Could you please explain a little more on what X11 and wayland are? My current level of understanding is just that I am running the cinnamon desktop environment. How can I find out the information you are looking for? Also, why is it that going into ctrl+alt+f1 and then ctrl+alt+f7 to go back, resolve the issue? Thanks for your reply.

I am new to linux, I chose mint due to its popularity and noted stability. I just wanted an OS that worked for me not against me that was beginner friendly for a user moving from windows 10. I have been on it for a while now, encountered the odd issue (facing a tricky one now) but working through them. I chose popularity because I thought if I encounter issues, I am more likely to find answers. Also, it must be popular for a reason.

Just a new linux user agreeing with what you have to say.

The drivers tool shows everything as OK. Also of note, I am using an AMD GPU so I am not dealing with any NVIDIA weirdness.

Excellent explanation, thank you very much. Since I am using a VPN configuration on the host computer, am I correct in thinking NAT is the option I want if I want all traffic routed through that? It seems to function that way at the moment (checking IP on speedtest). If I recall, I had it configured that way on virtualbox. I want everything to network wise to be piped through the host first so if in the future I have custom firewall rules etc on the host, those are in place from the sounds of it using NAT correct?

Thanks again.

I am a privacy focused individual. I have researched that command and confirmed sensitive information such as MAC addresses are included. I see that the "z" flag omits this information. Would inxi -Fxxz be acceptable. Still it reveals much of my hardware which to be honest I am uncomfortable with. Thank you for your response though.

This sounds like a good idea. Thank you for taking the time.

Thank you. What is the difference between NAT and bridge in simple terms?

OK, thank you anyway.

This is something I'll have to look into further as I do not fully understand the whole concept of what is happening when running windows games under linux and how something is repacked to only work on linux. Thank you though.

Thank you for this information. Would it be best to run firejail in a limited user?

Do you know if a name / address is required for https://njal.la/?

Yeah see what you think. They look good on the surface but some elements like their encrypted email hosting are still in development.

Thanks for the link, I think nothing is riskless. All just a game of chance, just trying to minimise those risks to a reasonable degree.

How so?

How would you say they compare with https://njal.la/? I have heard that https://njal.la/ you do not actually own the domain. Is the same true for https://incognet.io/?

Thank you for your very thorough response. There are certain parts I will need to learn more about. I know some may think I am overthinking, I am just trying to keep as safe as possible and I recognise everything is a game of chance. Just trying to make it so the chances of becoming infected are less likely.

Any thoughts on linux AV? Something to have just to do a sweep once in a while. I'm thinking why not if it is available?

What are your thoughts on https://incognet.io/?

Thank you, that is something to consider. What are your thoughts on sandboxing vs using a user with no privileges?

Firejail is definitely something I'll be looking into on the sandboxing front as it may be the better solution from the sounds of it. How does a sandbox compare to running in a VM? Technically speaking, is the VM safer? Though I appreciate the difference in this scenario may be very small.

Sounds like a good idea, thank you for the suggestion.