David_B wrote:
> FromTheRafters wrote:
>> Aardvark wrote:
>>> On Thu, 31 May 2012 18:01:53 +0100, David_B wrote:
>>>
>>>> How to Protect Your Computer
>>>
>>> Format and install some Linux distro.
>>>
>>> THE END.
>>
>> http://www.familysafemedia.com/fsm-power-stop.jpg
>
> Clever! ;-)
>
> From your header: User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1;
> en-US; rv:1.9.1.15) Gecko/20101027 SeaMonkey/2.0.10
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_5.1 - That's Windows XP
>
> Tell me, FTR, why are you not using a state-of-the-art Windows OS or, as
> suggested by Aardvark, a version of Linux?

I have WinME, Vista, Lucid Puppy (Linux), Linux Mandrake, and will be
trying Linux Mint soon as a replacement for WinME on my new old desktop
machine (probably a dual boot XP/Mint setup).

> The current version of SeaMonkey is 2.9.1 - don't I remember you telling
> me that one should invariably use the most recent versions of software?

Absolutely not! If you always get the newest stuff, you're always
exposed to whatever new exploits the new vulnerabilities in the new
features present. I feel one would be better off with a hardened
tried-and-true OS.

Keep up with security enhancements offered in upgrades, but you don't
need to upgrade just because of some added fluff features.

> One more thing! Of all the people *you* know in the real world, what
> percentage of them use Linux? (a guess will do!)

Less than one percent I think, I know a lot of non-technical people that
use Windows in RL. Online, most of the technically oriented folks I know
use both Linux and Windows (these are computer enthusiasts - hackers).
For those computer users (they just *use* computers for their work) that
aren't so technically oriented they use Windows or Macintosh.

I think you will see more and more people going to Linux as Microsoft
goes down the road toward special purpose (DRM) computing.