Re: OT Re: virus warning

["Robert Holmgren" holmgren@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to message from flash  on Wed, 22 Jun
2011 01:39:44 +0200


> The more complicated the software, the more likely it was written by
> several committees, and there's the rub.

Right, that is actually very true at Microsoft, where it is
increasingly the case that nobody has an overall comprehension
of how the thing works; but it was true of the initial factory
install too. And it's always going to be true of an operating
system that is pre-pared to accept almost any add-on or
software. 98% of the background stuff is just waiting to be
used, and never actually gets used. But it is there if you need
it. And that's what makes it a pretty fantastic operating
system: it is all-purpose. And basically, it works well.
People bitch & whine about this 'n that aspect, but it works,
and for something with so much baggage, it's pretty fast too.
It ain't svelte like Linux (which is matchless at certain,
especially technical, tasks), but on the other hand it can do a
whole lot more than Linux. The Windows software library is
incomparable, as a whole.

A good case in point is this week's security vulnerability in
Flash, classed "critical". Every version of Flash except the
very latest (10,3,181,26), on every platform, is affected
(determine your version here:
http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/). So what should
user do, bury his head in the sand? Not use Flash? Stick with
the version from one year ago (62 versions ago)? Then blame
Microsoft or Adobe if he's attacked? Nobody forced anybody to
use Flash. It's user's choice, at every stage.

Two really horrible things happened around 1991: 1) to make
more money, operating system designers began to flirt with ways
to persuade the general public that they don't need to know a
bloody thing about computers in order to run them; 2) to make
more money, biz decided to infiltrate and arrogate the Internet,
hitherto a very pleasant *community* of first-name-basis
mutual-assistance pro bono afficionados. The consequences
include viruses, off-topic discussions, and horrifying
decisions, like reformatting your drive and thereby losing your
entire configuration. I would instantly trade my 19Mbit
super-duper fiber optic connection for a dial-up, to return to
those sunny days.

-----------------------------
Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
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