There are a lot of basic things you can do for security, and a lot of them are fairly global for just about any UNIX-like operating system. First, though, I'm assuming your machine is behind a router, and not using a public IP address. In which case, your router or cable modem are your first line of defense. As long as they are not set up to blindly forward traffic back into your network, your laptop should be fairly safe since no attacks can get to it. It's still good practice to disable services you don't need running on that machine. I'm not sure what Ubuntu 10.x would leave running, but if you have, say, Apache on the thing for no reason, it's a good idea to nuke that. Similarly, unless the machine is a print server, you should tell cups not to listen for incoming requests. You can install and run nmap on that machine to see what ports are open. Since it's a Linux box, the vast majority of malware woudn't affect you. But you should still make sure you don't run programs you don't trust, open emails from weird places, follow untrusted links, etc. I like having Adblock Plus and NoScript on my Firefox. Noscript can be somewhat intrusive, but I'm willing to live with that. I also like to set Firefox to never accept 3rd party cookies, and ask me every time about any others. On Fri, 21 Feb 2014, paul g wrote: > I have read from the responses so far.. Another question if I may is- how > secure can a basic noob user like me 'depending on my x5070 printer' each > day. Make the 2.6.--- kernel become more hardened? Can I install a newer > version of Firefox on the Ubuntu Lucid-Lynx 10.04 running kernel > 2.6.32-57-generic? A mechanic a bodyman can fix panels that are in a trash > can and I can do that. So I understand that alot of work goes into building > drivers for 'printers' and 'cups' is still a learning experience. I would > like your help. > > Thank You. > > Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 21:12:01 -0600 > From: tclug at freakzilla.com > To: tclug-list at mn-linux.org > Subject: Re: [tclug-list] Will Firefox 20.0 become obselete for basic use? > > Sorry, no. That's like me saying "I'm a new driver maybe I should try > driving stick" and you suggesting I build an F-18 from scratch and then > drop off a cliff with it. > > I've been using Linux since before there were distributions, and there's a > reason I use Ubuntu. I can get it to do what I want WITHOUT wanting to > shoot myself. > > I've always thought Arch was interesting, and a bit ago decided to give it > a try. So I set up a VM, pointed it at the Arch installaiton medium and > watched it not even be able to get past it's own setup. > > You can be an extremely skilled Linux user (and UNIX admin) without ever > touching anything like Arch. It helps to know how to build your own stuff, > of course, and knowing the internals, but, again, that's like asking a > mechanic to manufacture parts themselves. > > > On Fri, 21 Feb 2014, David Wagle wrote: > > > Alternately, if you want to put in the work to not be a noob any longer, y > ou > > could take the plunge into an Arch distribution. It's actually not as hard > > as it might seem at first, and you will be guaranteed to end up with the > > most efficient system you can build on that box :) > > > > > > On Fri, Feb 21, 2014 at 9:01 PM, David Wagle <david.wagle at gmail.com> wrote > : > > The issue with performance in Ubuntu is almost entirely due to > > the window manager and has really nothing to do with the other > > software versions. You can keep the core "ubuntu" elements the > > same and upgrade the rest of the software quite easily. > > Alternately, you can try something more lightweight -- Mint 16 with > > Xfce is basically Ubunutu with a a lightweight desktop. That's what I > > run on my daughter's very ancient Macbook and it's actually quite > > zippy > > > > > > On Fri, Feb 21, 2014 at 8:46 PM, paul g <pj.world at hotmail.com> wrote: > > You know I dabbled a bit with OpenSUSE. I just don't have > > the experience with windows managers. I even set-up a > > sli-taz machine. I really need nothing off the computer > > but I like the fact that the 10.04 is so well documented , > > yes I know it's old I guess it gives me a noober a sense > > of comfort somehow that I do just not get with the latest > > releases. The 'dd' command works fine for me. I even > > recently learned that in order to install Debian Wheezy > > 7.0 or whatnot I needed to partition the thumb drive for > > MS-Dos 16 not Fat32 to copy the image. Any reccomendations > > for a noob like me as far as a newer operating system on > > my laptop would be wonderful. Thank you for your time I > > wish I knew more. > > > > Thank You. > > > > > Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 20:38:26 -0600 > > > From: tclug at freakzilla.com > > > To: tclug-list at mn-linux.org > > > Subject: Re: [tclug-list] Will Firefox 20.0 become > > obselete for basic use? > > > > > > I don't know that they'd remove a printer driver... > > > > > > I've been using Ubuntu for many years, but I've never > > used Gnome, Unity or > > > KDE (I use Window Maker, as I have since 1996!). I'm > > lead to believe you > > > can get the "Classic" Gnome on the newer Ubuntus. It was > > announced very > > > recently that they're turning back from that stupid > > integrated menubar > > > thing, too. > > > > > > If you have the resources to make a bit-by-bit copy of > > your harddrive, you > > > can always try upgrading and then downgrade back if you > > don't like it. I'd > > > say try a live install on a USB thumbdrive, but that > > will for SURE be > > > slow. > > > > > > On Fri, 21 Feb 2014, paul g wrote: > > > > > > > Yes, and thank you for asking. I am running this older > > version of Ubuntu on > > > > a Centrino Duo Laptop. I guess because I was so > > unimpressed with the 12.04 > > > > performance on my old p4 tower. Also I have an older > > Lexmark x5070 printer > > > > that has a driver for the 10.04 Ubuntu. I don't like > > Gnome 3 maybe i'm just > > > > slow and I am not really used to KDE. Any suggestions > > would be wonderful. > > > > > > > > Thank You. > > > > > > > > > Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 20:24:28 -0600 > > > > > From: tclug at freakzilla.com > > > > > To: tclug-list at mn-linux.org > > > > > Subject: Re: [tclug-list] Will Firefox 20.0 become > > obselete for basic use? > > > > > > > > > > Might be some small things that won't work, but in > > general you should be > > > > > fine. > > > > > > > > > > Of course, as time goes on, those small things will > > get bigger and bigger. > > > > > Still, basic HTML with basic javascript should be > > fine for a long time. It > > > > > all depends on what kind of content you want. > > > > > > > > > > May I ask why you're running such an old version of > > Ubuntu? > > > > > > > > > > On Fri, 21 Feb 2014, paul g wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > For a basic home/office computer user running an > > older FireFox version > > > > say > > > > > > '20.0' under Ubuntu 10.04 etc '2.6.-- kernel' will > > new web pages and > > > > webpage > > > > > > design soon require the need for a later version > > of FireFox or Opera to > > > > > > 'surf' the web? Just a curious question I am a > > noob. > > > > > > > > > > > > Thank You. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > > > > > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > > > > > > > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > > > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > > > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > > > > _______________________________________________ > > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ TCLUG Mailing List - > Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota tclug-list at mn-linux.org > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > >