On 05/24/2014 09:53 AM, RussellMc wrote: > Admin comment: > > Ridiculing operating systems or other software that one does not favour, > and the organisations that provide them, is a highly developed art form > carried on with, no doubt, great skill in many internet forums. > > This is not one of them. > > People are most welcome to post factual information regarding the pros an= d > cons of various O/S's that are pertinent to solving users' problems and/o= r > providing guidance re how various requirements may be best met. > > Conversely, comments using terms such as buggy, unsecure, insecure, truly > broken, .... and other expressions of opinion and broad generalisations > without accompanying specific instances and / or factual support are bes= t > taken to forums where there is no need to establish the merit or accurac= y > of any claim. (Posts made primarily for the purposes of documenting > specific instances of problems etc in such software are also far better > made elsewhere. > > FWIW: > 1. I have no axe to grind on Microsoft's behalf - but note that, while a > number of 'alternative' products do do a good job of providing the > functionality in each of the key areas, the integrated nature of their > suite of 'Office' products is unmatched by any competitor. > > 2. Anyone advising others that if they run my_preferred_OS then > " > there is NO NEED for antivirus/malware ..." may wish to ensure that their > associated disclaimers of liability are legally bulletproof". > > > > Russell McMahon > PICList admin 1 of N, or whatever. > > > Russ... I have nothing against you or anyone else using Microsoft products..It=20 is your choice...I see no reason to spend $80~$130 for a operating=20 system that people are staying away from in droves... As far as the=20 security from attacks Microsoft is continually updating their OS's (even=20 win8) because it is inherently not secure from attacks... Or an Office=20 suite that costs $500 decked out... I made a suggestion about how continue to gain access to his data (which=20 he wanted) and how to do it for FREE... It is TOTALLY up to him to make=20 an informed decision... There are other (and I do believe better=20 options) than blindly paying Microsoft for a product no one wants.. Software for Linux for the most part is FREE and is as good or better=20 than what Microsoft SELLS. It is updated when problems (bugs) are found=20 and new versions of your favorites are also free... How many windows=20 versions are available specifically customized by Microsoft for it's=20 users? (maybe 4?) How many "flavors/versions" are available for Linux=20 users? Hundreds! Open source software encourages innovation and=20 creativity that is "openly" shared between versions... Not so with=20 Microsoft ... Lots of people buy car keep buying a specific make car because they have=20 "always" bought that make and model when a better and less expensive=20 make and model would suit them better...It's their choice.. Russ you show me a security breach like what had happened on Target's=20 "Microsoft Servers" OS on a Linux/Unix Server... The hackers love Windows. Even ebay has had a breach on their SUN Solaris Servers recently...=20 Linux/Unix (like Solaris) is inherently MORE secure than Microsoft's=20 products.. Sure it could happen but much less likely... How about the popularity of the Windows OS for cell phones? Again Linux (Android is a Linux "flavor") is the favorite and no one=20 notices it "isn't" Windows.. The TV set top boxes... (like RoKu) again.. most are Linux with the=20 exception of the AppleTV... Raspberry Pi also supports a version of Debian Linux (I have a B version=20 RPi running XBMC (multimedia) that serves my videos via HDMI in high def=20 and runs off of a "micro usb wall wart" . Can windows do that? No. Linux has it's place and it works...New aps are being written every day=20 and people want it... Window8 for cell phones no one wants... That is why I chose Linux "flavors" for my machines and finally ditched=20 my need for Microsoft. Simple math and logic.. Dave --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .