Re: Making Linux Easy for Newbies

kurt wrote:

So, since you can't argue on point, you throw in the "windows is a
virus", "IE is a virus magnet". I love using Linux and I'm not trashing
it by agreeing that software installations are easier on Windows. It is.
Get over it.

No. You're simply wrong. Installation of software on
a /properly/ /configured/ Windows box /is/ actually /much/ more difficult
and should be impossible unless you have administrative rights. However,
99% of Windows "users" wouldn't have the slightest clue about properly
configuring their machine, and wouldn't care about it. That's why Windows
is the haven of choice for malware.

The poster earlier who claims he hasn't had a virus in five years on his Win
2000 machine is either not using the machine on the 'net, or simply lying.

The one thing that you can be _entirely_ certain of with a Windows install
is that there's /something/ unauthorised running that shouldn't be!

Time from connecting a Dell box to the outside world to first infection
yesterday? Exactly two minutes. Time to first crash / reboot? Twelve
minutes. That was "Vista" running with the "free" Norton software - it was
infected as it was downloading the virus signatures for Norton! Second
crash happened just five minutes after reboot, and a quick analysis of the
logs showed that it had connected itself to some IRC channel in the
meantime...

"Vista" is /simply/ /not/ /fit/ /for/ /purpose/ and all the "Grannies" who
have this disaster dumped upon them will probably give up computers for
good.

It /might/ be easier for "Granny" to install software, but it's unlikely to
ever work well enough that she'll be able to actually /use/ it!

The Linux package managers are far more sophisticated than the Windows ones
- and if the user takes the time to learn how to use them correctly
(whether from command line or GUI) they always get the job done correctly.

There are still *many* vital configuration items that can only be set at the
command line in "Vista" - so you Windows dupes obviously can't set up your
machines correctly if you're restricted to the GUI "administration tools".
That's why your machines will be infected with all sorts of crap, will
"run" slower than snails on Mogadon and you'll be wasting /our/ bandwidth
by spewing spam and malware to other Windows suckers.

C.
.

Relevant Pages

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