Re: Why Windows Lost The Battle for the Desktop

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

From: Scott M. (s-mar_at_nospam.nospam)
Date: 12/02/04

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    Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2004 16:20:07 -0500

    "C# Learner" <csharp@learner.here> wrote in message
    news:mvhnyuxl5za8$.dlg@csharp.learner...
    > "Scott M." <s-mar@nospam.nospam> wrote:
    >
    >> If hackers and virus writers
    >> spent the same amount of time hacking and writing viruses for other
    >> platforms instead of Windows, you'd see the Windows is not "less secure"
    >> than any other platform out there. It's just the one most targeted,
    >> that's
    >> all.
    >
    > There are a huge number of Linux boxen running Apache as web servers.
    > Consider the reward of 'hacking' a web server -- potential access to
    > sensitive website-related data. Why aren't we seeing a lot of news of
    > 'hackings' of such Linux boxen?

    For the same reason I wrote in my earlier post. Hackers hack MS products
    because they are the big boy on the block. Your "huge" number of Linux
    boxes running Apache is still a small percentage of the boxes out there.

    >
    > Pre-SP2, 'hacking' the average Joe's Windows desktop was a walk in the
    > park
    > for anyone with even the slightest clue about Windows and networking.
    > This
    > has never been the case with a decent Linux distro. I have yet to
    > evaluate
    > SP2 so I can't speak about that.
    >
    > IMO, it's a question of: if you were so inclined, whom would you try to
    > take candy from -- the big, tough guy sitting in the corner (Linux) or the
    > neigh on defenseless baby standing right in front or you (Windows)?

    What you've said here has no basis in fact, it is simply your experience and
    your opinion. There is an awful lot of effort going into exposing the
    vulnerabilities in Windows and when a vulnerability is found, it is
    immediately shared with millions over the Internet. There aren't "armies"
    of hackers out there determined to take Linux down like there are working
    against Windows. If there were, we would see that your "tough guy" in the
    corner is just as vulnerable as Windows.

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