Best Anti-Virus and Firewall for Daryna?

[techtech]

Suggestions?

[Guest]

Why this question? You have no need for AV or firewall on Linux (if you are just a home user)

[techtech]

Because I only got linux a couple of days ago, and didn't know.

[deadguy]

although Linux has very few viruses,
some people feel safer with antivirus.
clamav is available in the mint software portal.

as far as a firewall,
are you behind a router??
if not configuring your firewall would be a good idea.
iptables is already there.
you can configure it with guarddog or firestarter.

both guarddog and firestarter are available
in the mint software portal as well.

[muskratmx]

If you have a bad habit of passing/forwarding junk that you download from the internet to your friends. Then by all means install a anti-virus package. But be adviced. AV won't alert you if a file is infected. It's a CL package and you must scan the file manually before you pass it on to friends.

[Fred]

techtech,

For what it is worth, I run a properly configured firewall on my systems but no anti-virus.

Viruses on Linux are few and far between. It is rare to find one in the wild, that's to say one that is actually circulating and infecting people. What few there are, are either not in the wild or are targeted at servers, not desktops. I have been using Linux since the mid 90's and gave up Windows altogether shortly after Windows 98 came out, and have never run an anti-virus program on Linux. I should also add that I have never gotten a virus on Linux either.

I admit, I probably should use and anti-virus to help prevent the spread of Windows viruses. It would be the more socially responsible thing to do. It is just hard for me to feel a lot of compassion for people that just keep going back to Microsoft for more and more abuse rather than making the effort to learn a better way. But that is just one of my many failings.

Fred

[Guest]

configuring your firewall would be a good idea.
iptables is already there.
you can configure it with guarddog or firestarter.

Or learn to configure it "by hand", it is not very difficult...

But by default all connections are blocked, no? So except for a particular use there is nothing special to do (if you are just a home user and just surf, read mails etc)

[deadguy]

configuring your firewall would be a good idea.
iptables is already there.
you can configure it with guarddog or firestarter.

Or learn to configure it "by hand", it is not very difficult...

But by default all connections are blocked, no? So except for a particular use there is nothing special to do (if you are just a home user and just surf, read mails etc)

@Guest,

your right

when I said:

iptables is already there.

I should have wrote:

iptables is already there and all connections are blocked by default.

btw, I too prefer "by hand"
but, firestarter and guarddog ARE available for a nice gui or whatever........

[Fred]

guest,

There is nothing wrong with using a GUI, if it does what you want it to do. CLI and GUI both have their place. (from an old CLI man from way back)

Fred

[deadguy]

There is nothing wrong with using a GUI, if it does what you want it to do. CLI and GUI both have their place.

very true

[Guest]

guest,

There is nothing wrong with using a GUI, if it does what you want it to do. CLI and GUI both have their place. (from an old CLI man from way back)

Fred, I did not say that there is something wrong using a GUI! Garddog and Firestarter are "nice GUIs" of course.

But why want GUIs for everything when simple means already exist?
GUIs do not always facilitate things and why overloading the system with ever more of this (and other things)?

Again I did not say that there is something wrong using a GUI, just that we should not wanting GUIs for all, without distinction, when simple means already exist.

[deadguy]

guest,

There is nothing wrong with using a GUI, if it does what you want it to do. CLI and GUI both have their place. (from an old CLI man from way back)

Fred, I did not say that there is something wrong using a GUI! Garddog and Firestarter are "nice GUIs" of course.

But why want GUIs for everything when simple means already exist?
GUIs do not always facilitate things and why overloading the system with ever more of this (and other things)?

Again I did not say that there is something wrong using a GUI, just that we should not wanting GUIs for all, without distinction, when simple means already exist.

what I think Fred was getting at is that noobies may prefer a nice gui....

[Fred]

Guest,

That was certainly a well thought out and rational response.

I wouldn't disagree with your general position on this matter. I am a firm believer in the "K I S S" principal.

The only thing that I would say is GUIs, even unnecessary ones, can be helpful to new users sometimes. Especially new users coming from Windows. They already have so much to unlearn that a little bit of temporary comfort from a GUI is not a bad thing. Think of it like training wheels for your kid's first bike. The key here is that as they become more comfortable the training wheels can come off. The CLI is so much faster, more flexible and more precise in most cases, that this usually happens on its' own, given a little time.

Just another perspective sir,

Fred

[Guest]

The only thing that I would say is GUIs, even unnecessary ones, can be helpful to new users sometimes. Especially new users coming from Windows. They already have so much to unlearn that a little bit of temporary comfort from a GUI is not a bad thing.

I agree with that Fred!
"temporary comfort", yes, temporary...

Why think finding in Linux that you know in Windows? And why Linux should mimic Windows to "recruit" new members?
The "Vista has the GUI feature X, and Linux does it better" philosophy...

Linux must try to prevail through quality and performance (and K.I.S.S. principle) Not with GUIs, eye-candy etc

Newbies must learn, RTFM ...
One must read the manual to use this or that thing you buy, so why not for use a computer and Linux? They have not learned how to use Windows? Why not for Linux?
And you can find information anywhere on the Web.

People are so lazy...

[Fred]

Guest,

I certainly am not out to recruit Windows users. That is not a motivating factor for me personally. If someone wants to stay with Windows and enjoys the abuse that they have to bear, and have come to expect and accept, that's ok by me.

Having said that, I do wish to help other people the best I can to learn a better way if they are willing to put forth the effort to escape from the Microsoft way of doing things. I can remember when I first came into contact with Linux. I figuratively banged my head against a wall many nights trying to get my head around this stuff. And I am still learning, thank God. There were many people on the net that didn't have a clue who I was, that took their valuable time to try to help me. I remember and I just try to return the favors, one at a time.

If you look at some of my posts you will see that I don't make it all that easy. I try to work through stuff one step at a time and make it a learning experience as we go. My goal is when we are done not only is the problem solved but whoever I was helping understands at least a little bit of what we did and why. It's ok with me if I don't solve 20 problems a day with one post each, because waving a magic wand is not my reason for being here. If a few GUIs make it a bit easier to learn the basics, I just don't have a problem with that. My experience has been that as people become more experienced they resort to the CLI more and more.

RTFM, I really dislike that term. Let me tell you why. When I first started, it took me a long time to even find the right manual for the task at hand. And then I didn't understand the terminology well enough to know what I was reading when I read it! Maybe you were born into it, or are just a lot smarter than I am, but it was hard for me. Have you ever tried to lookup a word in the dictionary that you couldn't spell well enough to even find it? Well I have, and it certainly does help if there is someone around to give you a clue or two, just to get you started in the right direction.

# Rant=off

Boy did I really throw this thread off. Sorry folks.

Fred

[Guest]

I do wish to help other people the best I can to learn a better way if they are willing to put forth the effort to escape from the Microsoft way of doing things. I can remember when I first came into contact with Linux. I figuratively banged my head against a wall many nights trying to get my head around this stuff. And I am still learning, thank God. There were many people on the net that didn't have a clue who I was, that took their valuable time to try to help me. I remember and I am just try to return the favors, one at a time.

If you look at some of my posts you will see that I don't make it all that easy. I try to work through stuff one step at a time and make it a learning experience as we go. My goal is when we are done not only is the problem solved but whoever I was helping understands at least a little bit of what we did and why. It's ok with me if I don't solve 20 problems a day with one post each, because waving a magic wand is not my reason for being here.

Fred I agree with you!
I did not say the opposite but just that we should not create even more GUIs, eye-candy etc, and add "resource consumption", instability, bugs etc just *to please* newbies. (no flame here)

Everybody was a newbie and newbies can learn, as you said.

But it seems some of users not being able to find their way in Windows if an icon is moved from its initial place, were now "into the Linux thing"...

Improving the user experience is not a bad choice per se, but Ubuntu was already a polished, user-oriented Debian, and now people wants it even more user-friendly.

It seems that we agree It seems on the substance but not on the form

But yes, it's not the subject of this thread, so let us stop here

[deadguy]

ugh!!
I feel as if I started this whole debate

sorry guys


I was just trying to let techtech know that these config tools(firestarter and guard dog) were available.


peace

[Fred]

deadguy,

No problem, just a friendly, healthy exchange of ideas. Which translates to me running my mouth/fingers too much.

Enjoy,

Fred

[techtech]

I stayed with Windows, only because I thought Linux would be too complex, I'm only 15. I only got Linux a couple of days ago, I love it so far, just want to learn how to do stuff, what I need, and don't need. Thanks guys

[deadguy]

Glad to have you aboard techtech!!!

enjoy!