# Quillux GNU/Linux
## Your Friend for Desktop Privacy and Security
### https://privacylab.yale.edu/quillux

Quillux GNU/Linux is a friendly operating system with strong security and excellent privacy.  It offers a simple and creative desktop experience for day-to-day usage while empowering users with the encryption, privacy, and anonymity tools they need to avoid mass surveillance and targeted attacks.  Though Quillux may not be sufficient to protect users who are under persistent threat from sophisticated and powerful actors, it is more private and secure than all mainstream desktop operating systems.

Quillux is a respin of Debian that is utilized in Yale Privacy Lab workshops.  It contains a variety of applications for secure communication and sharing, including: 

* Firefox (with adblockers, tracking protection, and privacy-respecting search defaults)
* Tor Browser (anonymous Web browsing)
* OnionShare (anonymous filesharing via Tor)
* Ricochet (private chat via Tor)
* Riot (private chat via Matrix.org)
* Signal (desktop version of private mobile chat app)
* Wire (desktop version of private mobile chat app)
* Jami (private communication suite)
* Pidgin (IM chat with encryption plugins)
* Hexchat (IRC chat with encryption plugins)
* Thunderbird (e-mail client with Enigmail PGP/GPG plugin)

## 19.03 Preview Release - March 1, 2019

This preview release does not yet include an installer and is intended for testing and feedback by early adopters.  Until the stable release, Quillux can be used as an "amnesiac system", without persistent settings, on a USB drive or in a virtual machine.  Users may mount persistent storage to Quillux over the network, via an external hard drive, via a separate partition on the USB drive, or by mounting an additional VM disk image.

## Logging In
Default username is "user", default password is "PrivacyLab#01!".

After logging in, please change your password to a strong passphrase: 

* In the top menu - System > Administration > Users and Groups > Password: Change...
* In the terminal - passwd user

## Hedgehog Mascot and Logo
Quillux's mascot is the "prickly but friendly" Quilly, based upon a real female hedgehog who passed away in 2018 and was cared for by Cherise Labonte.  Quillux keeps her memory alive.  The logo is based upon the original hedgehog emoji by Emojidex, which is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License version 3 or later.  Our version was remixed by Sean O'Brien and all graphics featuring it are licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3 or later.

## Special Thanks
* Marcia Wilbur and the Linux Respin team, for making it easy to roll our own customizations to Debian http://www.linuxrespin.org