HN user
My position is just that browsers-in-VMs is a mostly roundabout threat model whose actual benefits (such as some semblance of filesystem isolation) can be achieved other ways.
What other ways would you recommend for filesystem isolation better than simply immutable VM running a web browser?
Security theatre. If your browser is attacked by an 0day of any sort, or malware or whatever, it will have access to the shared credentials and information inside your browser.
Yes running a VM won’t protect against this threat.
Running a VM will pretty much eliminate that 0-day from infecting the host OS, where it could become a persistent threat and have access to a range of sensitive data.
This is not security theatre. You just have incomplete threat modelling here.
https://www.securityweek.com/chrome-sandbox-escape-vulnerabi...
Web browser sandbox escape just by viewing a HTML page. Not common, but it happens.
Im currently looking for a Linux distribution to run in an immutable VM on macOS. It will only be used to run a web browser. A browser is the primary way your machine can get compromised.
Since it is immutable, restarting the VM will clear all files back to a clean slate.
macOS has app sandboxing built-in, but it is not as good as a VM.
I’m curious why this isn’t a more popular setup? Running a browser in an isolated VM seems like it should be a best practice. Does anyone else run a similar setup?
I’ve been a WordPress dev since 3.0. It is a tool. And a very good one. Its market share dominance it not because it is proprietary (it is not) or because of vendor lock in (there is none). It is because it works very well, it is lightweight, it runs pretty much on any host, and is friendly to devs and end users.
Part of being a good dev is knowing which tool to use (and when to not use a tool) and how to get the most out of the tool.
These common reasons listed in these types of articles do not support the conclusion that todo lists don’t work.
They are a list of some common challenges when working with todo lists. But what working method doesn’t have challenges?
I could compose a list of various challenges of working from home. It does not mean working from home, “doesn’t work”.
I’m the only one on my team that uses a todo manager religiously. I am also the most productive on my team.
I consider my todo manager my superpower. It powers my life.
And while I advocate using a good todo manager, I’ve learnt that they are not for everyone.
Everyone has their own working styles.
My recommendation for people is be open to experimenting with new ways to work.
If you have always used a calendar as your primary way to schedule your work or only a paper notebook, experiment for 15 days with another method.
If your todo manager isn’t working for you, experiment with another software or even try a paper notebook.
Investing a bit of time into alternative organizational methods can have a very positive impact on your productivity as well as happiness.