Can any regular windows (Word, Excel, Access, Visio) program run on LinuxMint? Can Firefox and Thunderbird run on LinuxMint? All WITHOUT creating a “virtual” windows environment for them under Linux?
I have often wondered if the “security” of Linux is less related to less coding errors but instead due to how it is less popular and thereby not a major target of spyware/hackers/viruses because those that produce that malware are going for the bigger targets. Is there demonstrated failed attempts to intentionally infest a LinuxMint machine with such malware?
They can, but it would be much easier to download and install LibreOffice. It is more than 97% compatible with MS Office, and my co-workers at work do not even know I'm using it instead of MS Office.
I have often wondered if the “security” of Linux is less related to less coding errors but instead due to how it is less popular and thereby not a major target of spyware/hackers/viruses because those that produce that malware are going for the bigger targets. Is there demonstrated failed attempts to intentionally infest a LinuxMint machine with such malware?
Linux security is based on fundamental design differences from Windows. It was never designed, like Windows, to be a single-user system. Network connectivity and multi-user was built-in from the very beginning. Windows, OTOH, was initially designed as a single-user system, and they have also been committed to provide backward compatibility. That hurts your security.
Also, if you wanted the biggest target in the world, you'd try to crack linux servers. The Internet runs on Linux, and the main DNS servers for the entire Internet are on Linux. You can't get much bigger than that.
There are native versions of Firefox and Thunderbird for Linux. Many distros ship with those already installed.
The “less popular” part is only sort of true - consider the wide array of distributions out there - its hard for hackers to count on anything being a certain way in Linux. But it is true - hackers take advantage of more ubiquitous OSes.
Also - its not about “coding errors” - Linux strength/security comes from the overall approach to OS architecture - particularly when it comes to userspace - (although I think newer Windows has improved here somewhat)
As someone else pointed out, Linux runs the vast majority of internet servers. That is a big target.
The beauty of Linux -- open-source software -- is that as soon as a threat comes out, someone is on top of it, and it gets patched. In the proprietary world (like MS Windoze), it might take hours or days -- if not weeks -- to get a patch out.
I've got a bunch of computers with VirtualBox, and for years I would install various Linux distros just for the challenge and to keep up with what's going on out there. Frankly, there's not much of a challenge anymore with most Linux distros.
Those were the days -- get a six-pack on a Friday night and struggle to install some new Linux distro. But not anymore....
PCLOS, Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Debian -- they all install just as easy as Windoze, and you´re off an running. If you want a challenge, then go with Arch Linux. Conquer that one, especially on a VirtualBox installation, and you're a Linux pro, and you won't ever look back.
And then, if you're really into it, you can go totally hard-core and try "Linux From Scratch."
Linux installations aren't a challenge anymore. What I do for fun now is resuscitate old hardware. When you've got a 15-year-old laptop that barely runs Windows XP, but then comes alive with a Linux distro, it's very satisfying.
But those days are numbered too, as most Linux distros are abandoning 32-bit.
I'll close now, because this makes me realize that I'm getting old, and it is sad.
I have Firefox and Thunderbird installed on Linux Mint. They work just fine.