Why Does Windows Still Suck? Why do PC users put up with so many viruses and worms?...

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 2/4/5 | Mark Morford

[SmithL]

So about a year ago, the SO finally upgraded her Net connection to DSL, carefully installed the Yahoo! DSL software into her creaky Sony Vaio PC laptop and ran through all the checks and install verifications and appropriate nasty disclaimers.

And all seemed to go smoothly and reasonably enough considering it was a Windows PC and therefore nothing was really all that smooth or reasonable or elegant, but whatever. She just wanted to get online. Should be easy as 1-2-3, claimed the Yahoo! guide. Painless as tying your shoe, said the phone company.

She got online all right. The DSL worked great. For about four minutes.

Then, something happened. Something attacked. Something swarmed her computer the instant she tried to move around online and the computer slowed and bogged and cluttered and crashed, and multiple restarts and debuggings and what-the-hells only brought up only a flood of nightmarish pop-up windows and terrifying error messages and massive system slowdowns and all manner of inexplicable claims of infestation of this worm and that Trojan horse and did we want to buy McAfee AntiVirus protection for $39.95?

Four minutes. And she was already DOA.

My SO, she is not alone. This exact same scenario, with only slight variation, is happening throughout the nation, right now. Are you using a PC? You probably have spyware. The McAfee site claims a whopping 91 percent of PCs are infected. As every Windows user knows, PCs are ever waging a losing battle with a stunningly vicious array of malware and worms and viruses, all aimed at exploiting one of about ten thousand security flaws and holes in Microsoft Windows.

Here, then, is my big obvious question: Why the hell do people put up with this? Why is there not some massive revolt, some huge insurrection against Microsoft?

[Terpfen]

The one problem with the "it's only vulnerable because it's popular" theory is that it assumes everything is built the same. Every program and OS is different.

That said, if you're already looking for a new browser, try Opera. It's not going to get popular anytime soon.

[granite]

ping

[Dysfunctional]

I like Rush.

He is probably one of the most talented people of all time in his medium.

That doesn't really address the issues of computers.

He uses his for email.

If he wants to spend that kind of money... well, he has that kind of money to spend.

And, it isn't really a Microsoft versus MAC issue. I believe Gates owns 12% of Apple; does he not?

[Sicon]

Why Does Windows Still Suck? Why do PC users put up with so many viruses and worms?...

Gee, I don't know. Maybe because I don't feel like paying three times as much for a Macintosh? Does it occur to anyone that one of the reasons so many viruses and worms are written for PCs is because it is the largest, most widely used, target platform? I'm not really sure that it is simply a matter of the Wintel platform being so full of security holes (though admittedly, it is).

If you want your worm or virus to affect the maximum number of people, you're not going to write it for a platform that is used by only 6% of the personal computing market.

OK, so do I need to don my flame retardent suit to fend off the Mac-fanatics? If not, maybe I can get them going with this:

[Dysfunctional]

Isn't NTFS basically the same type of file system as MAC?

It would be just as easy to write viruses for MAC as it is for a PC.

[Petronski]

The best thing I did was get a wireless router.

Wow. Great idea. ;O)

[SmithL]

Back when I did computer maintenance, we did a lot of work on Tempest machines for Uncle Sugar's contractors.

[nutmeg]

bookmark bump

[auboy]

Well, I could surely use more speed… especially when running certain Photoshop filters. I haven't seen the iMac G5 in person, but the pictures looks great.

No DSL in the sticks where I live - but I do have a cable modem. Last week, Road Runner increased their speed by 500%. I upload and download large files through my FTP site. My FedEx bill has dropped to nearly nothing.

[chronic_loser]

Now that security is important Microsoft is plugging the holes as they come.>> you are kidding, right? the real scenario is that somoeone DISCOVERS a huge hole that has always been there, but no one knew about how to exploit it....., except MS, who had rather sell "we are secure" rather than reveal what a mess they have.

And MS *IS* evil, if you think stealing people's patented software, re-relaasing as a "feature" of your own, and taking the attitude "screw em, they don't have the money to sue us" is "evil."

[cyborg]

Yes hehehe you were right :D

[blanknoone]

The point is not that it is ONLY vulnerable because it is popular. Everything is vulnerable...some to a greater degree than others, but if it was created by man, it can be broken by man. The point is to not be in the place where people are trying to break in. If a lot of hackers are trying to hack it, it will eventually get hacked...so getting something that is not a major target. Firefox apparently has decent security (it is open source, if it was EASY to hack, it would have been hacked often already) but its greatest protection was that it wasn't a good target because it had so few users.

[MarkL]

You think Windows sucks, try using Lotus Notes as your email client. That really really sucks!

Try to remember that Notes really never was desinged to be an email system. It's more of a collaborative tool, and it does a terrific job of that.

Mark

[tiamat]

If you get the chance to look at the G5, you're in for a treat.

You'll love the display if you do a lot with images.

Not sure if we have Road Runner here.

We just moved and the community is pretty new... so i'm still not sure what's available yet..

[Dysfunctional]

XP pro can easily be installed on a high end rig (speedy drives) in under 30 minutes. It has most common drivers right in the OS.

I have done it quite a few times.

It installs and sets up your network. Then you can go instantly online and download/install SP2 update (high speed line) in about 10 minutes.

XP Office can be installed in less than 5 minutes.

Any other specialty hardware may take a few minutes but that is because a PC is compatible with almost everything.

I write what I write because I have installed the stuff quite a bit.

[Dysfunctional]

You're bad, really... really bad.

I love it.

[Woodman]

There is no room for common sense in this discussion. </ sarcasm >

[cyborg]

SP2 update worst thing ever.

[tiamat]

LOL!

That's actuaally pretty funny.


Actually, we're not all rich.

And we're not all fanatics.

And I won't flame you!

[Petronski]

I won't touch it. There's a good chance it will install with no problem, but there's also a chance that it will scarmable the entire system, and I don't feel like spending a weekend tweaking everything back into place.