Advanced Plus Security Debian 13 Trixie - TuxTalk

Thread details
Last updated
Nov 13, 2026
Main use of this computer
For home and private use
Operating system
Linux
OS version and support details
Debian 13 - Trixie
On-device encryption
Linux LUKS / dm-crypt
Device sign-in security
    • Account password
    • Other sign-in method
Security updates
Allow security updates and latest features
Update channels
Allow stable updates only
User Account Control (UAC)
Not applicable - not running Windows
Smart App Control
Not applicable / not available on this device
Network firewall
Enabled
Router and network details
Fritzbox 7690.
Real-time protection
NextDNS enabled in Router.
Device firewall
Built-in Firewall for Mac/Linux
Custom security settings
NextDNS on Hard Modus with Filters.
Periodic malware scanners
None
Malware sample testing
I do not participate in malware testing
Environment for malware testing
None
Browsers and extensions
Firefox ( Sandboxed )
Enpass
OSPrey
Dark Reader
Secure DNS
NEXTDNS
Desktop VPN
NordVPN
Password and passkey manager
Enpass
Two-factor authentication
Google Authenticator
Maintenance tools
None
File and photo backups
Google Drive and Google Photos
Subscriptions
    • Apple iCloud+ 2TB
    • Google One Premium 2TB
System recovery
TimeShift
Usage and exposure
    • Visiting familiar websites
    • Working from home
    • Making audio/video calls
    • Opening email attachments
    • Online shopping and card payments
    • Logging into my bank account
    • Sharing and receiving files and torrents
    • Streaming audio/video content from trusted sites or paid subscriptions
Computer specs
Lenovo L480
Notable changes
Switched back to Ubuntu
Feedback preference

Only essential issues, please

TuxTalk

TuxTalk

Level 21
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Hey everyone,

After running Ubuntu 26.04 LTS as my daily driver for a while, I finally decided to make the jump over to Debian 13 (Trixie). Since I know a lot of folks here debate between sticking with Ubuntu's ecosystem or going straight to the upstream source, I figured I'd share how the transition went and what stood out to me.

🔄 Why the Switch?​

Ubuntu 26.04 is solid out of the box, no doubt about it. However, I was looking for a cleaner, leaner base without Snap packages baked into core system components, fewer background telemetry/cloud integrations to strip out post-install, and a bit more predictability when managing my own environment. Debian 13 Trixie hit that sweet spot of offering modern packages and kernel support while keeping the OS strictly under my control.

🛠️ The Migration Process​

  • Backup & Prep: Backed up my /home directory, browser profiles, and exported my list of manually installed packages and Flatpaks.
  • Installation: Used the Debian 13 netinst ISO. The installer is still classic, straightforward, and lets you choose only the exact desktop environment and system utilities you actually want.
  • Post-Install Setup: Enabled contrib and non-free-firmware repositories, installed Flatpak with Flathub for newer user-space apps, and configured my firewall and permissions.

⚖️ Ubuntu 26.04 LTS vs. Debian 13 Trixie (First Impressions)​

  • Resource Footprint: Debian feels noticeably lighter on idle RAM and background processes right after a fresh boot.
  • Software Management: Having pure apt + Flatpak without Snap loops cluttering lsblk or delaying first-launch times is a breath of fresh air.
  • Hardware Support: Everything—Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, display scaling, and power management—worked seamlessly out of the box on Trixie without needing extra PPAs or proprietary driver hunting.
  • Stability: Rock solid so far. Zero random background update nags or unexpected daemon restarts.

💬 Over to You​

Has anyone else made the move from Ubuntu 26.04 to Debian 13 recently—or went the other direction? Curious to hear what desktop environments you're running on Trixie and if there are any post-install tweaks you consider mandatory!
 
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What motherboard and peripherals were you having problems with? So other people can avoid the same fate.

And if it is not private to your company, what workflow utilities were having problems?

You should be using Clonezilla, the drive image progrram. It backs up all the partitions as raw data: OS, configurations & data. Saves you from re-configuring again and again.
 
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Victor M said:
What motherboard and peripherals were you having problems with? So other people can avoid the same fate.

And if it is not private to your company, what workflow utilities were having problems?

You should be using Clonezilla, the drive image progrram. It backs up all the partitions as raw data: OS, configurations & data. Saves you from re-configuring again and again.
Click to expand...
Nothing to do with company, thats a Windows Environment, For me Fedora, it's simply not for me. Everything so troublesome, i just need a stable system.
For example after reboot or first boot, i can not enter the Phrase to decrypt the drive, it needs another reboot. All those tiny things that make me frustrated.
And i simply like the stability of Ubuntu LTS. Updates keep loading, Update to v45 made it slower. etc etc.
 
