I usually remain just a casual browser of topics here, but I just could not help myself this time. I apologize in advance for my soapbox...
NOT ALL WINDOWS USERS ARE DUMB!!!
Why is it that all non-windows users assume that everyone running windows is just hosting rooted, spyware infested machines? You all need to re-think how you came to that conclusion, or better yet, who led you to that conclusion. While I have no problem with people wanting to promote whatever OS they prefer (I myself am running OSX, linux, and windows), it is just plain ignorant to think that everything else is somehow inferior. Come on people, I always thought the majority of the /. community were relatively intelligent.
Let's face it, just about anyone reading this very article is not likely to be hosting a bot'd windows machine. The real culprit is ignorance. The only thing that then gives the AVERAGE mac or linux user an advantage is statistics. Meaning, more virii are written for windows as they hold the largest market share, by far. Most people, not anyone reading this, could care less about how their machine works so it isn't surprising when they don't bother running updates regularly, or going to suspicious sites and clicking on links they shouldn't be.
So to bring this concept even further. If someone was asking me for advise about what kind of computer to buy (I get this alot, as I'm sure some of you do), etc, the first thing I do is evaluate what they will be using it for, and how interested I think they will be in the operation of said machine. If a person will just be surfing the web, sending email, and playing music/video, I then evaluate how often, and to what extent they will "play" with the machine. If they will be doing alot of playing, and I think they are really interested in learning to do more with a computer, I will recommend a windows machine. I will then follow that with the normal disclaimers regarding spyware, etc. Now if the user is just going to use it for the above 3 reasons, and cannot foresee using it for anything else, I will recommend a Mac. Please don't confuse what I'm saying... I don't mean I recommend Macs for the more ignorant people, I'm saying that I want to reduce the users risk as much as possible based on their requirements. Obviously if the user has other software requirements, which is usually the case, then they don't have a choice, they just get windows.
I have a mac mini intel, and installed the boot camp last night to add more flexibility to the machine. This machine sits in my bedroom along side my tv, and is primarily used for surfing the web, email, and playing media. The only thing that I was missing was VPN. I couldn't get our SSL VPN to work on the mini. Now I still run OS X primary, but if I ever need to VPN to work for whatever reason, I can!
It's all about being able to do whatever you need to do with your machine. Sometimes I wish I could live without windows, but for right now, it's just not in the cards...
I love the fact that Apple has decided to release bootcamp.
