Windows 7: This Is Where I Get Off

I have slowly been going more and more Apple at home but not because I am a fanboy or I want to look cool. When I first started buying expensive home computer equipment I was supporting Windows Laptops for IBM Employees and so I ran Windows for that reason. Then I became a sysadmin for a well known foundation that was using a multi-OS Java Client to research the Human Genome which required me to support multiple OS servers and laptops. Then I ended up here in online banking & security development on Unix and Linux webservers.

It’s just part of my job is to make security recommendations for a very large US bank and well… Can I give you an important one in my opinion?

When I see junk like this still going on with Microsoft being irresponsible to it’s own customers after all these years, after all these HUGE security breaches we have seen online and it happens more frequently than you think because you just do not see all the security announcements of so many Microsoft and Linux patches it would make your head spin like mine does at the end of the day.

Not to mention that DAILY I am being given a longer and longer list of websites to block within the bank to stop our users from getting their Windows Laptops infected with Malware just by browsing and no, not just because we do not want them looking at porn OK. This is specialized knowledge and information you will never have access to at home and normal people simply never will have the highly “paid for” resources I do or like this guy does.

So folks honestly… in my opinion as someone responsible for the security of your money… this Christmas just buy a Mac. Even an old one or even the cheapest Mac you can find to use for only online banking and shopping. I am not saying “stop using Windows” I know the world runs on Microsoft Office but I am saying after a lot of hard work you might come to understand and administrate your own at home security or you could just opt out of being in the line of fire when it comes to sensitive transactions online. I myself can run Microsoft Office on a Mac just fine.

I don’t have the time and I have too much security work to do “at work” so with all these continued warnings from noted experts I am opting out. Windows 7 & the ongoing Microsoft promises of a better OS tomorrow are just not cutting it anymore with reality and that reality is that yes, maybe Windows machines are cheaper but the cost of being hacked is increasing and anyone no matter how secure they are in using Windows could be next. That is why my work computer which is Windows has an expensive encrypted disk drive but I still have to block malicious websites for my company and run expensive cleaner programs every day on my laptop and even then I worry because not even with all that time and money and effort is Windows totally safe. My Macs at home I run Avast! that I got for free every month or so and I have yet to see anything. In fact as a security expert I have never seen one Mac come up with a serious issue.

Which OS is easier for the home user to not only own, but also understand?

Companies that continually require their customers to constantly react or jump through hoops and install patches every week are simply not doing their job proactively and that’s the truth as I see it beyond the hype and the advertisements we see on TV everyday. I think I would rather people just say no to Windows 7 and find something else OS wise that has proven itself better at security over the long haul even if it means a few more bucks for new equipment in the short term or the pain of having to use a new product.

In the end peace of mind is better than a cheap piece of crap.

Tags: That's Not eBooks