"pjp" wrote:
(snip) Personally, I get a big chuckle every
time I hear of some new virus, exploit or
whatever as IMHO it's about time the whole
bloody thing came crashing down around
everyone's head. Then maybe just maybe
they'd go back to square one and do it right
from the beginning.


And what exactly is "right?" I hear this all the time but have yet to
figure out what is being talked about. I don't know of any operating system,
however built, that hasn't shared similar problems with "holes," viruses and
so on. In fact, I don't think there is a way at this point, with independant
software development and so on, to write an operating system without at
least some vulnerabilities. The dominance of Windows makes it a prime
target, with a proportional share of viruses, just as the dominance of any
other operating system would make it a prime target with a similar share of
viruses.

Microsoft has taken laudable steps to improve the situation with the
affirmative delivery of critical updates and the release of SP2. I suspect
we'll see further actions from them in the future. And we'll also see
additional improvements to the situation as users become more
aware/educated, avoiding suspect email, downloads, and visits to
questionable web sites.

In the end, the most desirable move at this point, in my opinion, would be
to strongly go after, both in criminal and civil courts, those who produce
and distribute viruses. This could be accomplished through individual
manufacturers, class action civil suits by users, and additional legislation
by government - preferably all combined.

Stewart