Are you running your BTC wallet on Linux? Why?

[mk4]

My experience is the opposite. Once I have my new Linux distro set up and running as I like it, it tends to continue to run smoothly with little to no issues. My limited experience with Windows is that it will often automatically apply updates or new software packages you didn't ask for, reboot when you didn't want it to, then run in to some problem installing the new packages, have to roll it back, reboot a few more times, and throw a few errors in the process.

I guess it's just the fact that you're probably far more technically-literate than I am hence things break a lot less on your side.

But yea, I'm never freakin touching Windows again after how many times it decided to force update on me.

I believe those who've tried Steam Deck or Proton (combination of pre-configured Wine and many other tools to run windows app) which created by Valve would disagree with you.

Yea Steam games mostly works fine. I used to play a lot of Valorant though, and afaik EpicGames still doesn't support Linux.

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[NotATether]

I'm personally a huge fan of Linux as well, but I hate the fact that things can randomly break out of nowhere.

My experience is the opposite. Once I have my new Linux distro set up and running as I like it, it tends to continue to run smoothly with little to no issues. My limited experience with Windows is that it will often automatically apply updates or new software packages you didn't ask for, reboot when you didn't want it to, then run in to some problem installing the new packages, have to roll it back, reboot a few more times, and throw a few errors in the process.

Usually the reasons why things break on Linux suddenly are:

1. Your drivers are the ones breaking (very susceptible culprit)
2. You're not using an LTS distro - particularly true if you're running Arch or Gentoo.
3. Not trying to blame the user here, but maybe you compiled something from source but did not follow the instructions correctly so the program you just compiled is not running as you expected.

[o_e_l_e_o]

The only annoying thing about Linux is that if you are new, troubleshooting consumes a lot of time fixing the issue.

This is the same with if you are new to anything. There is of course a learning curve. But again, I've found online guides and online communities much more helpful with Linux than with Windows. Not to mention that with Linux you can actually fix the problem, whereas with Windows it seems half the time you have to do some crazy work around or just get told "Tough luck, that's how Windows works".

I guess it's just the fact that you're probably far more technically-literate than I am hence things break a lot less on your side.

Or perhaps that I'm simply running software specifically designed for Linux, rather than trying to get Windows software such as gaming engines to run on Linux.

But yea, I'm never freakin touching Windows again after how many times it decided to force update on me.

The only time I use Windows is on computers at work, where obviously I don't have a choice. On more than one occasion I've been in the middle of a very time critical task, and you get a little box that goes "Hahaha, I'm going to restart in 5 minutes, fuck you" and there is nothing you can do about it. It's not just annoying; it's actively dangerous. I have no idea why anyone would choose to use such an OS.

[mk4]

Usually the reasons why things break on Linux suddenly are:

1. Your drivers are the ones breaking (very susceptible culprit)
2. You're not using an LTS distro - particularly true if you're running Arch or Gentoo.
3. Not trying to blame the user here, but maybe you compiled something from source but did not follow the instructions correctly so the program you just compiled is not running as you expected.

It's most definitely the first one. My laptop back then was quite a new model (I assume this was the reason) hence why I had to do a good chunk of modifications for the drivers to work. Either the fact that software support for my hardware specs wasn't that good back then, or that I messed something up in the process of trying to make it work.

[Artemis3]

Usually the reasons why things break on Linux suddenly are:

1. Your drivers are the ones breaking (very susceptible culprit)
2. You're not using an LTS distro - particularly true if you're running Arch or Gentoo.
3. Not trying to blame the user here, but maybe you compiled something from source but did not follow the instructions correctly so the program you just compiled is not running as you expected.

Maybe Arch and the binary rolling distros, not Gentoo. There is nothing more rock solid than a distro that compiles its packages with the same libraries that are actually present in the system. How often do you update? When you want. I have left Gentoo installs without updating half a year or a year, it still works rock solid, unlike binary distros including LTS with packages from 3 years ago...

Arch has a rule you cannot break: Upgrade all the system, not a single package. This is not a problem with Gentoo, because you will compile it against whatever you really have. Instability comes from downloading binaries that were compiled against slightly different libraries. A bit of workaround is shipping those libraries with the binary, windows style, which is why snap and others are becoming popular in some distros.

