Slashdot Mirror
Got Spyware? Throw out the Computer!
geeber writes "The New York Times (reg. required) has an article about a new response to spyware - throw out the computer and buy a new one. The notion is new computers can be had for $400 so it's a cost effective and 'rational response.'" From the article: "While no figures are available on the ranks of those jettisoning their PC's, the scourge of unwanted software is widely felt. This month the Pew group published a study in which 43 percent of the 2,001 adult Internet users polled said they had been confronted with spyware or adware, collectively known as malware. Forty-eight percent said they had stopped visiting Web sites that might deposit unwanted programs on their PC's.
Moreover, 68 percent said they had had computer trouble in the last year consistent with the problems caused by spyware or adware, though 60 percent of those were unsure of the problems' origins. Twenty percent of those who tried to fix the problem said it had not been solved; among those who spent money seeking a remedy, the average outlay was $129."
Why don't they reformat rather than buy a new PC? It does the same thing and costs much, much less..
what about the time spent reinstalling everything, saving your stuff and then restoring it, etc?
Oh come on, do you write press releases too?
Who throws out a $400 newish computer?
Every decent computer these days has a "restore disc" which essentially reformat the PC.
So why would someone "throw it out"?!
Leaky faucet? Throw out your house!
Really,...it's worth it!
...would be quite comfortable with reformatting.
Oh, and he appears to be an exec at Sun. Maybe he's one of those academics who just doesn't know his way around a computer, no matter what his education is.
Flat tyre? Set the car on fire!
...and many more cost-effective solutions to everyday problems. Here at Goatse(R), We're happy to help.
Wallpaper coming off at pieces? Time to move!
Your kid started smoking? Give it up for adoption!