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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Does installing one desktop environment over another in Debian decrease my privacy? (lemm.ee)

submitted 7 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I went with GNOME just because I'm used to it and want stability as my main focus but I was wondering if using one DE over another can affect security or privacy at all? Or is that all dependant on the distro you are using?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

Perhaps if you're just trying out and experimenting, you shouldn't use your main system. Try it in a VM, or even better, a spare computer. Then whatever stuff that you like, you trickle down to your main system.

In the case of DEs, I don't like having multiple ones in my system, but only because I like my systen lean. So if I want to try out a DE, I'd just set it up on a test system, usually from scratch.

So far, I'm liking KDE the most, but for something more lightweight, I'd go with XFCE or MATE.

To answer your original question: Theoretically, it could affect your security as each piece of software could have vulnerabilities. In practice, however, it's negligible, and if there's anything major, it would usually get addressed quickly.

Last but not least: When you're just starting out, you wouldn't want to be focusing too much on security. Following the general guidelines should suffice for most case. Just focus first on getting all the functionalities you need. Security usually means restricting access, including to yourself, that means doing it too much could make things not function properly. Securing things prematurely (i.e. before you get things working) could only frustrate you, speaking from experience.