On Wednesday, August 28, 2019 at 11:07:57 PM UTC+2, qtpie wrote:
>
> panina: 
> > 
> > 
> > On 8/26/19 6:27 PM, 799 wrote: 
> >> Hello 
> >> 
> >> David Hobach <[email protected] <javascript:> <mailto:
> [email protected] <javascript:>>> 
> >> schrieb am Mo., 26. Aug. 2019, 11:22: 
> >> 
> >>     On 8/26/19 10:24 AM, panina wrote: 
> >>     > Hi! 
> >>     > 
> >>     > This is not strictly Qubes-OS related, rather inspired by Qubes. 
> >>     > 
> >>     > I've been struggling with some parts of Qubes usage. Most of the 
> time, 
> >>     > it is overkill for me, and putting some strain on my computer. 
> The 
> >>     > bugginess is also quite annoying, whenever I just need to do some 
> >>     > everyday work. 
> >>     > I've been thinking I'd like some form of dual-boot solution, or 
> >>     possibly 
> >>     > a Live USB that could be used. 
> >>     > Most of the time I work with ssh and webapps, so the only 
> persistent 
> >>     > data I need to work will fit on a smartcard. 
> >>     > 
> >>     > My thought is to have an installation that mounts most of the 
> root 
> >>     > partition as readonly, and uses ramdisks wherever the system 
> wants to 
> >>     > write (e.g /var/log). I'm also thinking it should be possible to 
> get a 
> >>     > fingerprint or somesuch of the root partition, and use my TPM2 to 
> >>     check 
> >>     > this. 
> >>     > 
> >>     > The system should also have a possibility to update itself, that 
> I can 
> >>     > choose to do in environments that I feel is safe. 
> >>     > 
> >>     > I am wondering if anyone knows of an OS that works like this? Or 
> if 
> >>     > anyone knows of tools that might accomplish parts of this? 
> >> 
> >>     Ehm... You're describing Qubes OS with disposable VMs there? The 
> >>     fingerprinting is essentially AEM? 
> >> 
> >>     If you need to keep your data on an external disk (SDCard), you can 
> use 
> >>     either a manual approach with qvm-copy, permanently attach the disk 
> >>     to a 
> >>     single disposable VM with a fixed name or use an automated solution 
> >>     such 
> >>     as [1]. You might also want to look into qvm-pool. 
> >> 
> >>     [1] https://github.com/3hhh/qcrypt 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> I don't know why people are complaining about the "bugginess" and that 
> >> it needs more performance. 
> >> 
> >> If you buy the right hardware you'll not run into lots of bugs and get 
> >> enough performance to run qubes. You can buy a Lenovo T530/430, W530, 
> >> X230 for not much money, add a SSD some RAM and you'll not run into 
> >> performance problems (normal use). 
> > 
> > This is a view that I see quite a lot. It is a whole different 
> > discussion. Hence the re-subjecting. 
> > 
> > Firstly, this view completely lacks class analysis. Not everyone can 
> > afford to buy the newest shiny. A lot of us have to use whatever we can 
> > get our hands on. 
> > Whenever a secure OS is mentioned, Qubes is the go-to. Everyone comes 
> > here. The approach that you have to buy new, specific hardware to have a 
> > functioning OS means anyone poor, or in a country with a poor dollar 
> > exchange rate, is left behind. 
> Panina, I hate to say this since class awareness is sorely lacking in 
> tech, but in this case I dont agree with you. You dont need to buy the 
> latest and/or shiny. If you look up any of the models mentioned 
> previously on ebay (Lenovo T530/430, W530, X230) and upgrade those with 
> an SSD you can have a fine Qubes laptop for $300 that will last you many 
> years. I am personally using qubes for a few years on a laptop from 2014 
> just like this. Maybe this could be mentioned more clearly in the docs, 
> many people seem to think that they need a new i7 with 16GB+ of ram. 
> That is absolutely not the case. 
>
> $300 is very different from $1500 but still definitely not free. If I 
> take 'latest and shiny' a little less literal and by 'whatever we can 
> get our hand on' you mean a laptop you can get for less than $200 or 
> even for free, then I retract my point. However this is not really qubes 
> can do something about. Hardware related projects have minimum hardware 
> requirements, that hardware often (not always) costs money, and money is 
> a class issue which it shouldnt be. 
>
> Maybe somebody on the mailinglist works at a big company with lots of 
> qubes-compatible laptops that get written of soon and these could be 
> distributed trough the Qubes project? Or maybe somebody knows a 
> foundation coordinating this kind of project or helping people out with 
> hardware some other way? 
>
>
Just a little addition to the devices already mentioned:
I've been using a T420 (16GB RAM) with Qubes4 for as long as it has been 
available and it is working very well. There are a few things (suspend & 
resume, backlight is never really off) that aren't working right now but 
nothing too serious. It cost me 150€ and this laptop is widely available 
(of course, there are always exceptions).

For the fun of it, I purchased a G505S as well but didn't find the time to 
flash coreboot yet. It cost me 120€.

These were used & refurbished items without scratches or other flaws but 
depending on what you're looking for you can also find one or both of the 
above in the double digits. I am afraid it doesn't get much cheaper than 
that. 


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