81–90 of 102 posts
I'm personally very enthusiastic about the security model of Fuchsia: https://fuchsia.dev/fuchsia-src/concepts/principles/secure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIT1ISCioDY
I don't understand the responses in this thread. Does nobody want an OS with a permissions system where you can reliably control access to resources? Or strong app sandboxing by default to keep chrome from sniffing your files (allegedly, this is virus scanning)? There isn't any loss of freedom with those as long as your super user can modify it all - its a gain of freedom in that you can have some control over what y…
Things that used to work will get broken. The fact that taking a screenshot on Wayland took something like a decade to sort out speaks volumes as to the downsides of this approach. It'll be worth it in the long term, but short term it'll probably hurt.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are different methods of security, one where you assume the user is trusted but that the programs are not and one where you assume the user and the programs are not trusted. iOS is the second version. Linux with flatpak and SELinux is the first one. It is certainly possible to secure Linux a lot while still allowing the user to tweak whatever they want. There is a tool called flatseal which lets you adjust the…
Well, the problem is that many desktop workflows require data passing through many apps. How would you do that on the iOS model?
https://juno.sh/ios-file-system/ for some info about how it works from the perspective of an application that might need to access other apps' data.
A better way is set a reasonable set of resources aside for the exclusive use of a given program (for storing state, etc.) and then using system dialog boxes to pick/choose other files/resources to work with. If done correctly, the user wouldn't even notice the difference in most cases.
A technical user could set up better defaults.
You're not going to get there using sandboxes on top of Linux, Windows, etc. Security has to be enforced in the OS kernel. I suspect eventually we'll end up using something like Fuchsia, Genode, Hurd, etc.
[Edit] It seems to me the composability aspect of unix needs to be re-interpreted in a way that allows composing of resources (capabilities) to be passed to a program. One could take a given resource and make it read-only for example. Email access that can only read a certain folder, or contacts, but never send, copy, etc. would be handy to be able to express. You could then pass that limited, specifically tailored set of things to a process with no other access to anything.
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I want an os that's useful, streamlined, and can run games without adding an asterisk. That basically locks me into Windows. I've heard lots of great excuses for why things are this way and noted the progress Steam has made in pushing forward gaming on Linux but ultimately there's always a wall or a compromise in what mainstream programs I can use and I'm not the sort of person who can feel good because the worse exp…
That's fair, except for utility in my usage Windows runs less of the programs I want. Linux users tend to prioritise software freedom, digital privacy, customisability, hackability and longevity, so will settle for it being a little less streamlined and being able to run 15k out of 18k Steam games, which is more than enough games for my enjoyment. Each to their own.
Games is still hit or miss, though.
I don't understand the responses in this thread. Does nobody want an OS with a permissions system where you can reliably control access to resources? Or strong app sandboxing by default to keep chrome from sniffing your files (allegedly, this is virus scanning)? There isn't any loss of freedom with those as long as your super user can modify it all - its a gain of freedom in that you can have some control over what y…
There isn't really any software I use that can exist in its own sandboxed bubble separate from everything else.
I've experienced this several times trying Android ports of Linux software I use, they're usually lacking features or configuration folders are inaccessible because of Android's sandboxing and permissions.
The last thing I want is for my desktop to be that way too.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think Apple (Computers) can't be compared with organic food because Apple's business and operations model implies that everything is protected intellectually with patents. Protecting your manufacturing process via patents implies that "people at the side of the road" don't know how to make it. Otherwise the patent would be nullified. To stay with the metaphor I think we'd have to classify Apple (Computers) as a pro…
I'm sorry, why are you talking about Apple ? The posted article is about every desktop OS, that includes for instance Linux or hobbyist OSes
Sandboxing is a huge issue that plagues desktop operating systems. And sadly is it only one piece of the puzzle. Android for example additionally has detailed SELinux policies and extensive compile time hardening. You can sandbox the majority of your apps on desktop Linux today with two simple commands: - sudo apt/dnf install firejail - sudo firecfg Project: https://github.com/netblue30/firejail Intro Video: https://…
Excellent work.