The other reason is bloat and stuff you don't need. With Gentoo you can customize your compiles, and remove things you will never use resulting in a leaner and more stable experience. It is not for newbies, but the end result is far more stable than anything else i have ever seen or used. Still for a production server something like Debian Stable or Ubuntu LTS is ok, especially when you have several to manage.


If you just want to use a system without getting your money stolen, just run something like Lubuntu, Linux lite, Pop_OS!, Linux Mint, etc. Its not perfection but its far better than windows. You still need to use "common" sense like using proper passwords, keeping security updates, etc.

Move your money related activities to Linux or BSD, preferably to a separate PC.

[Carlton Banks]

I'm personally a huge fan of Linux as well, but I hate the fact that things can randomly break out of nowhere.

My experience is the opposite.

the difference is that Windows would often stay broken forever and randomly break out of nowhere. Remember the xp usb device prompt? "Remember my settings, don't ask me again" was one of the checkboxes on that prompt, and for something like 12-15 years, Mammonsoft forget to mention they meant "...except next time you insert a usb device, when this prompt will appear yet again"

with linux, things about the settings do randomly break. And the beauty is, that you can always fix it yourself, as long as you know what to do. Teaching yourself what to do is part of the whole point of it, and it's always possible to do so

with windows, either someone fixed it or they didn't. and you might be out of luck. I haven't used windows for about 15 years already.

[Hydrogen]

I would guess it has to do with recent news headlines such as the following.

Researchers unearth Windows backdoor that’s unusually stealthy

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/02/new-backdoor-targeting-windows-servers-is-ultra-stealthy/

The overall stability and reliability of windows operating systems has declined noticeably in recent years. One critical example of this is windows defender anti virus. You can't turn it off. Everyday it activates itself and runs in the background causing everything to freeze or lag noticeably.

When my C drive was filled to capacity. Windows no longer had space to install updates. This broke windows and made it difficult to install other apps on other drives.

Game compatibility and overall windows support are the only reasons to use it. Everything else about windows is probably inferior to linux atm.

[mk4]

the difference is that Windows would often stay broken forever and randomly break out of nowhere. Remember the xp usb device prompt? "Remember my settings, don't ask me again" was one of the checkboxes on that prompt, and for something like 12-15 years, Mammonsoft forget to mention they meant "...except next time you insert a usb device, when this prompt will appear yet again"

with linux, things about the settings do randomly break. And the beauty is, that you can always fix it yourself, as long as you know what to do. Teaching yourself what to do is part of the whole point of it, and it's always possible to do so

with windows, either someone fixed it or they didn't. and you might be out of luck. I haven't used windows for about 15 years already.

Precisely. To be honest Linux is really fun — customizing as much stuff and all that (I also used to love tinkering with Android ROMs). It's just that you have to always have that available time and leisure to fix stuff if something breaks, which is something I currently don't have. For some reason things break on me when I needed my computer the most, like they can smell fear or something lol.

[Wind_FURY]

Linux OS is less targeted by hackers and you will have less risk to be hacked. Hackers know that Windows is a most famous operation system and they spend most of their time to build malicious things on Windows.

Using Linux OS for your device, you are reducing such risks.

Linux Mint: https://linuxmint.com/

You can also use Tail OS too.
How to Install Tails OS on USB flash drive for Wallet Purpose

But OP should also get the context why "Linux is less-targeted by hackers". It's because, like the Mac, there are less users who are using Linux for the desktop, compared to those users who are using Microsoft Windows. There are still many exploits for unpatched versions of Linux that can be found in the internet, although not as many as the malware/virus made and released for Windows.

[NeilLostBitCoin]

Dual boot also works, assuming there's additional space for Linux OS. User friendly Linux distro such as Ubuntu have option for automatic partition.

