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Viruses: More Hype than Danger?
blankmange writes "CNN is carrying a story on how the big virus scares within the last year or so have been just that: scares, usually hyped by the media with software companies standing by to reap the profits. 'The market for computer security is booming as PC users become more aware of the need to protect themselves from worms and viruses.
"Code Red" hit the headlines in July last year, with dire predictions that the PC worm would cripple the Internet. Yet in the end, Code Red didn't even make the year's virus Top 10.' PDAs are the next marketing target, along with cellphones."
Yep.. There was this awful thing called "Code Red" which was crippling the WHOLE Internet, but luckily Microsoft released a patch which administrators need to install on their computers which will make them secure against this menace. Even the normally sane'ish CBC was towing this line. No mention of the fact that not everybody runs windows on their computers, that Macintosh users were completely immune, that Linux/BSD/Anything but Microsoft(tm) was completely immune to this IIS exploit.
The "experts" completely forgot to mention that the well-known nature of the problem, or that these issues are common in Microsoft software, or that Microsoft is not the only producer of web server software so that people who chose not to use Microsoft's products are not affected. It was as though the "experts" had no conception of the possibility that people might not be running Microsoft this and that.
The day Code Red became public should have been a public relations problem for Microsoft. It was a problem with THEIR CODE. Instead, they were portrayed as the Saviors of the Internet, as shining beacons of good corporate citizenship.
Money can't buy everything, but it can sure buy the media.
Lighten up a little, learn to see the bigger picture, learn to see your co-workers (once you get a job again) with compassion and not this holier than thou crap and I bet you might start to notice a change.
You have no fucking clue...
Most admin's start out with the best of intentions, focus on being nice, focus on teaching your users so they don't rely on you so much. Then when things are gravy you can focus on fun stuff like bringing up new servers or network services.
Reality is just as I stated in my original comment. After 7 years of dealing with really stupid people, I don't have the urge to give them a coke and a smile. I ain't a fucking burger flipper you got that? The last people in the company that should be that stupid are the one's in charge.
By your logic, you're focusing the burden of responsibility to the admin and not the end user. So I guess it's MY fault they opened the attatchment. I guess it's MY fault that I have to order a new laptop everytime this paticular sales lady goes out on travel and returns with a mangled laptop because "It's too much trouble to carry it on" This paticular lady i'm thinking of DESTROYED 9 laptops in 3 months! You would think MAYBE after the first one she would wise up BUT SHE KILLED 8 MORE!
Lighten up my ass, i'm sick of being a sysadmin. Honestly, I don't think i'm ever going back to anything IT realated anymore because it is not me that is the one with the holier than thou attitude, it's them.