Why are you running Windows?

reading many posts here, I wonder: can anyone still do any work besides defending their windows system. Installing security software, installing even more, just to beat the windows baddies.
Why not move to linux, or macos? They do have their share of security incidents, but that is a very minor inconvenience compared to windows.

What is blocking you? Fear, uncertainty and doubt, could there be a functionality for which you believe there is no solution, dont you trust freebies?
Or do you have Microsoft shares, share you opinion...

 

Thanks for asking!! I like the unstable or unsecure products!! And I have lot's of fun with all the security programs that I have! Other than that Life is Great!!

 

I would miss Wilders
But I have Suse and Fedora
Cheers,

Gerard

 

Inertia.

 

To make sure Bill can afford his Mcdonalds.

 

Linux doesn't support the apps I want or the hardware I have (and wouldn't do without.) And although I like tweaking the system endlessly, I found Linux to make some of the little things just too much. I'll be looking more at Linux in the future (maybe) but for now I'll stick w/ Windows.

MacOS is a bit of the same, it doesn't have a lot of the little software nicities that make it all worthwhile for me. Plus the computer itself is out of my price range and I can't get the same case modding that I like w/ PC.

Besides, once you harden Windows, put up a good firewall, and ditch IE, there isn't that wide of a security gap between Windows and the others.

 

#1 if you are on dial-up it is quite the D/L and you are better off buying it.so for myself i don't look at it as freeware.
#2 what games can you play with it?it looked like kind of a lame selection last time I checked.

#3

I agree with this,updating is kind of a pain,but I worry about ID theft more than invasion of my computer.

 

I use Windows because it is what I have on my computer now. Switching to Linux is way too painful for me at this time with my current computer. However, if I am going to buy a new computer, I will seriously consider Linux as my OS. With all the security problems, Windows really sucks. I have to admit that it's fun as well as annoying to play around with all those security applications. I want a 64-bit system for my next computer. They are still not as mature and popular as I desire at this time. So, I guess I will wait for a while before I buy a new computer and switch to Linux.

 

I use Windows Xp & KNOPPIX

I tried many times to actualy install Mandrake on my HD but just couldn't get r done.
Now thatI have found KNOPPIX which boots off one CD, I love it.
I can't belive all the apps they can get compress on one simple CD.
Everything is compressed and decompressed on the fly. Works very fast.
It sure didn't take me long to figure out how to setup my ISP e-mail account
using Kmail. I then found out I could use my Yahoo IM account with Gaim.
Comes with two web browsers, Mozilla & Konqueror. Comes with OpenOffice.ORG. KNOPPIX comes with so much stuff on a CD it is mind boggling LOL.
It detected my flash drive, USB * Firewire without any trouble.

Thsi would be my suggestion to anyone wanting to mess with UNIX without
installing it on your hard drive.

con

 

If everyone moved over to Linux, so would the hackers. Then I'd still be installing updates once a month.

But I do not mind physically checking all of the systems once a month. It’s like my cars. Every 3,000 miles they go into the shop for an oil change and a check-up. My mechanic and I go over everything. If we find one little problem, we fix it. I have 300,000 miles on one and 150,000 on the other. These computers are as reliable as my cars because of the attention they get.

Linux is awful. Its hardware support is very limited. It’s clunky and all kludged together. New users could never figure out how to install stuff.

The only time I use Linux is to confirm that all of the hardware is working. I will boot the system up with Knoppix. Other than that, I can't be bothered.

Why I don't use it at work:

1) I have a Netware server that has only been shut down twice in the last six years. The power went out on it once, and the other time I swapped out a broken fan. The system uses IPX and therefore not accessible from the outside, IP based world.

2) All of our network traffic is encrypted to foil any sniffing. The software is not available in Linux. If you want to get into this network, you’ll first need to know what software we are using. But the software is IP based, so good luck accessing the Netware server. Then you have several firewalls to get through.

3) Microsoft Office.

4) My web server has features that are supported by Office.

5) My users would go nuts and want to kill me.

Why I don't use it at home:

1) I have close to a hundred games on my PC. Linux has some, but nowhere near as many.

2) Windows support is more prevalent.

3) I hate the VI Editor.

4) I hate case sensitive parameters.

If you really want to understand why Windows is so dominant, you have to go back to the early 80s. Businesses adopted the IBM PC and DOS over everything else. People wanted PCs at home and they were expensive. They did not want to pay for the software, so they pirated it from work. Microsoft hijacked DOS and called it their own. Then they hijacked the windows GUI from Apple. Now people could have a free windows interface and all the software they needed from work. Everybody was a pirate. Nobody bought software. Ironically, a lot of companies went out of business because they copy protected their software.

Look at all the free software that people have now. The pirates have won. They have their booty and they ain’t gettin’ off the island any time soon.

 

"Its hardware support is very limited. It's clunky and all kludged together.
The only time I use Linux is to confirm that all of the hardware is working. I will boot the system up with Knoppix. Other than that, I can't be bothered.

Is this a double statement? If hardware support is very limited, why would you use it to check your hardware? LOL

I used openoffice back in it's infancy and even then it was very compatiable with windows office.