Last edited:
TuxTalk said:
Nothing to do with company, thats a Windows Environment, For me Fedora, it's simply not for me. Everything so troublesome, i just need a stable system.
For example after reboot or first boot, i can not enter the Phrase to decrypt the drive, it needs another reboot. All those tiny things that make me frustrated.
And i simply like the stability of Ubuntu LTS. Updates keep loading, Update to v45 made it slower. etc etc.
Click to expand...
Same thing I also need a stable system so I choose debian. With debian one downside is its conservative, older software packages but not a big deal because of Flatpaks,Debian Backports for System Tools. Many have questions about my choice but I know what I want. I don't like distro hopping. Hope your distro hopping is over and you stay with ubuntu lts for longer.🤔
 
TuxTalk said:
require constant policy adjustments just to carry on without silent denials
Click to expand...
Some SELinux denials don't need to be fixed. They are made to behave that way. I have a lot of denials going on in the background and they don't affect anything. They are just strict SELinux saying 'you can't touch that', but nothing fails. The rules are already made to permit things that should be permissible. No need to interfere.

One time I keyed in my password 10 times after awakening and they were all rejected. And I had typed s-l-o-w-l-y. So I turned automatic suspend to OFF. No need to suspend anyways, the machine is always plugged in and I don't have to pay for electricity where I live.

A long long time ago I had once encountered a machine that wouldn't play nice with Linux. But memory is fuzzy. So you are not alone.
 
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Victor M said:
Some SELinux denials don't need to be fixed. They are made to behave that way. I have a lot of denials going on in the background and they don't affect anything. They are just strict SELinux saying 'you can't touch that', but nothing fails. The rules are already made to permit things that should be permissible. No need to interfere.

One time I keyed in my password 10 times after awakening and they were all rejected. And I had typed s-l-o-w-l-y. So I turned automatic suspend to OFF. No need to suspend anyways, the machine is always plugged in and I don't have to pay for electricity where I live.

A long long time ago I had once encountered a machine that wouldn't play nice with Linux. But memory is fuzzy. So you are not alone.
Click to expand...
The issues i had with Fedora never happened to me when using Ubuntu. And im also a Deb kinda user.
 
TuxTalk said:
The issues i had with Fedora never happened to me when using Ubuntu. And im also a Deb kinda user.
Click to expand...
When you have good mastery over an platform then it's' best to stick to that platform. Not to say you should never switch, because switching broadens your experience but you should be persistent and try to gain mastery over that new platform also if it's features appeals to you. Get a another refurbished machine for testing, it is a no win situation to try to switch to a brand new platform but have to be productive right away.
 
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Get a refurbished machine for testing purposes. Cost ~$300 on ebay, newer than 2027 should be good. You can prototype, build and test on it, and when a build is ready, drive image it over to the production machine. Then you won't feel pressured for time and production concerns as building and testing can take however long it takes. This arrangement works like magic for me.

In some countries ebay has a bad rep. But one thing, the merchants are not allowed to lie, or the consumer can get their money back. Pay attention to the product 'details' and compare different merchants' descriptions with good reputation (lots of customers, 98% 4/5 stars). Some merchants are lazy and say the photo shown is 'similar' to the product being sold, so the description is the final word. Some merchants perform testing on the machines they sell, and they say it in their description. I have a favorite merchant "derrick4earl". I got 3 of my machines from him. 100% satisfied.
 
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Victor M said:
Get a refurbished machine for testing purposes. Cost ~$300 on ebay, newer than 2027 should be good. You can prototype, build and test on it, and when a build is ready, drive image it over to the production machine. Then you won't feel pressured for time and production concerns as building and testing can take however long it takes. This arrangement works like magic for me.

In some countries ebay has a bad rep. But one thing, the merchants are not allowed to lie, or the consumer can get their money back. Pay attention to the product 'details' and compare different merchants' descriptions with good reputation (lots of customers, 98% 4/5 stars). Some merchants are lazy and say the photo shown is 'similar' to the product being sold, so the description is the final word. Some merchants perform testing on the machines they sell, and they say it in their description. I have a favorite merchant "derrick4earl". I got 3 of my machines from him. 100% satisfied.
Click to expand...
I completely got no time to do all this, i never have one spare hour. Thats why i need a stable laptop.
 
Back when I was in coding, there was a sort of famous story. The coder says to the boss "we're 90% finished, it won't take 1-2 weeks". Howver that remaining 10% ends up taking 3 months. ( short PC projects ) The meaning of the story is: add buffer time for unexpected events.

Nowadays, we have project managers with PMP certs who handles talklng to the boss to set 'correct' expectations.:)
 
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Victor M said:
Back when I was in coding, there was a sort of famous story. The coder says to the boss "we're 90% finished, it won't take 1-2 weeks". Howver that remaining 10% ends up taking 3 months. ( short PC projects ) The meaning of the story is: add buffer time for unexpected events.

Nowadays, we have project managers with PMP certs who handles talklng to the boss to set 'correct' expectations.:)
Click to expand...
For me 17:00 hour I finish work and never think about it anymore until next day. Family is the most important thing.
 
Made the switch to Debian 13.
Pure Debian and no Snaps.

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