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Originally Posted by glc
I use a lot of non-Microsoft software simply by personal choice. I like the 3rd party alternatives better. Simple as that. I use Windows 2000 because I do believe that it's an outstanding OS, it does what I need (supports my applications - isn't that really the bottom line?), and has been remarkably stable and robust. I use Office 97 because, once again, it does what I need and gives me no trouble. However, when it comes to browsers , e-mail clients, newsreaders, and media players, I do not like the Microsoft products and use 3rd party.
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That is what it's all about .. personal choice, as plain as that. It also means that you actively seek out what is a good choice. Heck everyone does it on a personal day - in buying fast food or in buying clothes. As with everything else, and it's especially true of Computers and Information technology. A line that I've always found funny and yet could relate to, when hearing about people resistant to change, was by Homer .. "
Why do you need new bands? Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact."
Why do we have more sophisticated means of being hacked? Simply because Internet technologies are getting more sophisticated. So we use Paypal to pass on money to people across the continent - thus was born the art of trying to phish for someone's paypal account. I mean, when the concept of a computer virus was born; there was no internet banking, online flight reservation ..
I would be remiss if I didn't express my strong feelings against Microsoft's favoring activex in its browsers; but under the basic security structure, it still is dependent on a user to allow the vulnerability.
I'll give you an example of how I see the web has progressed .. I started using PC-Cillin as a r/t scan from about 1998/99 - till then I didn't believe that I needed a r/t antivirus. Since then, there have been numerous versions - versions that started off as a base antivirus, progressively got tagged on with an email scan, then came network security - in the form of a firewall, progressed on to then getting added with Wi-Fi protection, and spam protection .. and now I find that the latest version comes with Antiphishing, wifi protection from wardrivers and a loopback to windows security updates by doing a threat assessment.
That is the nature of progress folks .. remember that you are playing on defense, and by design your security measures are going to be REACTIVE to what's out there. Claiming that one browser, one OS, one antivirus has achieved perfection is a fatal mistake; make your personal choice, keep your eyes and mind open to other choices; these aren't choices that a particular website or an author can determine for you .. it is based on your stupidities and your inabilities to understand what's at stake by driving your mouse to click a button or link.