Your yahoo IM, e-mail ect is no tougher to setup then in windows.

con

 

Reason I'm running Windows?

- I'm not done exploring / learning Windows

- Linux does not support my games.

 

Because it happens to work on our Dell PCs. It won't work on some of the old Compaq servers that I have and I cannot find drivers to get them to work. I wrote a whole article here somewhere on this site. Find it. I tried several free distros. None worked. Every version of Windows works right out of the box.

 

There is a lot of discussion about all of the exploits in windows. But there are many tens of thousands of windows users that just don't ever see the really bad stuff discussed here on wilders. Before I came to wilders I didn't have a problem with windows security. but I am not a high risk surfer either. and as far as linux goes when they can actually produce a version that is really user friendly I might switch. I have used almost all of the distros available at one time or another and have not found one yet that is even close to user friendly. To use linux you almost have to be a programer to get most of the third party apps to work and usually it takes two or three other apps to make one work. It is not worth the effort in my opinion.

 

I don't use linux because most distros are way slower than windows (even Arch, which i really like), (un)installing softwares is a PITA, and there are almost no good games for linux.

 

Thanks for all your input

Reading posts on the board it looks like many of us are running Windows just to protect it.

In my view playing games is the major reason to run Windows, that's the reason I installed XP home on a new pc for the children. For myself I only need Windows to run Visual Basic for one project (too many API's in there to move to linux), all other use is more than adequately supported by my desktop linux. Pity my current linux desktop died this weekend, memory or cpu crashed, but at least that can be fixed easily, so I'm forced to keep protecting my Windows desktop, that I still have to use.

I'm a regular visitor of distrowatch (.com) and I'm amazed at the progress made by the open source community the last couple of years. No need not to consider linux now anymore.
And as for the opinion that if all the world turns to linux all the hackers world will turn to linux too, resulting in the same amount of threats, well that must be considered a religious debate. You either believe it or you don't. Guess my position here...

 

Interesting Thread Meneer.

my reason for using windows it's graphical environment, playing games and the art of security (while that is relative of course )

I tried the live cd's and I liked it to be honest, once in a while (mostly when I'm in an adventerous mode) I put in the cd's and do my deeds...
90% it is windows xp though

 

I for myself have Mac OX Tiger and have found that most of the software that you use on PC u can find it under another name for Mac and doing the same stuff and if not tweak even more then windows, without making all the fuss.

Now on the other end, I also have a Linux and a Unix dedicated box running Knoppix and Suse. Again still more tweakable then windows... given time and interest you can find that you can run any windows XP application under Linux without any issues... (that is if you try) I have some of the latest hardware and it's flawless.

Cheers.

 

I used to use Linux (Fedora Core) but had to move to Windows becuase my TV Tuner won't work with it, everything just works (devices, programs) in Windows - no depedencies needed etc. 100% compatbility with almost everything.

 

I'm a gamer - that's why I spent so much money on a custom machine and the primary reason I bought a PC at all. My other computers are also used for some internet but also mostly games by the rest of my family. I'm interested in learning to use an open-source OS but don't have the time now and.. I think I'd hafta dual-boot or something to keep my games working.

 

I use Microsoft Windows because it just plain works. (didn't MS use this line?)
Any game I want to have works.
Any piece of software I want works.
Any piece of hardware I want works.
Built in modem support works! (none for Linux)
Hardware is cheaper. (than a Mac)
I'm "in the loop". Linux and Mac users are in a tiny minority.

An antivirus, firewall, and antispyware is all a careful surfer should really need. All can be had for free.

 

I tried Simply Mepis - which was touted as the most user friendly distribution available - ready for prime time etc.
I went through hell trying to get my external modem to work and when I did, it connected at 17k.
Even open source software like Firefox did not look or work as well as it did on my windows machine.

If you post a question in a forum you can wait weeks for a response, and then it is often sketchy at best. Much of the imformation you find on the web is out-dated and can cause more problems than you began with. I have seen many posters get rude and insulting responses to questions asked.
After spending hours trying to resolve situations that I can easily handle in windows I often came away totally frustrated and more confused than when I started. This, for me anyway, was not my idea of fun. With windows, I can ask a question on a number of excellent forums (like this one) and get a friendly, timely, and informed response that I can understand.

By the time you purchase all the documentation you would need - Linux is more expensive than windows.

I could go on and on. I have to laugh now when I remember all the comments like: "why isn't everyone using Linux?" etc. and others, where they constantly blast windows xp. I feel sorry for those, who like myself, fell for this stuff.
Linux is not by a long shot ready for prime time. If you are a beginner, you can use it once it's set up. If you are a geek, you can probably figure it out. But If you are an intermediate user, you will tend to be totally lost and frustrated while attempting to perform tasks that you find easy in windows.

These are just some of the reasons, Meneer, why I still use windows.

 

Some of us use Linux every day and don't know it. Users are so isolated in some appliance applications that they do not know that they are using Linux. TiVo and Axis video servers are two appliances that come to mind. When isolated from the user, Linux is great.

 

If the world shifted to Linux it would probably look something like before 1994 when just knowing how to navigate the PC made a person considered a geek again.

 

I am starting to think that by the time that Linux becomes more usable, ReactOS will be ready to use...