Comments on: Vista Views: Shadow of another delay

Readers respond to Bill Gates' comment regarding a 20 percent chance of another Vista delay.
Microsoft: EU decision won't hit Vista launch

[sanenazok]

sorry dialup?

Wait a second...you're concerned about someone breaking into a computer and using the computer as a zombie, but at the same time you're talking about dialup connections?

There's a problem with claiming that people will merely visit one bad website and "catch something" because those are the types of things that get detected by anti-virus programs. The Sony root kit issue is the vast, vast exception. Plus, it was detected because it was creating security issues, not because problems created by it had been successfully used. Zero day exploits are also not in the "wild" as much as you have to seek them out. So yes, if you want to get malware you'll get it.

To avoid them all you need to do is to take basic precautions like installing a browser with fewer security issues and using a hardware/software firewall. With these precautions you are guaranteed to have a clean system, without going to the hassle of using an unpopular/unsupported/unhacked system.

[sanenazok]

sorry dialup?

Wait a second...you're concerned about someone breaking into a computer and using the computer as a zombie, but at the same time you're talking about dialup connections?

There's a problem with claiming that people will merely visit one bad website and "catch something" because those are the types of things that get detected by anti-virus programs. The Sony root kit issue is the vast, vast exception. Plus, it was detected because it was creating security issues, not because problems created by it had been successfully used. Zero day exploits are also not in the "wild" as much as you have to seek them out. So yes, if you want to get malware you'll get it.

To avoid them all you need to do is to take basic precautions like installing a browser with fewer security issues and using a hardware/software firewall. With these precautions you are guaranteed to have a clean system, without going to the hassle of using an unpopular/unsupported/unhacked system.