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have often wondered if the “security” of Linux is less related to less coding errors but instead due to how it is less popular and thereby not a major target of spyware/hackers/viruses because those that produce that malware are going for the bigger targets.

As someone else pointed out, Linux runs the vast majority of internet servers. That is a big target.

The beauty of Linux -- open-source software -- is that as soon as a threat comes out, someone is on top of it, and it gets patched. In the proprietary world (like MS Windoze), it might take hours or days -- if not weeks -- to get a patch out.

I've got a bunch of computers with VirtualBox, and for years I would install various Linux distros just for the challenge and to keep up with what's going on out there. Frankly, there's not much of a challenge anymore with most Linux distros.

Those were the days -- get a six-pack on a Friday night and struggle to install some new Linux distro. But not anymore....

PCLOS, Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Debian -- they all install just as easy as Windoze, and you´re off an running. If you want a challenge, then go with Arch Linux. Conquer that one, especially on a VirtualBox installation, and you're a Linux pro, and you won't ever look back.

And then, if you're really into it, you can go totally hard-core and try "Linux From Scratch."

Linux installations aren't a challenge anymore. What I do for fun now is resuscitate old hardware. When you've got a 15-year-old laptop that barely runs Windows XP, but then comes alive with a Linux distro, it's very satisfying.

But those days are numbered too, as most Linux distros are abandoning 32-bit.

I'll close now, because this makes me realize that I'm getting old, and it is sad.