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Windows systems have a restore CD or DVD that the user simply boots from, and it automatically uses software to reformat and reinstall the whole installation and makes it a no-brainer. But then you didn't know that because you are in denial.

Upgrading from one Linux distro to another requires booting from a CD or DVD and learning how partitions work and selecting options and other things that are not as easy to use as a restore CD or DVD.

You are correct that most Windows systems are pre-installed, which are no-brainers anyway.

Most of the Vista upgrade issues are due to Vista requiring new hardware. New systems are as cheap as $300 with Vista pre-installed, and a $500 Vista desktop has that software bundle already installed on it.

Linux has malware as well just hope your Linux Buddies don't run things as root or enter the root password to try to install things.

Back on the subject, Linux Infighting, The Clash of the Egos, how can Linux compete when developers are starting civil wars and are not united as Windows developers are?

They were file infecters, and also installed listeners and phoned home. They tried to use a couple of minor stealth features, but I don't think you could call them rootkits.

RST.a
RST.b
OSF

at least two are listed here, neglecting the worms.

Linux virus list
The following are viruses in the Linux Group:

Linux.OSF.8759
Linux.RST
Worm.Linux.Adm
Worm.Linux.Cheese
Worm.Linux.Mighty
Worm.Linux.Ramen
Worm.Linux.Slapper

Then there is the long history of sendmail relay installs, kernel exploits, apache exploits, etc that had to be manually patched via someone in systems administration keeping track of bugs and current versions of every package installed.
My last job as a system admin involved tracking down the source of their virus problems. It turns out, samba shares were where 100% of them were hosted because the previous admin thought the same way. It turns out, the samba share WAS propagating the spread of the virus infestation passively by infecting a client when they opened a file then infecting every other file that client opened on the server.
ClamAV on the Samba shares as well as a strict workstation virus update policy resolved this problem. All of the Windows servers had antivirus on them all set up for automatic updates.

"Ever heard of a virus on Linux?"

Why, yes I have Jocktard:

http://www.viruslibrary.com/virusinfo/Linux.htm

OS X get some of its virus-proof nature from the fact that is was Unix (BSD) based. But there have been malware attacks against all Unix systems as far as I know. The fact that OSX ran on PowerPC hardware and had very little in common with Windows as far as operating system calls made it almost impossible (no, make that impossible) to write a program (be it a virus or an application) that could run in both environments without a recompile (or as OS X now does by gluing two different compiled version together).

But it will be a lot easier now. The instruction set being the same, all the cleaver virus writers have to do is avoid OS calls, which, for really really clever viruses is a good thing anyway. You can bet that the virus writers in trying to do this will probably scramble a few people hard drives along the way. But maybe you don't know this: the intent of many malware programs is to remain permanently undetected (as in "rootkit" a term invented primarily for Unix systems, not Windows) and the opportunities for such people just got 5% (or whatever Apple's market share is) better.

I dare you - come up with a list of viruses, that can infect a standard (or updated) installation of Debian Gnu/Linux.

The same could officially be said of Windows. Microsoft usually has a patch out by the time a virus hits the 'net. So officially Windows is "virus free". (Yeah, right.)

Unfortunately, if you don't want a virus, you need to go to the Mac. The closest thing it has ever had is a social engineering worm. Linux, on the other hand, has fallen into the same trap as Microsoft on several occasions. Granted, Linux doesn't have many viruses, but it's also not a very big target. The Mac is a far larger target, and they're still waiting.

Do you ever wonder where all the spam in your Inbox is coming from, or how+why DDoS attacks are possible?

I know, and you know. Joe Average has no clue. It's just the magical Internet to him. Especially since adding Virus Software doesn't stop the spam.

I really can't take that statement seriously, sorry.

You obviously have never actually listened to the public. They really believe that Bill Gates is the smartest man alive. Some choice quotes:

"Bill [Gates] is just smarter than everyone else. There are probably more smart people per square foot right here than anywhere else in the world, but Bill is just smarter."

"I think Bill Gates is wonderful. I am poor as dirt, but there's no reason bleaming one man for everyone's woes. Of course, he is stinky rich, but hey, he earned it. "

"William Henry Gates III is the richest man on the planet, and maybe the smartest."

"It's like walking the Vatican with the pope." (Brokaw on Gates)

How much is that increased security really worth for an average home user, when you break it down? According to me, fairly little. Here's why.

But what is more important to a home user? His or her own personal files, or a bunch of system files?

Of course, they should make backups-- but wasn't Linux supposed to be secure? So why should they backup?

Isn't Linux immune to viruses and what not? Isn't that what the Linux world has been telling them?

UNIX might be more secure than Windows, but that only goes for the system itself.

In the end, the result of a devastating virus or other malware program can be just as devastating on a UNIX-like system as it can be on a Windows system

To blatantly copy Oasis: don't believe the truth.

...and untold thousands of spywares and other malwares directly targeting Windows, compared to Linux's seven viruses (lumping viruses trojans and worms under the generic term of "viruses")

i'm sure any smart virus writer will make sure to use the backdoor.

I keep hearing about this "linux virus" that's just around the corner...

There are security issues with Linux, but viruses just really aren't on the list, and the need for a "virus scanner" is just lost. Don't look for the virus, fix the problem that allowed the virus in the first place!

There are many articles on why this is so so 20 minutes with google and you'll begin to see the difference.

Again, it's not as though *nix is perfectly secure, it's just that automated viruses are really not in the mix.

And there HAVE been a number of Linux viruses, one good enough to cause me to update outside my usual update cycle.

It's just rare, and it will most likely stay that way.

There are a few Linux viruses out there...
a few worms, look at them wiggle.

There are a few Linux viruses out there...
a few worms

So, why don't you stop spreading FUD?

a few worms

Linux has very few, but don't act like it is the holy grail. If people wanted to write viruses for it, they would, but why? I love Linux, but let's not paint an unrealistic picture here.

It hit home yesterday.. I get a call from my dad saying that tehre's some virus and half of his pictures in the My Pictures folder are gone. I told my sister to download and run the latest antivirus.. as she was doing that, she e-mailed me saying that all of her Word files are gone and she's really upset.

I mean, this is the first time e-mail worms have done real, destructive damage (loss of data) in a long time... I forgot what it's like to be really subjected to a virus since the Win95/DOS days before 98-99.

I'm pretty pissed off, I now have to figure out how the hell I can prevent this happening in the future on their computer. I told my dad not to open any attachments from unknown people (or anything suspicious looking from known people), but the damage's already done.

So to the author of MyDoom.F: fuck you, something I'm saying for the first time since OneHalf.