In message <5.1.0.14.2.20040604002558.03934c98_at_mail.30below.com>
Roger Merchberger <zmerch_at_30below.com> wrote:
> If everyone were still running VAXen, Commodores, Tandys, Ataris, etc.
> would we have as many computer idiots today?
>
> Probably not.
Sure, but C64s, VAXen and such never had any viruses written specifically for
them, IIRC. People were too busy either using them to monitor scientific
experiments (PDPs and VAXen especially) or playing games on them (C64s, BBC
Micros, etc).
> But look what we have: Winblows XP & MacOS. Computers on training wheels,
> and how many people actually know how to fix the damn things? 2% of the
> population? Tops?
0.9% in my experience. The real problem is people who know enough to be
dangerous, but don't know enough to fix the machine properly.
> And some people actually think that Lindows is the answer... hell, it's
> part of the problem! Now we have Linux on training wheels. Yiippee. :-/
Ah, but look at how many viruses exist for Windows (something like 130,000
last time I checked) then look at how many exist for Linux - four. Admittedly
there are "rootkits", but as long as you make sure people can't log in as
root (or don't want to log in as root - remove the GUI in superuser/root
mode), getting the RK in there in the first place is difficult. Make the
machine grab the relevant security patches as they're released and have it
autoinstall them.
Take MICROS~1 software (stretching the dictionary definition a bit, but bear
with me) out of the equation and watch as the amount of bandwidth used on the
Internet drops, then note the speed-up.
Now the icing on the cake - RISC OS. 650 virus "strains" known. 95.5% of them
exist only in virus collections. TTBOMK there was never a virus written for
RISC OS that was capable of transmitting itself over the Internet.
> Altho, it keeps my company in business...
Ho yus :)
Later.
--
Phil. | Acorn Risc PC600 Mk3, SA202, 64MB, 6GB,
philpem_at_dsl.pipex.com | ViewFinder, 10BaseT Ethernet, 2-slice,
http://www.philpem.dsl.pipex.com/ | 48xCD, ARCINv6c IDE, SCSI
... Mr. Worf, set phasors on spin dry.
Received on Fri Jun 04 2004 - 05:11:44 BST