Security ... think about it!
Recent Ubuntu releases have offered users the option of encrypting all but their boot partitions with block-level encryption, explains Brooks, but the feature has been limited to the text-based alternate install disk, not the more commonly used default LiveCD-based disk. In Ubuntu 9.10, the default LiveCD installer now offers a home directory encryption option, and according to Brooks, it's a good one. The encryption scheme is layered atop the file system and targets specific system folders, as opposed to encrypting everything on disk, and it should "deliver improved performance by ignoring data outside of home or swap directories," writes Brooks. It also allows for unattended booting, as well as for multiple home directories, each encrypted with its own key.