Yeah, tried to dual boot before , I allocated the larger partition to windows because we all know how heavy that os will be and how many drivers and such are needed in that unlike in linux , it is lightweight and many distro and flavor. Already tried using Ubuntu since most of my friend said that ubuntu is good for beginner like me and then I got interested in Kali because I got interested in cybersec . I also tried Arch Linux but I failed to installed it I don't know why. Currently using Linux mint as well for crypto , but most of the time I used mac now because of work. So for me in terms of security of assets better to use linux, it is kinda hard to use at first when you are not yet so techy you might got a problem in your hardware as well if you failed to partition it correctly.

[adaseb]

Yes windows is very unsafe. I remember installing a new fresh copy of Windows7 and right out of the box there was some malware already due to some bugs. After the service packs were installed it seemed fine but shows you how unsafe and targeted it can be.

Whether you use windows or Linux you need to use a cold storage or hardware wallet approach. Don’t keep your private keys or seeds on an online computer ever. You can use something such as electrum which is free and can have a fool proof wallet solution.

[Mauser]

Can someone tell me the most important part why Linux OS is better to run Bitcoin wallet than Windows OS?

It's the first time I am hearing that many people are switching to Linux. Among my friends we are all using Windows or Apple, as far as I know nobody switched to Linux yet. My knowledge of the OS is very limited, I know that it's more secure than windows but also harder to operate. You can probably quickly learn how to use LinuxOS, the real question is if it's really worth it. First of all you need a new laptop or PC only for Linux, which creates more work as you need to keep the second system up to date. Why not just buy a good anti-virus system for windows? We can increase our security on windows and don't need to worry so much anymore about a virus or a scam attack.

[BenCodie]

Windows - swiss cheese
Linux - Silicon

It's a lot harder to penetrate silicon successfully in comparison to swiss cheese, which it already has holes.

The reason I didn't call Linux concrete is because there are still ways for users to go wrong with it. Though it's a lot better than Windows, by magnitudes.

We discussed this quite in detail over in the Cybersecurity & Privacy board, which a lot of us community members hope to be able to discuss more to help others stay secure in the event that the board is added.

[Z390]

There is no computer OS that's prone to hacks, even the less loved Mac OS have some malicious things available on the internet, if you are not careful running your Mac OS you will get in trouble fast, so don't go and download Linux OS because some people are saying it's open source and also less vulnerable to hack, there are millions of malicious software for Linux OS too and there are trojans and viruses that are targeting Linux OS users too.

Be careful where you download software for your Linux OS and stay away from torrent downloading, I am a Windows OS users and I am free of trojans and malware because I am very careful will what I do on my PC.

Do not download your Windows OS online, buy from Microsoft Direct.

Always make sure your Windows OS security is up to date.

Be careful which website to visit.

Avoid airdrop hunting on your PC.

[posi]

There is no computer OS that's prone to hacks, even the less loved Mac OS have some malicious things available on the internet, if you are not careful running your Mac OS you will get in trouble fast, so don't go and download Linux OS because some people are saying it's open source and also less vulnerable to hack, there are millions of malicious software for Linux OS too and there are trojans and viruses that are targeting Linux OS users too.

Be careful where you download software for your Linux OS and stay away from torrent downloading, I am a Windows OS users and I am free of trojans and malware because I am very careful will what I do on my PC.

Do not download your Windows OS online, buy from Microsoft Direct.

Always make sure your Windows OS security is up to date.

Be careful which website to visit.

Avoid airdrop hunting on your PC.

Of course, nothing is 100% safe, everything has its risks. But as I know, using the Windows operating system will be more dangerous and vulnerable to attack than using the Linux or macOS operating system. I don't know the truth because I'm not an IT. I am also planning to buy an old computer and use Linux to store and trade cryptocurrencies. Currently, I am also using Windows like you, and I have not encountered any problems during use. So I'm still wondering whether to use Linux or not.

[hugeblack]

As for me, there are many reasons why I stick with windows, I love doing many things on winOS and those things aren't available on Linux but I am just curious to know, what's so great about running Electrum BTC wallet for example on a Linus OS?

As a general advice, do not leave your money in a hot wallet, which is the one that connects to the Internet and uses it in daily life, because errors happen and you may sometimes need to click on a link or do anything.
Therefore, it is better to store your money in cold storage, and if it is necessary to use a hot wallet, then Linux is preferable.
This is if you are careful not to click links at random or give permissions to closed source applications.

