fresh install question

[ashokpappu]

Hi All
I just installed linux mint 19.2 and configured the system. I would not like to change anything because I had to work hard to install this on my laptop
I just want security updates but nothing else so I can actually use it on a day to day basis
Can you please advise what I need to do
Thank you
Mint user

[sleeper12]

You should take all updates that Update Manager offers. Also, set up Timeshift. If something should go wrong, you can then go back to a time when things worked.

[DAMIEN1307]

Updates other than just security updates are usually bug fixes to existing libraries, software etc. also your browser updates which are very critical to the overall security of your system...I always except all updates including the kernel updates for LTS kernels which usually are both security as well as bug fixes too...all very critical to have for a smooth running linux system...DAMIEN

[ashokpappu]

All I want is a stable and rock solid distribution to do my work. I dont want to tinker with my machine
any tips you can give me please
thank you
Ashok Pappu

[Moem]

You've already gotten good advice:

You should take all updates that Update Manager offers. Also, set up Timeshift.

[sleeper12]

If you want stable & rock solid, you will have to tinker some.

[DAMIEN1307]

hi ashokpappu,

Since 2016, i have now installed 90 various Linux OSs for other people here in Alamogordo...

I tweak them up they way they need to be when I install them in the first place, the 90th one just completed on saturday...

Some of them are used in businesses as well with one business using six different computers in various buildings...ALL of them have always been set to take ALL updates offered...

ALL 90 computers are still running and the only calls i get is just asking how to do some function with a particular program that they were not familiar with...

You said,

All I want is a stable and rock solid distribution to do my work.

...They are ALL running "stable and rock solid"...I have always found by reading here in the forums that when someones system is not, it is usually what we in the forums call a "PEBKAC" problem...translation? Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair...usually caused by playing with things that one ought not to touch such as deleting "python" which is one of the languages the operating system is written in or downloading questionable programs from outside sourced PPAs that are not compatible with their particular distribution, etc.

Really, I do not know what more you may be asking by saying "stable and rock solid"...Linux OSs have for me and the others I do this for been exactly that, much more so than when either myself or them were having to deal with constant Windows problems...Linux is not Windows.

Nothing made by the hand of man is perfect or foolproof but this is as close as your going to get with a computer OS...Dont believe it??? Try windows 10 and look at the many, many, "upchuck" problems reported in the media having been caused by their monthly "patch tuesday" updates or the twice a year "upgrades", as well as their "cumulative updates".

https://fossbytes.com/smallest-windows- ... -problems/

https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/ne ... e-explorer

https://<blocked blogspam>/2019/11/26/windows ... -explorer/

Thats my 2 cents worth, you may take it or leave it as you wish...DAMIEN

[jglen490]

Amen, brother. Preach it!

"Rock solid" is a process, not an end point.

[ashokpappu]

I completely agree with all the above
my only concern is I work from Home and I want an operating system that will boot up and shutdown and allow me to access my work location.

May be I should be clear about what I mean by "Rock solid distribution"

When I installed Mint 19.2 I was not able to shut it down at all, I had to modify the /etc/sysctrl.conf to reduce the shutdown time( or some thing like that) 90 seconds to 10 seconds.

and in my previous install any time I shutdown the laptop It always used to logout.
I want to avoid things like that as I have critical legal documents in my laptop and I cannot afford to loose them when I make a presentation or show it to my clients.
yes I do back up with timeshift( thank you for the tip)

Also I need to protect this from potential hackers as I dont want to loose the customer information as it is lot of personally identifiable information
any firewall settings configurations etc... that I need to be aware of.
Please advise
Thank you
Ashok Pappu

[ashokpappu]

As far as Windows 10 goes
I had terrible time. It crashed every time I popped it out of my docking station
when I called microsoft tech support they could not update it to the latest version of windows 10 19.xx
they asked me to reinstall from scratch. THis is crazy and I want to avoid things like this
I am will to pay( I don't want to) but I want a stable system to work day in and out for years.
I work 15 hour days on computer 6 days a week at least
Thank you
Ashok Pappu

[DAMIEN1307]

You said,

I want to avoid things like that as I have critical legal documents in my laptop and I cannot afford to loose them when I make a presentation or show it to my clients.

You do of course realize that timeshift is no more than what system restore is for windows...it restores your operating system, and your operating system files...not your /home directory that has your critical legal files...i recommend that you pack up your critical files onto USB drives so as not to lose them in case something does happen.

Timeshift at least will be able to restore your operating system just in case something happens.

At this moment your using a much more reliable OS than Windows but as i stated before, nothing is totally perfect or foolproof, you always need to be cautious in how you use your computer as well, remember it is a TOOL and just like any tool things can break if not careful or you misuse that tool.

Cars can be reliable but they also need to be properly maintained as well.

