Same with windows, Android, iOS, etc.

Windows is the only OS listed where you almost need to break those rules. You can’t easily keep software updated and basically need to install software from outside the store. Only winget and choco are promising in this regard, but these are power user tools. MacOS, and even many Linux distros, ship with a graphical app store that keeps packages updated.

On Android and iOS, most users can get away with never installing an app outside the Play Store or App Store. The app store keeps the apps updated.

Not sure when you last used windows, but there’s a built in store for most mainstream software,

Unless all you’re doing is web browsing, the Windows Store doesn’t contain nearly enough software. Users of Windows need to be used to installing software outside of the store. How many Windows PC’s have never run an exe or msi?

and I’m sure most games come from steam.

Perfect example. I need to find, download, and run an exe from a website to install Steam. Having this be a normal procedure that a user is used to doing is horrible for security.

Yeah probably lol. If it’s a Linux virus that you can detect with a scan, then there’s probably already a patch ready (or coming very soon) to fix the vulnerability. I could be wrong on this though.

Read that Wikipedia page from yourself. Anti-virus is recommended by the quoted Scott Granneman for Samba servers, NFS servers, and Linux mail servers. For desktop use, Linux has a clear advantage compared to Windows.

The use of software repositories significantly reduces any threat of installation of malware

As long as you keep your packages up to date, don’t install random packages found online, and don’t run random scripts, desktop Linux is very secure. No one is using a zero-day to target your home office computer behind your router’s firewall unless you’re a high value target.

On the other hand, Windows users almost have to install software from the wider internet. Windows also doesn’t have an easy way to keep everything updated. Your PDF reader could have a known vulnerability for a year before you finally update it. Add to the fact that Windows has more desktop users and is thus a bigger target for desktop-style malware, and the difference isn’t even close.

Most users do not need anti-virus on Linux.

I haven’t tried it but I think so. As long as it runs Android and you can connect via ADB, it should work. It might be a pain to connect via ABD either wireless or using a USB hub. You’ll also want to he extra cautious that you’re not disabling things that break the basic functions. For example, you can probably disable Google TV on your phone but maybe not on Android TV because it might break the UI.

Use this tool to automate it: https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation?tab=readme-ov-file

I’d still read the description it gives of each package before disabling and not instantly trust that their recommended list is 100% fit for you.

Why not Aegis?

“but you’re such a techy computer nerd guy.”

that’s the reason why

Thank you for the excellent explanation, that makes sense.

Are the emissions of biofuel any better than fossil fuels?

I like having email separate from my VPN provider to avoid putting all my eggs in one basket

I don’t currently use Proton VPN but have in the past and may in the future