, GF6800 Ultra)
dark
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Re: Looking for new OS

Post by dark »

OP Needs therapy for paranoid delusions, not another OS. Please stop with the recommendations. As for OP, a bit of advice on that "spying": Your data isn't important and isn't looked at individually. Only algorithms look at it, and it's generally grouped in with tons of data from other people to look for patterns. Instead of just saying it's spying, take a look at how that data actually gets used to improve things.
Greenhorn
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Re: Looking for new OS

Post by Greenhorn »

@Mod/Admin,

please remove the link from first post, the website tries to install malware !

Kind regards
Greenhorn
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wpeckham
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Re: Looking for new OS

Post by wpeckham »

I believe that ReactOS will be a complete, useful, and valuable OS for many operations when it is ready for prime time. (Late Beta) Right now it is in late Alpha and several subsystems are not yet functional. It is STILL very useful for several things, but parts are still broken.
I would load and try your specific use cases against it first. If it serves you well, good! If not, you might try something like MintDE Linux or Marnjaro. These avoid most of the pitfalls of UBUNTU family products, and generally provide a very clean and fast Linux experience, are well maintained and solid.
If you need corporate support there are always the RHEL and SUSE families to fall back on.
Ancient Warrior, Teacher, Computer Scientist.
Roman78
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Re: Looking for new OS

Post by Roman78 »

You could try Linux Mint or Zorin.
pofdzm
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Re: Looking for new OS

Post by pofdzm »

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/ubuntu-spyware.html

Yeah, it is also a spyware I believe; look at what gnu.org shared. Go with Pop!_OS or OpenSUSE Leap. You will be happy enough with it. Btw, Pop!_OS is also ubuntu based but they already removed the spyware long ago. Since ubuntu is one of the most used OSes you can get both ubuntu and safety on Pop!_OS (and some many other ubuntu based distros).
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