You also want your house to be rock solid but what happens when you dont update appliances, electrical connections, the plumbing, update roofing materials etc???...you will in all cases eventually have a failure, so what makes you think a computer is any different...you could have a hard drive or motherboard failure tomorrow, or have a power surge that could destroy your entire computer making it necessary to buy a new one and start all over again.

to sum up everything i have said, NO ONE here is going to be able to guarantee you will never have a problem, all things eventually get old, worn out, break and die just like humans do...everything on earth, including we humans all need proper maintenance in order to operate and last as long as possible...your OS is no different...I think we have all explained the plain truth and facts of life here, so at this point there is nothing more for me to say to you on this issue...DAMIEN

[jglen490]

I agree with DAMIEN1307, and I would like to add that you should be careful with shutting down your system TOO fast. Just let the OS logically shutdown any current operations, pending writes, manage memory (including virtual), and finish out processes. It actually knows better how to shut itself down to a stable position than you or I can. If there are difficulties observed during normal operation, that's what this forum is for - to help clean those up.

[Samarian Sunset]

...When I installed Mint 19.2 I was not able to shut it down at all, I had to modify the /etc/sysctrl.conf to reduce the shutdown time( or some thing like that) 90 seconds to 10 seconds.

As far as Windows 10 goes I had terrible time. It crashed every time I popped it out of my docking station
when I called microsoft tech support they could not update it to the latest version...

I think I see what you're saying...you're worried that Mint will have the same kinds of update problems that W10 had...Don't worry, it won't! W10 does huge forced updates and some of those change the Windows operating system to a newer version. Mint won't update to a newer version unless you do so yourself, so any updates that Mint gets are security or bug related etc, like the other posters said.

As far as Mint taking 90 seconds to shut down, I had that happen to me several times, then I finally realized I was hitting the shut down button before I had shut off my browser and/or file manager. Make sure every app that you open is closed before you shut down Mint.

[ashokpappu]

yes I regularly back up my documents to cloud ( microsoft office cloud in this case)
USB's are not that reliable.
thank you all for the advise
I really appreciate this help.
Thank you All
Ashok Pappu

[tenfoot]

yes I regularly back up my documents to cloud ( microsoft office cloud in this case)

Personally, I wouldn't go the cloud way. I value my independence too much. My preferred method would be to buy an external USB drive and format it as either ntfs if you are likely to deal with Microsoft files (Linux will be able to read and write to them) or ext4 if you will only be dealing with Linux files (Windows does not recognise Linux file structures).

[jglen490]

Agree with the criticism of backing up to the "cloud". The "cloud", any "cloud", effectively owns your data once it's there. You have access to it, you can add more data to it, you can even stop using it; but the cloud owner is under no compulsion to expunge your data if you don't want to use their service anymore. Depending on the country where a particular "cloud" server may be located, there may even be laws that allow inspection of your data's metadata or even the data itself.

Every "cloud" server has someone who has root access to the server, via the host OS, the guest OS, or both. Never count on your data being private. On free service "clouds", that metadata and very likely the data itself is commoditized and monetized. It's just the world we live in.

I use USB drives - four of them, actual hard drives. They rotate as backups on a schedule and are routinely fsck'd. I have thrown one or more enclosures away and one or more drives away. My data is my data and is far more important to me than having anyone else's "convenience" as a service. When I dispose of a hard drive, it is either via target practice on a range or via the end of a drill bit.

[ashokpappu]

Interesting Discussion about cloud.
how about encrypting all the data that goes to cloud and keeping the encryption key with you. Even if some were to inspect the data there is no harm.
you can take advantage of cheap storage along with safety of encryption
Thank you
Ashok Pappu

[jglen490]

The first security principle is physical security.

As to encryption, it's good. The skeptic in me knows that there are a lot of very smart people whose work and goal is to subvert encryption. Not all of them are "good guys".

In World War II the German government had an excellent (for the time) encryption process based on a machine called "Enigma". It worked exceptionally well and had everyone who was not on their side of the war scratching their head over the encrypted messages the Germans were able to send at will; that is until someone forgot the first principle of security. British counter-intelligence got their hands on an actual Enigma machine and eventually figured out its encryption methods. After that all the German messages were like open clear text books. The point is encryption can be subverted.

Keep your secrets, or valuable data, or personal stuff close to you. I'm not saying to distrust everyone, I am saying don't assume anything.

EDIT: Mint site software didn't like a certain word. Replaced that word.

[pbear]

When I installed Mint 19.2 I was not able to shut it down at all, I had to modify the /etc/sysctrl.conf to reduce the shutdown time( or some thing like that) 90 seconds to 10 seconds.

You might want to open a separate thread on this topic. What you're using is a workaround, not a solution. Might be the best you can do under the circumstances - the shutdown delay problem can be inscrutable - but worth seeing whether the problem can be actually solved, in my humble opinion.

In any event, this sort of problem isn't a good reason to limit or forego updates.

[cliffcoggin]

You might want to open a separate thread on this topic. What you're using is a workaround, not a solution. Might be the best you can do under the circumstances - the shutdown delay problem can be inscrutable - but worth seeing whether the problem can be actually solved, in my humble opinion.

In any event, this sort of problem isn't a good reason to limit or forego updates.

I couldn't agree more. Better to solve the real problem of slow shutdown than to refuse updates and create even more problems later on.