Re: [orca-list] Fwd: Re: [Support] autoinstall of talking arch

[Kyle <kyle4jesus gmail com>]

According to Josh K:
# but if everybody ran linux all of a sudden wouldn't the virus makers
# then target linux just like they target windows now?

Possibly yes, but the security model of Linux just doesn't make it as
easy. See below.

# and if they put an all out viral assault on linux wouldn't linux cave
like windows does often?

No. One of the main reasons why Windows caves to viruses so often is
that there is only one company that is able to review the code. The
Linux kernel, and to an even greater extent, GNU/Linux as a whole, has
far more people looking at and contributing to an already more solid
codebase, which produces better security just in the number of eyes on
the code, not to mention the fact that the Unix security model is far
better than the Windows security model, where anyone can gain
administrator access to the system by modifying or even deleting the
system registry, which can be done remotely or by tricking the system
into running the repair program. Furthermore, Microsoft has to responde
reactively to security threats as they get bad enough, as they do have
fewer eyes on the code. They just don't have enough people to look at
and fix security problems that arise to proactively fix things. If they
did that, there would probably not be a new version of Windows for like
a hundred years, as they would be too busy plugging holes from the
initial porous design of the system back in the days of DOS, where
networking was a rather novel concept on a PC. Sadly, those few who have
managed to be able to look at Windows source code have seen old DOS
16-bit code in the c:\windows\system32 directory as recently as Vista,
which doesn't really bode well for later versions of Windows either.
Strangely, even old DOS games run better on Linux than they do on
Windows, even in spite of this.

Another problem is that Windows relies very heavily on separate mostly
3rd-party antivirus software in an attempt to keep malware off the
system. It also throws up a lot of scary prompts many times when someone
downloads legitimate software from its official website. Unfortunately,
these things are the meat of the Microsoft Windows security model, and
cause more problems than they solve, as more and more legitimate
software, and even businesses, require users to disable their antivirus
software in order to make the software they want run properly, or even
in order to do their jobs, and eventually all the wolf crying that
Windows itself does whenever someone attempts to download and install
legitimate software will eventually go unheeded once the wolf really
comes to destroy the files or fry the operating system. I will agree
that part of using Linux is knowledge of best practices when it comes to
downloading software and executing commands as root, but such competence
should be a requirement for anyone sitting down in front of any
computer, no matter what is running on it. Furthermore, any antivirus
and security measures that are taken must be community-oriented and
reviewed as closely as the OS-level code itself. At this point, should
viruses ever show up on Linux, Clamav is probably in the best possible
position to handle them, as it's free open source software that can be
reviewed and modified by the community at large, which is a clear
advantage that none of the major Windows antivirus vendors have. Better,
Linux didn't copy the primarily centralized software repository from
Apple or Microsoft. Rather, Apple and Microsoft clearly copied the idea
from Linux distributions such as Debian, which pretty much invented the
concept of getting one's software from trusted sources, complete with
package signatures and other checksums to prevent tampering. This is yet
another thing that makes Linux security far superior, as there is no
need for the OS to cry "WOLF!" every time a user tries to install
something on the system. No, the AUR is probably not the best place for
people to get their software unless they truly understand the risks of
installing an unchecked package, but if you stick to the official
repositories, your chosen distro will do its best to keep you safe.
Sent from my coffee maker
-- 
"Don't judge my disability until you are able to see my ability."
~Kyle: https://kyle.tk/
My chunk of the internet: https://chunkhost.com/r/Kyle