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content/posts/linux/Choosing Your Desktop Linux Distribution/index.md
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@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ If you want to use one of these distributions for reasons other than ideology, y
## Desktop Environments
You should use GNOME as your desktop environment. It supports [Wayland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayland_(display_server_protocol)), a display protocol developed with security [in mind](https://lwn.net/Articles/589147), and implements permission control for privileged Wayland protocols like `screencopy`. There are other desktop environments and window managers with Wayland support, but I am not aware of any permission control implemented by them.
Consider using GNOME as your desktop environment. It supports [Wayland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayland_(display_server_protocol)), a display protocol developed with security [in mind](https://lwn.net/Articles/589147), and implements permission control for privileged Wayland protocols like `screencopy`. There are other desktop environments and window managers with Wayland support, but we am not aware of any permission control implemented by them. One caveat with GNOME is that it is written in unsafe languages, but we think the trade off for permission control is well worth it.
Wayland's predecessor, [X11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System), does not support GUI isolation, allowing all windows to [record screen, log and inject inputs in other windows](https://blog.invisiblethings.org/2011/04/23/linux-security-circus-on-gui-isolation.html), making any attempt at sandboxing futile. While there are options to run nested X11 sessions such as [Xpra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xpra) or [Xephyr](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xephyr), they often come with negative performance consequences, are not convenient to set up, and are not preferable to Wayland. You should avoid desktop environments and window managers which only support X11.
@ -53,15 +53,15 @@ Here is a quick, non-authoritative list of distributions we recommend over other
![Fedora](fedora-screenshot.png)
[Fedora Workstation](https://getfedora.org/en/workstation/) is a great general-purpose Linux distribution, especially for those who are new to Linux. It is a semi-rolling release distribution. While some packages like GNOME are frozen until the next Fedora release, most packages (including the kernel) are updated frequently throughout the lifespan of the release. Each Fedora release is supported for one year, with a new version released every 6 months. The distribution takes an "upstream first" approach and ship packages with minimal downstream patching, and the patches are done in a sensible manner which does not unexpectedly break functionality [unlike Debian](https://github.com/keepassxreboot/keepassxc/issues/10725).
[Fedora Workstation](https://getfedora.org/en/workstation/) is a great general-purpose Linux distribution, especially for those who are new to Linux. It is a semi-rolling release distribution. While some packages like GNOME are frozen until the next Fedora release, most packages (including the kernel) are updated frequently throughout the lifespan of the release. Each Fedora release is supported for one year, with a new version released every 6 months. The distribution takes an "upstream first" approach and ship packages with minimal downstream patching, and the patches are done in a sensible manner which does not unexpectedly break functionalities [unlike Debian](https://github.com/keepassxreboot/keepassxc/issues/10725).
With that, Fedora generally adopts newer technologies before other distributions e.g., [Wayland](https://wayland.freedesktop.org/) and [PipeWire](https://pipewire.org/). These new technologies often come with improvements in security, privacy, and usability in general.
Fedora's package manager, `dnf`, has a great rollback and undo feature that is generally missing from other package managers. You can read more about it on [Red Hat's documentation](https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9/html/managing_software_with_the_dnf_tool/assembly_handling-package-management-history_managing-software-with-the-dnf-tool). It should give you the peace of mind when running a cutting-edge distribution.
Fedora's package manager, `dnf`, has a great rollback and undo feature that is generally missing from other package managers. You can read more about it on [Red Hat's documentation](https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9/html/managing_software_with_the_dnf_tool/assembly_handling-package-management-history_managing-software-with-the-dnf-tool).
### Fedora Atomic Desktops
[Fedora Atomic Desktops](https://fedoraproject.org/atomic-desktops/) are immutable variants of Fedora with a strong focus on container workflows. While they do not provide security benefits over Fedora, they have a much more reliable update mechanism. Unlike traditional Linux where packages are updated one by one, Atomic Desktops will download a whole new OS image first before rebooting to switch over to the new image. The system cannot fail in the middle of an update, and should something be wrong with the new image, it only takes one reboot to return the system to its previous state. These should give you even more confidence in running a cutting-edge distribution and updating frequently if you feel the `dnf` rollback mechanism isn't enough for you.
[Fedora Atomic Desktops](https://fedoraproject.org/atomic-desktops/) are immutable variants of Fedora with a strong focus on container workflows. While they do not provide security benefits over Fedora, they have a much more reliable update mechanism. Unlike traditional Linux where packages are updated one by one, Atomic Desktops will download a whole new OS image first before rebooting to switch over to the new image. The system cannot fail in the middle of an update, and should something be wrong with the new image, it only takes one reboot to return the system to its previous state. Should you feel the `dnf` rollback mechanism isn't enough, we recommend giving Fedora Atomic Desktops a try.
[Adam Šamalík](https://twitter.com/adsamalik) has a presentation with `rpm-ostree` in action: