It isn't quite what the typical home user wants... I think the typical home user doesn't care what OS they're running. They want a machine that can boot into a reasonably secure desktop that has a clean GUI interface, and functionality enabling them to use all the peripherals the computer was bought with or install other peripherals and software.
People who buy bare-bones systems should more or less have a GUI that enables them to run (install) apps from removeable or network media. Most people don't buy bare-bones, but hey, to each their own. Bigger systems should come with sufficient software to use all the peripherals in the bundle.
Too many people are frustrated by buying a home PC for home video, scrapbooking, email and internet access. They go buy a machine that's got all the peripherals, and just enough software to make them frustrated. If they've bought enough software to be able to do everything they want, they've invested enough in software to start a home based business.
Sure you can eek by with the freeware/trialware the PCs typically come with, but they need something like what I'm told iLife does. (I've not actually used it, but it sounds nice. When the heck is Apple going to port that to Windows anyway?)
If I had a dollar for every time a user has brought in the MS-Works document they weren't able to open it on MS-Office at work... I would actually pay the company for their printing costs myself!
I don't think using dial-up would help you stay any safer. If you like the ability to connect and disconnect from the net at will, and think that will make you safer, try using the power switch on your power strip.
However... if you were running an Amiga, or perhaps Windows 3.11 with the DOS TCPIP Stack, you probably wouldn't have to had to worry much when the sql slammer hit. You would probably still be WMF vulerable though on Windows 3.11.
Obsolence is why the computer industry keeps making money. If Bill Gates & Crew had just kept doing bug fixes to the basic 'windows' core, the thing would be inpenetrable by now, and Microshaft wouldn't have $50 billion in LIQUID assets.
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It isn't quite what the typical home user wants... I think the typical home user doesn't care what OS they're running. They want a machine that can boot into a reasonably secure desktop that has a clean GUI interface, and functionality enabling them to use all the peripherals the computer was bought with or install other peripherals and software. People who buy bare-bones systems should more or less have a GUI that enables them to run (install) apps from removeable or network media. Most people don't buy bare-bones, but hey, to each their own. Bigger systems should come with sufficient software to use all the peripherals in the bundle. Too many people are frustrated by buying a home PC for home video, scrapbooking, email and internet access. They go buy a machine that's got all the peripherals, and just enough software to make them frustrated. If they've bought enough software to be able to do everything they want, they've invested enough in software to start a home based business. Sure you can eek by with the freeware/trialware the PCs typically come with, but they need something like what I'm told iLife does. (I've not actually used it, but it sounds nice. When the heck is Apple going to port that to Windows anyway?) If I had a dollar for every time a user has brought in the MS-Works document they weren't able to open it on MS-Office at work... I would actually pay the company for their printing costs myself!
I don't think using dial-up would help you stay any safer. If you like the ability to connect and disconnect from the net at will, and think that will make you safer, try using the power switch on your power strip. However... if you were running an Amiga, or perhaps Windows 3.11 with the DOS TCPIP Stack, you probably wouldn't have to had to worry much when the sql slammer hit. You would probably still be WMF vulerable though on Windows 3.11. Obsolence is why the computer industry keeps making money. If Bill Gates & Crew had just kept doing bug fixes to the basic 'windows' core, the thing would be inpenetrable by now, and Microshaft wouldn't have $50 billion in LIQUID assets.