this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Windows Hello isn't just face ID (though that is where it originated in most consumer laptops). It's an authentication system that uses the TPM to store credentials, for use with biometric authentication but also password authentication. This is what you're using if you enable a "PIN" (which accepts letters, thanks Microsoft) to unlock your desktop. Rather than using a simple password, the password is used to unlock a TPM secret, which is then validated. That means it's nearly impossible to brute force a login screen password without physically altering the device (i.e. opening the chassis and probing the connection between the TPM and the CPU).
It's also the technology backing WebAuthn/FIDO passkeys that are requested to be stored on-device rather than in an account (the highest level of assurance), similar to how passkeys work on Android and iOS.
I'm not sure if Microsoft implemented all this for TPM 1.2, which most older devices ship with, but there's a good chance they don't bother or break support during an update because TPM 2.0 is a requirement for Windows 11
The mechanism behind it is mostly documented on Microsoft's developer website.
thanks for explanation. I hope my Install doesn’t randomly break because Microsoft decided it should do so. I’d hate to throw windows away for some lightweight foss distro /s
Edit: only reason for not having moved yet is just my lazy ass
I don't think Microsoft will intentionally break anything, but with the increasing adoption of passkeys you may find that some stuff doesn't work in the future (probably with vague error messages).
I recognise your laziness, it took me a few years of dual blotting before I switched completely. With WSL2, I'm not sure if I would still go through the effort to dual boot had I started now. On the other hand, Linux has improved a lot since I first installed it, so who knows...
Yeah I have been down that hole too it’s mostly all the online logins and sessions that I have collected over years of using that os(windows) and pc and some old data that I don’t really want to wipe but also don’t really wanna go through the hassle of copying the important stuff off of windows.
Also some of the games that I played used to have such obnoxious anti cheat systems that I couldn’t imagine the hassle to get them to work to be worth it but thanks to the steam deck adoption has increased immensely since I last tried gaming on Linux.
Wsl2 doesn’t quite do the trick for me it just makes me want the whole package but I use it for programming because I don’t know windows shell commands for shit and everything is tied into windows/ms at work^^
For your file transition: there's a tool out there that will convert an NTFS filesystem into BTRFS, which you can install Linux to. I'm not 100% sure what the risk for data loss is, but for basic data disks it could be a quick and easy solution.
You could on theory install Linux, copy the files from your Windows home to your /home, and then get rid of all the Windows folders. You may even be able to keep some programs installed and run them under Wine if you're lucky!
That sounds very good I think I’m gonna try that, thank you.