Linux Mint @ Quick Hack - Now, you can surf anonymously from any computer

Linux is a versatile, if not offbeat, set of operating systems. Many versions are also small enough to be installed on a regular thumb drive, enabling you to plug it into a computer, boot from that drive and use a desktop operating system without ever accessing the computer's own local storage. Think of it as a way to bypass the operating system loaded on a computer, while using it as a host to run the OS on your thumb drive. The key advantages of doing this are privacy and security - running an operating system from a bootable USB drive leaves no trace after you shut down, unplug the drive and turn the computer off. This makes it ideal if you are obsessed about privacy and need to quickly pop into a cyber cafe while on vacation, or use a friend's laptop when you don't have access to yours.

A good Linux distribution to use here is Linux Mint - it is one of the more user-friendly variants out there, easy to use if you're a Windows or Mac user. Head over to linuxmint.com to the Downloads section, then download the ‘64-bit Cinnamon' version of the OS. Note that you cannot simply copy the downloaded ISO file to your USB drive - you'll need to specially transfer it using a program like Rufus USB image writer. -Marco D'Souza

Ever had to use a computer that isn't your own, but had the nagging fear of leaving behind traces of your browsing session? There's a simple solution - use a USB stick that runs a version of Linux.

Regards

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Manager @ Library

Khaitan & Co                                                                    

Blog | FYI@Librarian

Website | https://sites.google.com/site/pralhadjadhavlib/home