Security with Linux?
 

Hey,

I'm wondering if linux is safer then windows when it comes to the usual security issues like trojans, virusses, malicious scripts and more of the same sort...


and if it is worth going through the effort of (trying ;)) to teach myself linux and everyhting else that I'll be needing like networking and anti virus/internet security - I have no experience whatsoever with linux or programming so it's starting from 0, and I'm a slow learner :^D - to use as internet server/firewall for the other (windows) pc's.

afaik there are very little linux viruses. i don't have a scanner on my PC's

linux is much more secure, after all linux IS all about security (server OS).
it's nice to surf the internet with linux: i don't have any worries. no viruses, no crappy webbrowsers plug-ins that install themselves, no spyware. after all you're usually logged in as a normal user, so you nor the crapware can't make any changes to the system :)

here ya go http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20040329/index.html

:)

Good to know :)

and thx for the link, that'll certainly come in handy, still need some hardware though. hard disk, maybe something else. I have to check, I got this old system (P1 I think, as I said, still have to check it out) for free, I hope it can cope with this mandrake 10
:^D

It won't. Unless you use a very lightweight desktop environment (or no GUI at all), you won't be able to run linux. System requirements of Gnome 2.x or KDE 3.x are similar to Windows XP.

LOL
if that's the case, they are being overly optimistic on the mandrake site:

Pentium and up
32mb (text only) 64mb min (GUI) 128mb or more recommended
...

Well, the memory statement is correct. But you'll need at least a P2 to get a heavy desktop environment working properly.

Linux is a good OS, it's not magic.

here's another link for ya: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...129TX1K0000532

Hmm, I might of spoken too soon:

I don't even know if a linux internet server will keep me more safe because I don't know how a computer / OS handles internet sharing.

Let's assume I have a linux internet/network server.
How will the other computers connect to the internet? Let's say computer A has WinXP installed en uses Firefox to browse the web and it asks some information from the web.
Will the linux internet server search this information using it's own OS and web browser, or will the linux OS and webbrowser pretty much completely be byassed and is the trasfer of information more a matter of protocol?

Or more simply put: Will I be enjoying more safety if I use a linux internet server or won't I? :)

Depends how your network will be configured. If your modem is connected to the linux server, and the linux server to a switch with Windows PC's to share files/internet, than yes, your windows PC's will be safer.

If your (cable)modem is connected to a switch, wich is connected to both the Windows PC's as the linux server, than no, your Windows PC's will be as vernurable as before.

You could install Squid in the linux server, which acts as a Proxy server. Than configure your windows pc's use a proxy server and of you go. :)