[kanaloa]

I've got to admit... I'm a die hard Windows fan, obviously, but my experiences with Linux lately have been nothing but fantastic. I've been amazed with the stability. I am very very interested in trying out Lindows now actually... it being the first real "user" or dummy, lol, friendly version of the *nix kernal. Just a thought... I know I've been impressed so far.

Another thing... while Apple's a huge competitor, I also have an interest in this Mac OS 9, or even 10.x "Jaguar."

I tell you people, we may all be die hard Windows fans, and it may well be the best OS out there, but unlike the days of yester-year some OS's are about to make a go at Windows and it's kingdom. I am actually looking forward to seeing where this goes.

[Weaver]

I definitely agree with you. The main issue when it comes to windows vs. linux for me is security.

Let's pretend you and I are burglars, I tell him. We're considering breaking into two houses. We have the blueprint for the first house, let's call it the Open Source house. We know how the house is laid out, we know where the doors are, but we also know that there are locks on the windows, there are dead-bolt locks on all the doors, there's a burglar alarm installed, there are two 100-pound Rottweilers living inside, and the owner keeps a loaded double-barrel shotgun somewhere in the house. Let's call the second house the Microsoft house. We don't have a blueprint, but we know the owner doesn't have locks on the windows, has no dogs, guns, or burglar alarm, and tends to leave the back door unlocked.

-Grant Gross of Newsforge while interviewing Kent Brown, author of a white paper saying Open Source software makes government computer systems susceptible to terrorist attack. Mr. Brown was unable to retort to Mr. Gross's excellent analogy being summed up with "Which house would you burglarize?"

-Weaver

[epec254]

I get to admin a Mac lab next year, so I can (hopefully) be one of our Apple support people

[kanaloa]

Sweet... that would be awesome.

[purplehawk]

This whole debate is over my head, guys. Cliff has mentioned turning my current Bessie into a Linux server once we launch the New and Improved and Super-Fast Bessie next month. I would be lost, though. There was a world before Windows, I realize that, but it's hard to remember, LOL!

[Shack]

People people the only reason Linux is so secure is because not that much has been written to hack it yet , its not because it has some built in security shield. Not enough people use it to warrant someone hacking it. You can bet the more popular and wide spread it gets someone somewhere will figure out how to hack it. If it ever hopes to become mainstream things will have to streamlined so an average Joe can install it. When that happens corners start being cut security vulnerabilitys are built in and bingo you got windows

As for virus's the more popular it gets the more likely it will be that someone will start writing virus for Linux, virus for Star Office , virus for Mozilla and so on and so an



Shack

[Weaver]

You do raise a valid point as to why linux is so secure. You fail to hit on a key point. Well a hundred key points actually.

Firstly, linux, well linux that I use, Slackware, Debian... is not designed to be user friendly. No, I am not one of your run of the mill Linux knobs who thinks he is better than WINDOWS users because he can configure from a command prompt. Back to my point, since Linux is *not* very user friendly, a lot of the functionality intended for *user friendliness* can be removed. More time is spent on a user friendly interface than actually securing the program.

Now I am by no means saying that friendly interface is a bad thing. I like having all kind of options available just by right clicking... But the fact that a trouble free UI undermines security is unacceptable.

Just my two cents.

-Weaver

[purplehawk]

I am probably the epitome of what "user-friendly interface" was intended for. I can now do a lot of stuff inside Windows, thanks mostly to the kind old dudes on this site who've taught me enough to be highly dangerous in a Windows environment. I don't doubt for a minute I could learn to use Linux, but the question is whether or not it's worth the effort.

The majority of the people around me find Windows mind-boggling. My sister, for example, wants to logon to her PC, do whatever she wishes to do and have it all work right without any interaction on her part, and then turn the thing off. What in God's name would she do with Linux? Her son came over one day last year to work on a school project that required my grandson's iMac. I had to stop what I was doing and walk them through every keystroke, literally.

She recently upgraded to a 2.2GHz XP machine and is still loathe to admit how much she likes XP. Even so, she screwed it all up by installing AOL. Said she couldn't live without hearing "You've Got Mail."