I am surprised no one has mentioned virus Protection Software?
I don’t use any protection. trust Linux prevents malicious script from being loaded and maybe just been lucky for the last three of four years of usage?
Upon reflection I think the “Reasons To Be Cheerful” would have been better in a Poll?
I don’t think you can say that Linux prevents malicious script from being loaded. For example, what if you add a PPA to install something that is not available in the repos, then the PPA is hacked, or the author goes rogue? As soon as you update the software installed via the custom PPA, you are pwned.
I would also say that it’s something of a misconception that Linux is immune to computer viruses. Sure, you are a much smaller target for bad actors than you would be if you were using Windows, but there’s still plenty of malware out there.
Oh yeah, that’s definitely true. But mainframes are a very specific type of machine and doesn’t mean the same thing as “servers” or “powerful computers”. They are for bulk data processing and do not host websites at all, they are really mostly used is legacy enterprise infrastructure and financial institutions. Today, they are mostly supplied by IBM and run on z/OS.
Not a single app that run on Linux (other OSes aside) does not respect (even in the slightest) your privacy. Even if they claim to do it. They just lie. Lets see:
GNOME - gathers and than sells your data;
KDE → same thing
LibreOffice - gathers and sells your data (including your recently opened files)
Firefox - gathers your data and makes them available to Google;
Chrome: as above
Thunderbird: gathers, use for analytics your data (good they clear-out mail addresses)
And now hold yourself :: Librem5 which was designed with privacy-first atitude, advertised as system privacy-wise, turned out to spy and sell user’s data. Hypocrisy at its finest…
These are just the most commonly used apps that tricks you into thinking they respect your privacy. There is much more apps…
So, kindly stop telling me about how developers respect user’s privacy.
I think some apps, eg. browsers, have opt-in checkboxes, some relatively easy to find opt-out, some buried unless you really dig, “use your data” options.
One thing I know is that every Terms of Use statement I’ve read (well, skimmed) covers a lot including Privacy and Rights
For me, even skimming is a major chore to get through. Almost to the point of being so difficult, blindly checking “I’ve read and agree” and moving on is attractive.
One common clause is like “if you don’t agree, don’t use”. I see that as a “lively, now!” signal to increase focus.
Many have “only enough to protect ourselves, never disclosed”. A lot of “anonymous data to improve UX”. I’ve seen “business partners, but only anonymized”.
