[Grovenet] MACs for Christmas

[Jeff Howden]

Chuck,

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> From: chuck [mailto:chuck at grovenet.net]
> 
> > A truly trouble-free computer for the average
> > non-technical computer user does not exist.  All
> > proponents of non-MS operating systems have been
> > pushing this mantra constantly, but it's a logical
> > fallacy.
>
> In your opinion.
> 
> My Linux machine is trouble free.  My opinion.
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By your own admission, you are not a non-technical person.  I am a technical
person and have tried unsuccessfully to get a Linux distro installed on a
server on several occassions and have had no end of issues trying to find
proper drivers, download and install updates, manage remotely, etc.  My
current attempt sits in a non-working state on my desk here at work
collecting dust as I just don't have the time to invest to do the research
necessary to make it work.  If I *had* to have it up and running I could
drop a Windows server CD in it and have it up and running in a few hours.

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> In my experience, Windows has never been trouble free. 
> Freezing, locking up, driver issues, viruses, spyware,
> drive-by trojans, blue screens, support calls to foreign
> countries, activation issues, more software to purchase.
> This is my definition of Windows. [...]
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I'd suggest that your experience with Windows and its troubles doesn't
represent a true picture of how good or bad Windows is as you don't receive
the call to look at a machine until it's become a problem machine.  In other
words, for all we know, for every repair or service call you receive there
could be 100 computers running Windows completely trouble-free.  The fact
that *you* see a lot of troubles doesn't mean it's inherently troubled.
It's analogous to the psych-ward admitting doctor saying the whole human
race is clinically insane.

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> Absolutely User Error.
> 
> But 'should' it be his fault?
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Of course it should.

If he purchased a car and didn't service it as recommended in the manual
would it not be his fault when he experienced untimely mechanical issues?

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> [...] Had he been using something other than Windows -
> would it still have been an issue?  I doubt it as most
> of his problems were Virus/malware related.
> 
> I still stand by my experience that Macs/Linux has far
> fewer Virus problems than Windows.
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And will continue to have fewer so long as it represents only a fraction of
the market as the return on investment for a hacker/virus-writer are too
low.

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> My Linux machine has been running 3 yrs. [...] I have no
> firewall and no virus protection.  None.
> 
> Should I worry?  Maybe.  But I don't.  [...]
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That's reckless.

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> [...] I may have viruses on here right now - Windows
> viruses - and without the proper privileges - they can
> do absolutely nothing.
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They can do absolutely nothing, not for lack of privileges, but because they
were written for Windows.

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> I have purposely gone to hacking sites, warez sites,
> torrent sites, myspace, etc....sites I know have
> trojans, and have even had the Winfixer popups - I
> simply close them.  I purposely open email attachments
> - even questionable ones - nothing.  I have tried to
> get a virus.  Sorry.  They cannot do anything on an OS
> other than Windows.
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... because they were written for Windows.  I've been online for 10 years
now and have *never* once gotten infected.  I run anti-virus that I keep up
to date.  I run Windows Defender to protect against spyware and make sure
it's always up to date.  I've used a laptop almost exclusively for the past
7 years, connecting to open WiFi networks as needed when travelling, away
from the office, or away from home.  I do no less than any other responsible
computer user should do.

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> And when it breaks - I'm in the book.
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Indeed.

Cheers,

Jeff Howden
support at vosandhowden.com

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