“Our previous article on the security disappointments of SP2 drew considerable criticism because we cited very poor service to the security needs of home users, although we tested it on XP Pro. In fairness, we felt it reasonable to repeat the procedure on XP Home, and note any differences,” Thomas C. Greene reports for The Register.
“As before, we evaluated SP2 on a single test machine, following a clean install of XP Home with no configuration changes and no third-party software, additional applications, or drivers. We installed XP with the NTFS file system, choosing all of the factory defaults and obeying all prompts, then patched it with each recommended security update including SP1 before installing SP2, to be certain we didn’t miss anything,” Greene reports.
“SP2 does a lot ‘under the hood’ so to speak, to make Windows more resistant to exploitation, and this is to be commended. However, it does little to address the fundamentally insecure Windows setup, which pretty well trumps the former accomplishment. A simplified and hardened Windows system will be nicely enhanced by SP2. But the average Windows system will not even be touched by this effort: it remains leaky, almost incomprehensible to its owners, except those served by professional admins,” Greene reports. “Windows remains too difficult for the average person to administer, and therefore profoundly unsafe on the internet.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Windows-only readers, have you ever wondered why Mac users love their computers, but you just tolerate your PC? There is a better way. If you’d like to smoothly add a safe, secure, stable, and fun Mac OS X machine to your computing arsenal, information about how to do so can be found here. You’ll never look back.
They’ll never learn.
While I agree that Windows isn’t that secure, too bad Mr. Jack never addresses how much the Mac costs and the lack of options in customizing it.
And I’m a Mac fan.
Gosh Chomper, why should that topic have been addressed in this particular article? It wasn’t about comparing the economics of Macs and Wintel setups. it was about Windoze insecurity. I have to occasionally use XP at work, where my company has a very hard-working IT staff that pretty much keeps things clean, but every one of those guys likes to use the few Macs at work. And having owned both, I sure find all I need in my desktops and PBs. You want to bitch & moan about lack of Mac options & costs? Set up a website.
Hey buddy, he made the point, why shouldn’t I refute it? And why don’t you just take a hike?
Get this:
EVEN JPEGS AREN’T SAVE ON WINDOWS!!!
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1645829,00.asp
UPDATED: Experts worry that this new JPEG bug can be exploited through an HTML e-mail, allowing the attacker to run any code allowed under the user’s permissions. “Very serious,” says one, pointing to the chance of copy-cat attacks.
“…While I agree that Windows isn’t that secure, too bad Mr. Jack never addresses how much the Mac costs and the lack of options in customizing it…”
What are you, one of those modder weirdos? What do you want to do, slap decals on it, paint racing strips on your custome translucent Mac case with neon dayglo wires all over it or something?
While I’m not particularly fond of feeding the Trolls, Chomper, this article wasn’t about cost differences, but about Windows XP security after the SP2 update was installed. That’s it. That’s all. This wasn’t a Mac article. He made no points for you to refute other than if they were correct about the security glitches. Now, if you want a fair and reasonable cost analysis, check this article out.
Chomper,
In my experiences with Mac, I don’t find them to be more expensive than PCs for what you get. Yes, you can get a slow, stripped down PC for $499, but if you compare apples to apples (pun intended) the cost difference is really not there. No time now to go to the Dell store & Apple store & compare prices, but that’s the way I see it.
What kind of customization issues are you having? I’ve never had probs doing that for my Mac.
And to be fair, if I were to prioritize these issues, security of the OS far outweighs cost & ability to customize. I’d rather have a machine that never gets viruses, worms, popups, etc. that cost a little more and was less customizable than I would a machine that was cheap and customizable, but was an open target.
That’s why we have a free enterprise system (in the US at least anyway). If you think Macs are too expensive and you’re willing to take the risk with Windows’ flawed security, be our guest. Nobody is putting a gun to anyone’s head saying they have to buy a Mac, but then don’t come back crying when your Windows box gets slammed with some virus or worm though either because you’ve been warned.
“..While I agree that Windows isn’t that secure, too bad Mr. Jack never addresses how much the Mac costs and the lack of options in customizing it…”
Chomper has a point….
From the bacic stripped down $400 PeeCee up to the most expensive (stripped down) Dell… you can customize all of them…
What other platform can you… at absolutely no extra cost …. customize your computer with those jazzy new pop-ups …. those fancy trojans… the daily virii … and other great malware ??
Yeah, Chomper…. you hit the nail on the head
Back to the point of the article …..SP2 does nothing for the average XP user……..Chomper is a spin merchant and is throwing the thread off track…..Chomper go fart in some other classroom, not here.
What? Is there anyone still on Windoze apart from the ones who don’t have a connection?
Thanks DakRoland, I really enjoyed the article you cited. Just some more ammunition for me next time I need to bitch slap a know-it-all Windows user.
Folks,
Just don’t respond to trolls like Chomper. It wastes bandwidth. Facts will never change a closed mind.
– JPS
If Chomper’s time was worth anything, he’d realize that the alleged price savings between a PC and a Mac can easily be wiped out by the income or productivity loss due to as little as a few hours of PC downtime due to a virus or other malware. If that happens a few times a year…you’re paying more for your PC.
hey, and why didn’t the guy mention in the article that there is no software for macs and that their only real purpose is for creatives and that,,, oh i can’t be arsed. longhorn will be here to save us all soon and then mac users will be laughing a different laugh.
Compare yourself prices and configurations:
http://systemshootouts.org/
Enjoy
It’s official and undeniable, PC’ers have the most customized internet Petri dishes masquerading as serious computers.
Oh, yes, these custom PC’s are pretty to look at and fun to gawk at, but they are veritable sponges for viruses, worms, and Trojan horses.
Kind of like a beautiful woman with syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and HIV. One night�s pleasure for a lifetime of misery.
DOn’t just write crap. Try it before writing generic comments.
“DOn’t just write crap. Try it before writing generic comments.”
This is the apogee of PCer intelligence and argument? I have met 4 year olds with a firmer grasp of the English language, a deeper perception of critical analysis, and a greater capacity to express cogent thoughts. What a pathetic display of immaturity and mental poverty.
Fact is, the IT department at my place of employment lacks competence to prevent PC’s at work from failing monthly, are using worthless software, or both. Either way, human ignorance and stupidity prevents me from doing on my PC what I can do without fail on my Mac. The operative word for my Mac is “work”, meaning “to function”, “to operate”, and “to perform” as desired and expected, unlike the “crap” I have to endure at work.
Generic comments? No, my little lemming sucking bitter milk from the teat of Bill Gates, my problems with PCs are very specific, very real, and very regular. You can customize your pretty little PC as much as you desire with lights, bells, whistles, and technological trinkets to dazzle the eyes, but you can’t make them more robust as my Mac.
This is a comparison of purchasing made this month with an order for a laptop PC and a PB:
Last two XXX Group laptop purchasing:
1.5GHz PC ~3100 xxx, 1.5GHz PB ~3000 xxx
Apple laptop though had:
Built-in bluetooth + faster wireless (802.11g)
Giga Ethernet (10/100/1000) vs (10/100)
Firewire 800 + 400 vs 400 only
and Apple add-ons:
faster 80GB HD vs 40GB
128 MB graph card vs 32MB
DVD/CD burner vs CD burner
I left out the monetary unit not to spot too easily where I took these details. So not only Apple PB is cheaper, you also get more bang for the bucks.