After so many here mentioned the Chromebook, I got one. Best damn laptop I’ve ever owned. Does exactly what I need it to do and nothing more.
I have 2 working laptops (plus 2 dead ones) and a Chromebook. I find the Chromebook handy when “browsing as a guest”. It keeps no record of where I’ve been, bookmarks, cookies, downloads…
It is basically immune to viruses.
Otherwise, I find it useless. Perhaps I’m not aware of its capabilities.
I thought you went to Linux? Certainly safest for web-surfing.
Never having played with a Chromebook … you can probably get Open Office or Libre Office for it, and for free. I said goodbye to MS Office a while ago. Either of the two I mentioned will handle all the MS formats ( AFAIK ) and Open Office runs on Windows.
Apologies if you are already handling this, jpeg files have the ability to run/embed or reference code fragments. This has been used as an exploit in the past.
I use Iridium. It is a variant of Chrome with ‘enhanced’ securities, such as not being able to permanently enable Flash.
Thank you for the OpenOffice tip. I just install OpenOffice 4.1.7 on this hp laptop. I tested it once and I think I’m gonna like it.
Likely I’ll not put it on the Chromebook because I hardly ever use it for documents of anything that requires a lot of typing. I hate the truncated keyboard. I use it for web surfing to sites where angels fear to tread.
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Nothing is safe. Hacker web sites have a zillion free downloads to hack just about anything, including web cams, personal doorbell, security cameras, wifi, social media accounts, you name it. And it doesn’t takes super hackers to use.
Using Linux is not magically safe either. Most hackers use Linux. Open source doesn’t mean magic safety.
One of reasons Win 10 and Edge can be a pain in the neck, is because of crazy security MS keeps adding.
I am but I have more than one computer I use.
Using Linux means it will not run an .exe file, or a .msi file, or any of the other MicroSoft recognised installers. I have three machines, one of them is only used for banking and never anything else.
Linux Mint.
Good menus and feels just like Windows 7
Installed on 4 different laptops, never had any driver problems.
Free, no viruses.
Try it.
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3 simple things anyone can do in 15 minutes to regain some privacy and fight back against Silicon Valley Spying:
- Switch to a Private Search Engine like DuckDuckGo
- Install an Ad Blocker like uBlock Origin
- Install a Tracker Blocker like Privacy Badger
Denying Big Tech your data hurts their wallet and denies them the money they use to buy politicians - you gain privacy and they lose power, it’s a win-win. Most importantly, donate to independent sites like this one that provide YOU with a space that Big Tech doesn’t control.
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