Re: Windows vulnerability vs Linux vulnerability

From: Bernd Felsche (bernie_at_innovative.iinet.net.au)
Date: 05/07/04 

Date: Fri, 07 May 2004 21:24:40 +0800

Leythos <void@nowhere.com> writes:

>In article <c7eojl$kp41@cliff.xsj.xilinx.com>, "Jörn W. Janneck"
><jwjanneck at yahoo dot com> says...
>> Leythos wrote:
>> > In article <290rm1xgsj.ln2@innovative.iinet.net.au>,
>> > bernie@innovative.iinet.net.au says...
>> >> Leythos <void@nowhere.com> writes:
>> >>
>> >>> When I can give my mother-inlaw a CD with Linux and Star Office and have
>> >>> her install it from scratch in one evening I'll be happy, till then
>> >>> she's on XP prof with Office 2003 and sitting behind a Linksys router
>> >>> with Norton AV 2004 running.
>> >>
>> >> You must *really* hate your mother-in-law.
>> >
>> > Nope, I actually like her - the thing is that I understand her
>> > limitations and what software she wants to run - there is little chance
>> > that Quick Books will come out for the Linux Platform.

>> well, that did not take long for the requirements to shift. so i guess this
>> means you are not, in fact, happy that your mother-in-law could indeed
>> install linux and an office suite from scratch in an evening.

>Nope, it didn't shift, it was still about her installing Linux and
>getting it running. I know for a fact that she can install XP on her new
>P4 (yea, cheap, but it works) without any problems and get Office and
>such running. I have enough licenses so it doesn't cost her anything.

Ahem... "doesn't cost her anything".

Pretty liberal with licences, aren't you?

P4 fell off the back of a truck too, did it?

>> > She has a NAT router, broadband, NAV 2004, and uses IE in
>> > HIGH-Security mode and Outlook 2003 for email. She's never been
>> > compromised and shows no signs of having any trouble using the
>> > system.

>> other than having paid for xp prof, office, outlook, nav, and, of
>> course, quickbooks. that's a lotta girlscout cookies...

>I think what she would find harder is going down to the local Best
>Buy store, finding Mandrake 10 (which is still in beta) or anything

I go down to the grocer's to buy shoes as well.

>but Red Hat, and then finding Open Office or Star Office - you see,

Talk to a local Linux User Group. They can burn copies; and will
delight in doing so at cost price or less...

One *can* buy Linux distros through mail order. They can be at your
door the next working day. 9Gb downloaded in about 24 hours... not
bad!

>without her computer she would not be able to download them, and
>without a CD-Burner she would not be able to move the ISO images to
>a CD to install it anyway. On top of those, she has the support of
>her friends, family, and co-workers that are all running Windows XP
>and MS Office.

Uh huh. cow-orkers really are experts at screwing up their systems;
all the while remaining *ignorant* of the systems beyond their daily
script.

>As for being secure, she's behind a router, so she has nothing to fear
>as she installs, gets the Windows Updates, Office Updates, NAV Updates,
>and then checks her email (in that order).

Rubbish. Dangerously deceptive too.

People really *love* to turn on their computer, wait for the dialup
to connect and then watch the modem for the next 3 hours and endure
several restarts while the latest updates come down the line.

I'm absolute certain that your mother will do that before opening
her email. Really certain! Absolutely certain.

How much did you pay for that bridge? 

-- 
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