__/ [ Jim ] on Friday 07 July 2006 19:10 \__
> B Gruff wrote:
>
>> OK, so I have a warped sense of humour.
>> Below is what I copied from a single page, though I admit that there was a
>> fair bit of information re. P.C.s in between:-
>>
>>
>> Dell recommends Windows® XP Professional
>>
>> -----------------
>> (snip configuration details)
>> ------------------
>>
>> Scary facts:
>> There are over 100 000 viruses in existence
>
> There are over 100,000 WINDOWS viruses in existence
Over 200,000 have been counted by one AV vendor. That ought to make AV
software rather bloated and complex. This affects system performance.
>> An unprotected PC connected to the Internet will be hijacked in under 10
>> minutes
>
> An unprotected WINDOWS PC connected to the Internet will be hijacked in
> under 10 minutes
I thought it was 12, but 10 is easier to remember.
>> Spyware infects 91% of home PCs
>
> Spyware infects 91% of... oh, wait. Given the *marketshare*, this would be
> about right. Windows has what, 91% *marketshare*? So, 91% infection rate
> sounds about right. Carry on...
Windows /is/ spyware. It phone home every day (Microsoft changed the
frequency to once a week recently, due to public pressure).
>> Protect your integrity:
>> Are you ok with other people being able to watch what you are doing?
>
> No. That's why I run Linux, so they can't.
> No Windows Genuine Advantage, no Yahoo/Google/WhenUSearch/WildTangent
> searchbars...
Exactly.
>> Anti-Spyware software ensures your programs and internet connections run
>> correctly and safely by stopping the tracking and transmission of your
>> internet surfing habits to prying eyes.
>
> So does running Linux.
Linux? What's that?
>> Protect your time:
>> Don't spend time cleaning up you inbox, Anti-spam functionality allows
>> only valid e-mails and stops the potentially dozens of unwanted 'junk'
>> email messages filling your inbox.
>
> Something Outlook can't do on its own. It needs third party software. Oh,
> hey, and guess what? Most of that software is spyware in and of itself,
> posing as helper apps. What portion isn't is predominantly payware (read:
> bloody expensive for the functionality). And proprietery.
> KMail has spam filters built in.
> As does Thunderbird.
> As do a lot of other Linux and Win32-ported mail clients that aren't
> Outlook/Express.
This couldn't be any truer. I see colleagues who erase spam manually. One.
By. One. They have no server-side filters because it's pricey. The filters
they have locally are trial versions that soon expire and perform badly
because they are built from the ground up (proprietary) rather than stand on
shoulders of giants (e.g. spamcop.net, SA).
One such commercial product even detected my PGP-signed messages as spam,
despite the fact that I successfully sent many messsages to _the same
person_ for years in prior. About a dozen of my messages got discarded and
this was not the first time screw-ups as such happened, either. Whitelisting
was the only way around it. What a lousy inability to avoid false positives.
SA has not had a _single_ false-positive detection in well over a year
(since I began running it). I am yet to witness the day when I find a
genuine message in my SA spam box, which I still supervise once a week.
>> Irritating pop-ups can be both annoying and time consuming. Ensure your
>> time is spent on productive things rather than disabling unwanted
>> information
>
> Do what I did. Took five seconds to decide, and half an hour to execute.
> Install Linux.
>
> Or, suffer reinstall blues and waste *days* fighting to keep Windows from
> going belly-up from the first (of many) postinstall reboot...
>
> It's no skin off my teeth, it's up to you. I know I made the right decision
> for *me*.
Good post, Jim. I had to say something in reply...
Dell recommends Windows XP. *sigh* It's like people who sell you guns.
Best wishes,
Roy
--
Roy S. Schestowitz | "ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI"
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU/Linux ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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