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#1 2019-12-01 19:57:48

grimiandr
Member
From: Linz, Austria
Registered: 2019-12-01
Posts: 8

An idea for a simple environment for privacy, bootable from USB

Servus oida folks! smile

I have an idea. I would like to experiment a creation of a very simple Linux Desktop Environment, which inside just a browser and a VPN client (for now). What I want to achieve is to have something light to always bring with me on a USB drive (or whatever) to possibly use on any computer or laptop I am in touch with.

I thought about Arch after a lot of research because I think it's a good compromise for the paradigm "Build your own system based on your needs". I don't need an Ubuntu, which is fat and heavy, and neither a strong and cute gui environment. I just want something raw and easy to use just for surfing the internet in an "average" anonymity way, but of course I may need the file system as well (that's the reason I unfortunately discarded Tails).

Reading a lot about Arch and seeing lots of videos on it, I came across that this could be a good candidate to use and I really hope it will be (because I definitely not have the skills to create a new distro by my own hehe big_smile)

The actual state of the art is that I am still trying to have a working installation of Arch on a VM.

Guys, this is just an idea! If it doesn't make any sense, please don't throw fruits and vegetables to another Lin00bx user smile

Last edited by grimiandr (2019-12-01 20:52:46)

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#2 2019-12-01 20:19:29

ewaller
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From: Pasadena, CA
Registered: 2009-07-13
Posts: 19,739

Re: An idea for a simple environment for privacy, bootable from USB

It would be.  But, is this for your own use?  Or did you plan to distribute it?

I ask, as one of the responsibilities of creating a distribution is to support that distribution.  Especially if that distribution is a forked project.  Attempting to thrust that responsibility back on the project that had been forked is wrong on many levels.  Be sure to consider how you would support it.


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Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
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#3 2019-12-01 20:31:25

Trilby
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Registered: 2011-11-29
Posts: 29,441
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Re: An idea for a simple environment for privacy, bootable from USB

grimiandr wrote:

I would like to experiment a creation of a very simple Linux Desktop Environment, which inside just a browser and a VPN client (for now).

By "Linux Desktop Environment" I have to assume you mean not actually a Desktop Environment as that would serve no purpose here.  If you want just a browser and VPN client, just install/run those (which will bring in their dependencies) - there's no need to "experiment".

In any case, please take a moment to edit your first post to give this thread an actual title representing something of what you want to talk about here.

Last edited by Trilby (2019-12-01 20:32:40)


"UNIX is simple and coherent..." - Dennis Ritchie, "GNU's Not UNIX" -  Richard Stallman

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#4 2019-12-01 21:11:47

grimiandr
Member
From: Linz, Austria
Registered: 2019-12-01
Posts: 8

Re: An idea for a simple environment for privacy, bootable from USB

Hi!

ewaller wrote:

It would be. But, is this for your own use?  Or did you plan to distribute it?

Just for my own use, yes, because I think it would be suitable just for me. Probably 99% of the people interested in the topic, would be using much better Linux solutions for doing this, but these are not enough "simple" for the idea I have.

Trilby wrote:

By "Linux Desktop Environment" I have to assume you mean not actually a Desktop Environment as that would serve no purpose here.

I would say then "Desktop Environment" is probably a misleading terminology for describing what I mean, sorry. I imagine some kind of Desktop GUI with as few "apps" as possible (I always take the example of Ubuntu, with all the default apps installed inside like wine, libre office, games ecc...) but I still have to document myself on this possibility.

Trilby wrote:

If you want just a browser and VPN client, just install/run those (which will bring in their dependencies) - there's no need to "experiment"

Yeah, indeed. The fact is that I was wondering to possibly have just that two, and as I said above, nothing else smile

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#5 2019-12-01 21:37:23

Trilby
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Registered: 2011-11-29
Posts: 29,441
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Re: An idea for a simple environment for privacy, bootable from USB

grimiandr wrote:

I imagine some kind of Desktop GUI with as few "apps" as possible

The fewest possible is zero.  But there is no need for a DE at all.  Not even a WM is needed for what you are describing.

grimiandr wrote:

I was wondering to possibly have just that two, and as I said above, nothing else smile

Depending on what you mean by "nothing", yes, it is.  The dependencies of those two packages will be installed, but most browsers do not depend on any DE, nor do most VPN clients.


"UNIX is simple and coherent..." - Dennis Ritchie, "GNU's Not UNIX" -  Richard Stallman

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#6 2019-12-02 07:18:51

grimiandr
Member
From: Linz, Austria
Registered: 2019-12-01
Posts: 8

Re: An idea for a simple environment for privacy, bootable from USB

Trilby wrote:

But there is no need for a DE at all.

Trilby wrote:

most browsers do not depend on any DE

Cool! I thought I would anyway need a Desktop environment in order to use at least a Browser. What do you mean with this?

Trilby wrote:

Not even a WM is needed for what you are describing.

I'm guessing that you meant a VM: I use a VM right now for practicing the Arch installation, IMO it doesn't have any sense doing it already on a gear.

Last edited by grimiandr (2019-12-02 07:31:13)

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#7 2019-12-02 11:27:58

sabroad
Member
Registered: 2015-05-24
Posts: 242

Re: An idea for a simple environment for privacy, bootable from USB

grimiandr wrote:

just a browser and a VPN client (for now). What I want to achieve is to have something light to always bring with me on a USB drive

VPNs aren't privacy enhancing- they're just ways of assigning who you trust for privacy. Private != privacy.

For peer-reviewed privacy on a USB stick, there already exists Tails.

Last edited by sabroad (2019-12-02 11:28:42)


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#8 2019-12-02 12:44:35

Trilby
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Registered: 2011-11-29
Posts: 29,441
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Re: An idea for a simple environment for privacy, bootable from USB

grimiandr wrote:

[What do you mean with this?... I'm guessing that you meant a VM

No, I meant WM.


"UNIX is simple and coherent..." - Dennis Ritchie, "GNU's Not UNIX" -  Richard Stallman

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#9 2019-12-02 16:54:13

grimiandr
Member
From: Linz, Austria
Registered: 2019-12-01
Posts: 8

Re: An idea for a simple environment for privacy, bootable from USB

Ok I see, cool. It seems that I have to deep read that topic as well.

But in general, I had only the positive (?) feedback from erwaller. Do you think also this to be worth a try? Or it's just a shame idea? smile

Thanks for the advices and for clarifying me stuff!

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#10 2019-12-02 17:29:35

Trilby
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Registered: 2011-11-29
Posts: 29,441
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Re: An idea for a simple environment for privacy, bootable from USB

Like I said, there's no need to "experiment".  This is trivial to do.  Install it already.


"UNIX is simple and coherent..." - Dennis Ritchie, "GNU's Not UNIX" -  Richard Stallman

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#11 2019-12-02 21:24:41

grimiandr
Member
From: Linz, Austria
Registered: 2019-12-01
Posts: 8

Re: An idea for a simple environment for privacy, bootable from USB

Ok great. I will proceed then. Thanks for the feedbacks to all smile

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#12 2020-02-18 20:12:19

suija
Member
Registered: 2013-06-23
Posts: 34

Re: An idea for a simple environment for privacy, bootable from USB

That's actually what I did, kind of. I love the idea. Got a SSD thumb drive and made a full install there, no DE, very lightweight (baby).
The idea was to make it run on any pc without further tweaking, but be like a local install. The main focus was making sure to minimize all possible sources of background disk writes to prevent wear.
Worth your time for sure.
... but I went with debian netinstall, not arch. It makes more sense for this project.


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