botcrusher
Wed Mar 18, 2015 8:34:31 pm
This is going to be an ever-expanding thread on general tips to keep your machine fast, secure, and most importantly: working!
I'm not perfect, if there are errors, or you have something to add tell me!
Basic tips:
1. Stay up to date!
Luckily, Zorin has a nice little updater that runs in the background after you confirm it, and before you say it, No, you can't *JUST* update zorin and leave the other applications unchecked. Your computer is no more secure than your weakest link. So even if Zorin is Top-Notch, that old decrepit version of opera you keep leaving behind is probably not doing you any favors, and could very well be an exploit. (Sorry Opera, just an example)
2. Sadly, using your old install disks is a bad idea. At the time of writing, the current install iso is 9.1, I still have an old 9.0 disk, (Guilty as charged) and still use it.
****Note on 2, Running the disk strictly in live mode is fairly secure, since it's all gone when you reboot, provided you don't have a hard disk installed that could be compromised.****
3. Try and use the store as much as possible, i'm still guilty of finding programs online before i look for them in the store. Even if it is an official webstie, the official store repos are probably more secure and safe.
This isn't set in stone, while safer, the repos can be out of date depending on the last time the company pushed an update to them, so there is that to bear in mind.
4. DRIVERS, DRIVERS, DRIVERS. Drivers, are great, and can often give you great speed-ups on performance. among other things. Look up compatability issues / and or post install reports of a driver before you install it. Drivers (especially for video) It can be just about the fastest way to require a trip to the recovery menu when botched. Try the post-install guide (somone, probably me insert link here) or search for it.
****Note on drivers, companies can be very careful with their words. even if your card is on the compat list, ex: GT 620 an OEM (or any) varitation might not be compatible, GT 620 OEM These OEM (or differently affixed) counterparts are sometimes quite different chips. with research of my GT 620 scenario showing they are not even the same video core.****
5. Don't SUDO ALL THE THINGS!
Part of the great security of linux are the rather limited permissions that users/programs are given by default. Because of this, a user that wants a program to run with no obstacles might just prefix sudo to the command. This is a BAD idea because if the program is compromised, it now has root level access to the system. So yes, don't sudo your webserver, that's just asking for it.
6. What about Wi-Fi?
Security through obscurity is not actually security. What do i mean by that? well, running the router in hidden SSID mode isn't really going to help you all that much. A guy with Kali Linux on a laptop can find it in about 10 seconds.
Don't use WEP: It has been found to be not-so-secure, and has been supplanted by WPA
Don't use WPA: It has been found to be a little-more-secure is and supplanted by WPA2
Do use WPA2: it is the current standard, and pretty darn secure when use correctly:
7. One Password to rule them all Just like how one ring to rule them all ended up being a pretty big freakin' problem for the lord of the rings, Please OH PLEASE don't use the same password for everything. the password you use for your Happyfuntimesgames account (if that actually exists...) should under no circumstances be the password for zorin, let alone the password for your email.
just to sidetrack off for a second, your email address is the last line of defense, lose it and you are going to have some pretty big problems. Think about it, all your other accounts are linked to your email, and can be reset from your email. So as much of as pain as two step auth is, it can save some huge headaches.
8. Folder permissions are annoying, maybe is should just set the whole system drive to RWX
https://youtu.be/31g0YE61PLQ?t=5s
Folder permissions exist for a reason. Letting anyone do anything anywhere is a really bad practice. It is great for moving files without tinkering each time you need something changed, but at the expense of your drive becoming a petri dish of code doing what it wants.
More to add... some time.
I'm not perfect, if there are errors, or you have something to add tell me!
Basic tips:
1. Stay up to date!
Luckily, Zorin has a nice little updater that runs in the background after you confirm it, and before you say it, No, you can't *JUST* update zorin and leave the other applications unchecked. Your computer is no more secure than your weakest link. So even if Zorin is Top-Notch, that old decrepit version of opera you keep leaving behind is probably not doing you any favors, and could very well be an exploit. (Sorry Opera, just an example)
2. Sadly, using your old install disks is a bad idea. At the time of writing, the current install iso is 9.1, I still have an old 9.0 disk, (Guilty as charged) and still use it.
****Note on 2, Running the disk strictly in live mode is fairly secure, since it's all gone when you reboot, provided you don't have a hard disk installed that could be compromised.****
3. Try and use the store as much as possible, i'm still guilty of finding programs online before i look for them in the store. Even if it is an official webstie, the official store repos are probably more secure and safe.
This isn't set in stone, while safer, the repos can be out of date depending on the last time the company pushed an update to them, so there is that to bear in mind.
4. DRIVERS, DRIVERS, DRIVERS. Drivers, are great, and can often give you great speed-ups on performance. among other things. Look up compatability issues / and or post install reports of a driver before you install it. Drivers (especially for video) It can be just about the fastest way to require a trip to the recovery menu when botched. Try the post-install guide (somone, probably me insert link here) or search for it.
****Note on drivers, companies can be very careful with their words. even if your card is on the compat list, ex: GT 620 an OEM (or any) varitation might not be compatible, GT 620 OEM These OEM (or differently affixed) counterparts are sometimes quite different chips. with research of my GT 620 scenario showing they are not even the same video core.****
5. Don't SUDO ALL THE THINGS!
Part of the great security of linux are the rather limited permissions that users/programs are given by default. Because of this, a user that wants a program to run with no obstacles might just prefix sudo to the command. This is a BAD idea because if the program is compromised, it now has root level access to the system. So yes, don't sudo your webserver, that's just asking for it.
6. What about Wi-Fi?
Security through obscurity is not actually security. What do i mean by that? well, running the router in hidden SSID mode isn't really going to help you all that much. A guy with Kali Linux on a laptop can find it in about 10 seconds.
Don't use WEP: It has been found to be not-so-secure, and has been supplanted by WPA
Don't use WPA: It has been found to be a little-more-secure is and supplanted by WPA2
Do use WPA2: it is the current standard, and pretty darn secure when use correctly:
7. One Password to rule them all Just like how one ring to rule them all ended up being a pretty big freakin' problem for the lord of the rings, Please OH PLEASE don't use the same password for everything. the password you use for your Happyfuntimesgames account (if that actually exists...) should under no circumstances be the password for zorin, let alone the password for your email.
just to sidetrack off for a second, your email address is the last line of defense, lose it and you are going to have some pretty big problems. Think about it, all your other accounts are linked to your email, and can be reset from your email. So as much of as pain as two step auth is, it can save some huge headaches.
8. Folder permissions are annoying, maybe is should just set the whole system drive to RWX
https://youtu.be/31g0YE61PLQ?t=5s
Folder permissions exist for a reason. Letting anyone do anything anywhere is a really bad practice. It is great for moving files without tinkering each time you need something changed, but at the expense of your drive becoming a petri dish of code doing what it wants.
More to add... some time.
