Linux: Why you should switch

[superchunk]

Game_boy said:

superchunk said:
Yeah I hate it when Mac and Linux ppl say how much safer these OS's are as compared to Windows. It just a fact that Windows is on 90% of computers worldwide, thus, it gets nearly all of the attention of the assholes that write viruses. If Mac or Linux was the dominate app it would have the same problems. If you can't see that then you are just ignorant.

Basically, you're not getting shot because no one is aiming at you, not because you're invincible. All you have to do is be smart and not download stupid shit, use good anti-virus software, and use good anti-spam software.

Each OS has its good and bad. Overall Mac is more expensive, sturdy, and harder to find software for. Overall Linux is free, more complicated to use, and harder to find software for. Overall Windows is cheaper, tons of software, and an virtual whore that tries to let everyone get a piece.

As for me, I have to use Windows at work. For home I have thought about two options. One build my next PC as a media center 64 bit. Second choice is go for an iMac. Mac will cost more and I will have to deal with training my family about the differences. I still leaning to build my own media center PC.

No. You're wrong on that first point. Servers are far more valuable than home PCs, because they deal with large money and information transfers. You would think, then, that virus writers would target Linux servers because they form the majority of all server OSes. However, many more viruses, etc. are written for Windows servers than Linux, BSD or other free operating systems, most likely because they're easier to expoit.

Ummm, no I'm not wrong. It is true that a single server is more beneifcial to virus writers than a single pc. However, there are many times more pc's than their are servers. Furthermore, a pc is typically a less watched item as most consumers are stupid and have no idea how to protect themselves, whereas servers generally hve active admins who watch all actions like a hawk and are setup much more securely in the first place. That alone is the reason I can charge $35/hr to fix slow and corrupted pc's as a side gig. Usually all I have to do is run a few programs to clean up thier mess and charge them for 2hrs work.

In the end a regular computer is by far a better target and those are nearly all Windows platforms. So, again, *UNIX based computers are just not targeted en masse. If they were, you would be crying the opposite.

Just as every new technology is hacked fairly quickly regardless of the protection put in place, so can any OS. Given enough time and diligent assholes any OS can be a hotbed of viruses.