The recovery technique is also of limited value because Windows XP computers weren’t affected by last week’s major outbreak of WCry.

For one it makes it even weirder that Appletalk could have had anything to do with it, but it also makes it realy weird that it’s claimed to be an old SMB v1 protocol bug.

But WinXP had SMBv1.

Because at base windows OS is predicated on the idea that the user is a moron (and they will learn to be one, if only out of a desire to fit in or merely avoid risking it “proven” to be true) and must be protected from anything going on in the computer. So as long as you only bow your head and don’t try to do something that is computer-ey (and if it gets difficult, stop doing that and either buy a bit of extra software to do it or claim it’s not needed to save the cash), windows is easy to use.

But that still doesn’t make it easier to use than Linux.

Buy a Linux Dell laptop and it’s EASIER to use than windows since you don’t have to deal with the problems of having your computer used as part of a botnet, which will at least slow your computer down and use some of your bandwidth. But if you don’t care about that either, then they’re both equally easy to use.

It’s just that Linux doesn’t fight you when trying to use it in case you screw things up. It assumes you’re smart enough to use it rather than assumes you’re too dumb.

Problem for windows is there’s no such thing as fool-proof.

Here are a few observations regarding things mentioned in this thread:

I have set up Linux machines for several people who don’t use the command line, but somehow still manage to use their Linux machines regularly. Ease of maintenance and good performance on old hardware are the things they like best about it.

A normal update in Linux (rather than a distribution version upgrade, which tends to be a more involved undertaking) is not very likely to cause problems on the system as long as none of your low level system software has been replaced by software from a third party. Translated, that means that basically anything other than running a proprietary video card driver that you got somewhere other than your distribution’s repository (which you can do if you know what you’re doing) or mixing software from a repository for another distribution is not likely to cause a serious issue with your system. In my experience, it is much, much less likely to cause a serious issue than a Windows update is.

Games have a negligible effect on the desktop computer market. Games follow users. Users don’t follow games. There are users who are exceptions to this, but they are a smaller minority than a lot of people seem to think. If users followed games, the Commodore Amiga would have dominated the desktop computer market. (The game console market is entirely different of course.)

Craig, the bottom line when it comes to your story about places that have been kept free from malware problems is that any environment which is very tightly controlled is easier to secure than one which is not. That doesn’t say much of anything about the operating systems involved (incidentally, when was the last time Apple computers needed Appletalk for network communication? My guess would be while they were still on 68xxx series processors in the eighties. They certainly haven’t needed it since the introduction of OS X.) I think your stories about Linux difficulties would have to be more specific to be taken seriously.

Most people who aren’t running some specific software that is not available for Linux could do OK on a properly set up Linux box. When it comes to Linux equivalent software you enter into complexities of what users need and what they want. Not every user will have equivalent software available. and some will not like the closest equivalent that exists.

With every install Windows’ registry gets more corrupt, and with Linux I can wipe out installs with no trace using easy package managers – also installs are far easier – Google search to find the package name & issue an apt-get install command. It downloads/installs in two seconds, done.

Windows breaks all the time. Linux rarely if ever randomly breaks. I rarely have to reboot if I don’t want to (maybe I’ll save some power when I leave home, etc).

Why have a company that doesn’t respect your rights as a consumer, forcing updates down your throat of a completely new version of the OS without your permission, giving governments all over the world their source code but not you? Use open source and open your world back up.

I promise not to use google, though that promise may mean that the command name may have the wrong switch, or the actual GUI button to click is incorrectly described if he insists it must be done by GUI and never CLI. It WILL be from memory after all.