"After nearly three years of work, I have a pleasure to announce that Qubes 1.0 has finally been released! [...] I would like to thank all the developers who have worked on this project. Creating Qubes OS has been a great challenge, especially for such a small team as ours, but ultimately, I'm very glad with the final outcome - it really is a stable and reasonably secure desktop OS."
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Member since:2011-05-12
It looks okay, I guess, nothing original.
But basically it's a modified Linux distribution. Therefor I think it kind of stretches the definition of what awards an operating system badge.
Also I think it solves a problem that's not really there. I mean, it's not like hordes of Linux users are running around naked in the streets in blind panic because their desktops are hit by viruses. I suspect that in practice all these extra security layers provider more hassle than the benefit of extra security.
What would be nice is to have some kind of system that allows the user to run any application of choice with added security and make this system an optional install for any Linux distribution.
Not every feature or bell 'n' whistle deserves an entire new "operating system". What is you're happy with your Slackware or Ubuntu, but you do like this idea?
Member since:2007-09-22
You have to remember the people who are looking for extra security are not the average users.
Also when trying to create secure systems, it is all about seperation and layers of defense and creating small(er) pieces of code which handle that seperation.
The smaller those pieces are, the more predictable and more understandable they usually are and thus they can be better checked for errors.
But it still has to work easily or people just won't use it.
I think they found an interresting balance.
Also default Linux installs already come with SELinux, apparmor and/or the hardend version of PHP.
Lightweight containers for running certain security sensitive applications, based on "LXC", are also in the works.
Edited 2012-09-04 10:15 UTC
Member since:2011-10-05
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Member since:
2010-04-27
Thanks! I think also the project screenshot page http://qubes-os.org/Screenshots.html helps to get a first look of what it is and how it works (before looking under the hood).