Comments for Does Linux really want Windows users?

Linux was originally designed with smart people in mind.

As it's become more popular, it's being built with STUPID people in mind as well.

Don't believe me? Install Ubuntu.

Secure, right out of the box for desktop users. Don't believe THAT? Go google it. Between Vista Ultimate, OS X and Ubuntu, only 1 laptop wasn't hacked recently at a convention - yep. Ubuntu.

Everything is explained cleanly and clearly on how to install new software via Synaptic Package Manager (Hell, you don't even need to LOOK at a cli unless you really want to) and security updates pop up on a regular basis in a very user friendly way.

ANYTHING you want to do that might be detrimental to your computer's health requires entering a password. Simple and straight forward. Give end users a warning from the start, "Don't do anything that requires a password unless you're being guided by someone you trust." would stop most idiot issues from the word go.

And where would they find people to trust? The massive free support structure that is open source.

Now, this idea of "NIFTY TOOL BARS AND OTHER WIDGETS" being downloaded and installed by end users is just plain bollocks.

Those things work in Windows because Windows is generic, boring dog food when it comes to looks and features.

When compared to an OS that can be redesigned with a few mouse clicks to look like a Mac, Windows, or something out of a Sci-Fi movie...and has desktop applets that blow away the latest and greatest features from Redmond...not to mention a fully functioning 3D desktop array of effects, transparency, the smallest footprint of modern desktop OSes...pfft.

Who the hell is going to want some lame-assed widget built by some fly-by-night company, that wasn't even good enough to get their software on the repository list?

You see, eventually, that will be the logic of the typical end users after being converted and educated (very minimally) in Linux.

"How do you know it's safe? It's in the repos."

Now add to that the fact that we have a huge force of open source gurus out there keeping their eyes peeled for security flaws - and you've got a system where hackers are going to have to find flaws in poorly designed distributions of Linux, or on systems running ancient kernels - the days of exploits will be near over.

Send email to innocent Linux user with new sneaky exploit for Linux...well, are they running the unpatched kernel? Are they running the older flavor of Thunderbird? Or was there a flaw in Evolution? Did it make it past the spam filters? YES?

Amazing...now the poor fool accidently opens the program and..."PASSWORD REQUIRED" Hmmm...that's odd...maybe I should ask my friend before I fire this up...

And if they are STILL stupid enough to do so, and their machine gets infected and omg they're now a zombie system, they're sending it out to...the hundreds (maybe) of people on their list...and it's got to get through all those questions before it can make it onto a second system.

That's providing that WHEN such things started to occur, the Linux community didn't just simply create a daemon that ran at boot up to look for such things, flag them to stop them from starting, and then booted up with a warning noting their presence.

And then patched it the next update.

Face the facts - Linux has not only grown up (it's always been powerful) but it's mature and elegant now.

And personally, far too classy and sexy for that bucktoothed geek from Redmond.

Cheers,
Ghost BOFH