[ABCbits]

Dual boot also works, assuming there's additional space for Linux OS. User friendly Linux distro such as Ubuntu have option for automatic partition.

Yeah, tried to dual boot before , I allocated the larger partition to windows because we all know how heavy that os will be and how many drivers and such are needed in that unlike in linux , it is lightweight and many distro and flavor. Already tried using Ubuntu since most of my friend said that ubuntu is good for beginner like me and then I got interested in Kali because I got interested in cybersec . I also tried Arch Linux but I failed to installed it I don't know why. Currently using Linux mint as well for crypto , but most of the time I used mac now because of work. So for me in terms of security of assets better to use linux, it is kinda hard to use at first when you are not yet so techy you might got a problem in your hardware as well if you failed to partition it correctly.

FYI both Kali and Arch Linux aren't newbie/beginner friendly. Arch Linux installation require you to setup so many things manually, which is why they provide long guide[1]. And partitioning problem could be partiality avoided if you either,
1. Allocate dedicated SSD/HDD for linux.
2. Use beginner friendly distro which do it automatically.

You can probably quickly learn how to use LinuxOS, the real question is if it's really worth it. First of all you need a new laptop or PC only for Linux, which creates more work as you need to keep the second system up to date.

Not true. As i mentioned on previous page, you can perform dual boot. In addition, these days linux have good hardware support.

Why not just buy a good anti-virus system for windows? We can increase our security on windows and don't need to worry so much anymore about a virus or a scam attack.

That's okay if you're willing to spend money, especially when some paid AV use monthly or yearly subscription which is costly on long run. And would you trust paid AV when it's free version got caught stealing and selling user personal data[2]?

[1] https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide
[2] https://www.tomsguide.com/news/avast-avg-data-collection

[Ultegra134]

Alright, I'm not going to point out Linux's advantages over Windows; plenty of other users have already mentioned them. I've always used Windows and am currently storing Bitcoin on my Electrum wallet, knowing that it's not the safest option. Linux may be open source and safer, but a few years ago I struggled using it because it has no correlation with Windows and I have zero knowledge of how it operates; it's a completely different operating system. Personally, I wouldn't use it as my main OS; it seems a little complicated and restricted compared to Windows. Perhaps I'd use it with dual boot and isolate it completely for my Bitcoin wallet, but it's certainly not to my preference.

[coinerer]

Can someone tell me the most important part why Linux OS is better to run Bitcoin wallet than Windows OS?

This days few of my friends are very concerned about the security of their Bitcoin wallet on windows OS and they decide to go Linux, they told me about this and before I knew how serious this was, almost all my friends are now installing Linux OS.

As for me, there are many reasons why I stick with windows, I love doing many things on winOS and those things aren't available on Linux but I am just curious to know, what's so great about running Electrum BTC wallet for example on a Linus OS?

Linux operating system has very strong security system which is not easily hacked by hackers and more high performance access is available in Linux which is not available in Windows.  And Linux is considered as a powerful and secure operating system so Bitcoin wallet is Undoubtedly to run on Linux. I like to use Linux myself but it's a hassle to set up so sometimes I have to move to Windows

[satscraper]

Can someone tell me the most important part why Linux OS is better to run Bitcoin wallet than Windows OS?

This days few of my friends are very concerned about the security of their Bitcoin wallet on windows OS and they decide to go Linux, they told me about this and before I knew how serious this was, almost all my friends are now installing Linux OS.

As for me, there are many reasons why I stick with windows, I love doing many things on winOS and those things aren't available on Linux but I am just curious to know, what's so great about running Electrum BTC wallet for example on a Linus OS?

Linux operating system has very strong security system which is not easily hacked by hackers

There is no need for hackers to hack Linux as almost all distros with Secure Boot (including Red Hat, Ubuntu, Debian, and SUSE) have vulnerability which allows RCE attacks. Thus the door has been always open.

Any Bitcoin wallet  should rely on the cold air-gapped machine rather than on OS, whatever the latter. The cold machine may be run by any OS which  is of little significance in this case.