If this affects European users then the GDPR does make it a crime.

It is possible to run Proxmox without using ZFS.

If a debian based distro there’s several ways to copy your package choices from one machine to another, the likes of using dpkg --get-selections and using that output on the new machine with --set-selections, but probably the easiest way is to use apt-clone, which streamlines that process to install the same packages on the new machine.

As for your firefox and desktop packages, they’ll be saved in /home/username (usually in .hidden dirs) - so just copy all of that over.

Alternatively, use an image cloner like clonezilla to make an exact disk copy and install that.

Or run your machine as a vm inside Proxmox or another hypervisor. That way you can have instant snapshots before you do risky things, as well as multiple scheduled entire-machine backups.

Or ansible (which I do a lot of), which can set whatever packages and copy your golden-image files over as you want. (But keeping those up to date requires a little thought)

Good shout! I use syncthing myself to sync all my useful stuff between multiple devices seamlessly.

OS update fuss level is hugely dependant on distro though.

EL and rebuilds? Full new machine and copy services over (or if paying RHEL, use their migrator which can have mixed results). Agree, huge fuss.

Debian/ubuntu? Dist-upgrade, normally safe and much quicker.

Plus a bunch of rolling release distros that just keep up to date (but will occasionally add breaking changes that you might not be ready for)

Can’t so easily get around hardware issues, so build cattle that can be easily redeployed or scaled. Doesn’t fit all situations though.

rEFInd

Good shout. Not something I’ve heard of before and I’ve certainly had my share of problems with grub2, even recently.

Total agreement. So many unsung heroes involved in Debian. Work has agreed with me - today’s job involved migrating those load balancers to Debian underneath.

Genuine question: Do you think linux would be better or worse today without that influence?

Linux’s only objective is to get better.

Any commercial OS has the sole objective to make money for its owner.

Heh. ISWYDT

It wasn’t actually that, it’s just such a dumb question to ask, and insulting as hell.

Are you drunk?

Nice, dude. Love anyone who learns by doing.

It’s a lot of work, but if you’re feeling tired or overhwelmed and thinking negative thoughts about these releases - then don’t. It’s a good thing.

These are bugs that already exist and, in some cases, are almost certainly being actively exploited by criminals and government-backed organistions both.

Whilst we might ask that some are a little more responsible with their disclosures, overall this is a massive boost to computer security once we get over this hill of information.

It’s a positive thing, don’t be worried.

These vulns already existed. It’s possible the bad guys were already using them. This gets them out in the open and on their way to being resolved.

Just keep patches up to date with any modern and maintained distro and you’ll be grand.

SME here, moving around 300 vms from Rocky to Debian.

But your question is really too vague. Our workflows are quite traditional, but the world is a big place and there is no single right answer here.

Dunno. I use Debian, so that stuff just works from day 1.

Seriously, wtf Redhat?

Long term and by all accounts, valuable, employee makes a reasonable request for distance working and gets denied? What’s more, them leaving has landed them with a serious problem about maintaining key software.

I’ve not been a big fan of Redhat for some years now, but that’s a new IBM smelling low. Their best years are definitely behind them.

Year of linux?

Dude, please. I’m on my third decade of the thing already.

I think it’s too early to be making decisions based on this alone.

docker’s cli makes a lot of sense to me. Anything that supports “application logical-command --help” gets a big tick.

But yeah, bash itself is great.