...and I just grabbed a copy of your contact database!

 

 

Virus and application exploits are not the same. I use just about all workstation and desktop software out there and I?m not here to say any one is immune to exploits. However, some are better at dealing with Virus and Worms than others.

And to the argument that because most desktops run a particular OS makes it a better target is incorrect. Look at it from the POV of server exploits. The field is more evenly distributed between say IIS and Apache httpd yet one is more targeted than the other although both have about the equal number of known exploits. Any thoughts as to why that is?

I don't have my head in the sand but I have run OSX and Linux at home without an AV program for more than 6 years without getting a virus on either one despite having those machines online 24x7. I haven't gotten one on my Windows Boxes either but I turn those off when not in use and run McAfee AV programs on them.

 

...and yet who around here would trust their Windows machine without AV apps, to run a whole month on the internet!? Try two months, three...if you can reach that time period

 

With a half way decent firewall in place, useless services disabled and keeping it out the hands of most idiots (aka users) a windows machine can run just fine without infection for years. I've also seen PCs running up to date versions of Norton, MCafee (this morning in fact) AVG and Alvira all with infections so I would not recommend any of them.

 

This is so not the place for a Ner
.....intellectual war.

Head over to Anandtech forums. LOL


Honestly, that article is a bit biased in my opinion.
But I see where they're coming from.

Would you rather be king of America, or would you rather be mayor of NY? Lol.
NY is growing, and popular, bit it is not America....yet.

 

I am in IT and for free ones, I use Rising - much better than AVG or the others. Also, much less resource intensive than Norton and the paid ones. So far so good too, cleaned my computer and helped fix registry errors too.

Link:

http://www.rising-global.com/

 

You see... there's your problem

How about a system that just works out of the box?! No security headaches, no fiddling around with useless services (that were created in the first place, and implemented by the MS "geniuses") no nothing...i just want it to work, no drivers headaches, no anti virus updates no nothing. I've also seen PCs with NOD32 installed and were infected by worms and many other anti virus programs. I myself was infected back in the days when Sasser broke free, and i had a Windows XP machine with Norton Internet Security that was up to date and yet i got infected.

Another thing you should know that WIndows is such a weak OS because of 2 things:
1. Poor software development (with lots of exploits)
2. Social engineering (since Windows, upon installation, gives the user automatically administrator privileges) and hence if that superuser executes smth that contains some malware code it automatically grants the necessary elevation for the damage to be done. So in a way Windows begs you to do something stupid.

So you say most PC users (aka idiots) (your quote) do stupid stuff....but i say hey why Microsoft ever believed each user has to have advanced computer skills to operate a computer?! (this questions is more targeted at you than Microsoft, obviously )

In a work place you have for example secretaries than don't need to know or bother with user elevation or privileges but then again they shouldn't be allowed to just click any executable or power point presentation that arrives attached in the email and then ignorantly send it to all the mailing list of friends.

 

F-Secure

 

No offence meant to all you guys who say you work in IT....but

I never yet saw an IT department deliver a major project on time and on budget. I'm sure it must happen somewhere, some time but it isn't the norm! I've seen them take so long to deliver a project that they had to upgrade the bleedin' servers before it was rolled out...

Saying that, we still get "banking experts" (aka people who work for the banks that pissed my money up against a wall and are using my tax dollars to pay themselves a bonus) popping on on the telly to tell us what is going to happen with the economy!

Like I say, no offense meant guys. I'm sure you all deliver your projects in full and on time to waves of applause from your grateful users.

Okay, I turned 50 recently and I'm grumpy. deal with it.

Finally, Microsoft is a target for all those people who call them M$ (Linux users). Why would they write viruses that cripple Linux? And yes, it is possible. If it wasn't, why did I get so many security updates when I used to run Mandrake?

The argument about which AV programme to use is pretty much a religious war - much like;

Linux v Mac v Windows
Five kinds of browser
Twenty different newsreaders
Manual v Auto
Six different email clients
iPhone v "The rest"
Quake v Unreal
Runflat v Bouncy
Catholic v Protestant (hold on, that really is a religious war)

Everyone just pops up with evidence to show that their preference is without any shadow of a doubt the best. And the funny thing is - they're always right...