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RE[2]: Anti-virus testing
i use win xpsp2 all day....
only the windows firewall...
firefox for navigate, never open atachs from people i dont know.
never go to pages i dont know, and i navigate a lot.
i donwload from respected places with cuality material.
and for the last resort i have a ghost image...
its simple and complicated at the same time...
i educate the others that use my pc not to use ie...
maybe i am lucky!! 
Wake up, there are also people out there who *really* use Linux at work (and if they play games, for these too).
Every time I have to use Windows on a friend's machine, I kinda get lost as I don't remember it any more.
I understand your experiences, but you shouldn't make conclusions about others too fast.
I think you missed my point. I'm not trying to brag, because even linux/BSD/whatever are vulnerable to viruses, even if they just affect user data (which is arguably worse than just the OS). My point is, software needs to be built to minimize the damages that viruses and friends can cause, either by stopping programs from modifying data that the user hasn't given them access to or by securing software using higher level languages.
The best analogy would be: Would you secure a bank by watching how someone broke inside other banks and fixing it in yours ? Hell Yes!
Anti Virus are not 100% secure technology. But they sure help those who need it. Fortunately I barely use my computer at internet with windows (mostly games, you know: offline ones), but I recognize that it is a great addition to the toolchain of those who need it.




Member since:
2005-11-27
The problem is, these are the number of known viruses detected. It doesn't matter how many you can detect, but how many you can't. Simply put, the entire concept of "anti-virus" software is ridiculous: would you secure a bank by by waiting for someone to break in and fixing it?