>that targets its security flaws is extraordinarily easy to acquire in
>doz, and difficult to eradicate, short of reinstalling the whole OS
and >apps. It's even possible (easy, so I hear)
So you admit you have no actual experience to counter his 'limited'
experience...
>to acquire malware in the interval between installation and completion
>of installing security updates online from M$.
Do you really think that given adequate access (i.e. throw it up on the
internet with no firewall) to a Linux system with known vulnerabilities
this would not also be possible between the interval you install that
system and manage to update it? What makes you believe then that Windows
should magically behave any better.
Of course, you can spin an updated install disk with the latest packages
so that this is not the case with your Linux system. Of course, you can
slipstream the install for any of Microsoft's more recent operating
systems and expect the same.
Look, I am no fan of a lot of Microsoft's business and marketing
tactics; Microsoft has been inching it's way out of my computing
experience slowly but surely over the last couple years. But this is the
same kind of FUD Microsoft likes to spread about any of the *nix
operating systems.
A generic Fedora 7, Fedora 6, Fedora 5, (how far do you want to go
back), Solaris, Mac OS X, etc. install is likely to have security flaws
prior to being updated that are remotely exploitable under the proper
circumstances.
If you don't use yum or a similar tool to install any security updates
to your Fedora installation, fail to run a firewall, and carelessly
click on links, and open unexpected email attachments then you are no
better than the masses of Windows users who fail to install their
windows updates, fail to run a firewall, and carelessly click on links,
and open unexpected email attachments.
The difference is that because you are not running Windows you will
probably go just a bit longer than them before managing to infect your
system with one form of malware or another, only because most malware
written today is directed at the much larger number of Windows computers
out there.
I run Mac OS X on my laptop and linux on everything else, resorting to
Windows Vista for only an occasional game that I might want to play with
friends. i might run Windows once a week tops.
However, my wife uses Windows exclusively. She has no real interest in
Linux, Mac OS X, and so on. She is diligent about installing those
Critical and Recommended Windows updates, has the basic Windows Firewall
set up, and uses common sense when browsing the web and reading email.
She has NEVER had a problem with viruses, spyware, pop-ups, or any other
form of malware.
Conversely I have seen Linux and even Mac users who believe their system
is an iron fortress simply for the fact that they are not running
Windows, only to find root kits and other nastiness installed on their
system down the road.
And people will cry that the only way in which you can correct an
infected Windows system is to reinstall the operating system, but I
would argue that from my professional and personal experience that 99%
of the time this is completely untrue. Again, do you really believe that
when a system becomes infected with this garbage that there is no sound,
technical, and methodical manner in which you can remove these programs,
and restore the system? There are some truely nasty pieces of malware
out there that will employ tactics such as attempting to reinstall
themselves if all components are not removed, etc. I have had a
miserable time cleaning up more than a few of these, but I have never
had to give up on a machine and reinstall it, though time wise it may
have been just as effective to reinstall one or two of them.
Oh, and how does most of this start? User browses to website X and
recieves popup Y that says you can get this absolutely nifty free
program that installs super cool item Z (instant message icons, games,
screensavers, and whatever crap), and Joe user thinks hey, what a great
deal, and goes on and install it beginning the mess...
Really, your poorly informed arguments do nothing for improving the
cause of Linux.
With respect,
Jason
P.S. I believe the operating systems name is Windows, not 'doz';
demeaning a product or making silly attacks against its name really are
no way to make your case against the company.
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