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Why do Windows users put up with this crap?

Resident Mac user here to say this one is not Microsoft's fault. Much as I dislike Windows, this one isn't one of its faults.

The real issue is the vast install-base of Windows means these malfeasants target Windows with their efforts, making the minefield of dangerous software that much more dense.

How many times have I tried to help someone install new drivers for a vid card, and this driver-analyzer software looks like the thing to download, and it wants to charge you $30 for getting the right drivers. That's not Windows's fault.
 
Cayvmann said:
And still people load "flappy birds" onto their androids and iphones and get clones that apparently call premium numbers while you are playing...
Click to expand...

Does this in fact happen on iPhones? Apple is a bit more careful than Android about what's allowed on its market. I'm not saying it doesn't, but a quick google search didn't turn anything up.
 
Almo said:
Resident Mac user here to say this one is not Microsoft's fault. Much as I dislike Windows, this one isn't one of its faults.

The real issue is the vast install-base of Windows means these malfeasants target Windows with their efforts, making the minefield of dangerous software that much more dense.

How many times have I tried to help someone install new drivers for a vid card, and this driver-analyzer software looks like the thing to download, and it wants to charge you $30 for getting the right drivers. That's not Windows's fault.
Click to expand...

But it is not just malware. Pretty much any Windows freeware you try to install tries to bundle in junk.
 
Axiom_Blade said:
Where are you getting Firefox from? I've been using Firefox since it was in alpha (and called "Mozilla"), and I've never, ever seen ads in it. Are you talking about that short message on user rights? If so, you have an incredibly broad definition of "ads".



Possibly. I agree with the Free Software Foundation's philosophy, but I didn't even know its existence when I got into Linux. What pulled me in was the fun and eye candy. But I could just be weird. :D
Click to expand...
.
I get frequent popups in the upper right corner, and a long sidebar with eligible females of all ages in my area.. Use only FF from when it was Mozilla.
I'll do a screen capture next time one of these shows up....
 
Almo said:
Does this in fact happen on iPhones? Apple is a bit more careful than Android about what's allowed on its market. I'm not saying it doesn't, but a quick google search didn't turn anything up.
Click to expand...

Technically, the malware Flappy clones came from unofficial, foreign app markets. Both Google and Apple have been abusing their powers to take down any new clones in their official stores.
 
Lerxst said:
Why do you blame Windows? It happens because of the large installed base to work with, and because people are not very smart when it comes to this sort of thing and software designers exploit that.
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Yeah, I nearly got caught out today, and I actively look out for that kind of thing.
I was downloading some trial software, from a trusted source, and on the download screen there was "Download XXX software from here", with the link colour in navy blue, exactly as shown. And right underneath there was this
ENORMOUS GREEN BUTTON
with "Download" on it. So I clicked on the button. It was only when I spotted the file name as it was downloading that I realised I had almost been fooled into installing some Conduit crap.
 
Hah, yeah, I think that is one of the cases where adblockers have a point. On hosting sites there are so many download buttons I honestly can't tell which are the real ones. Luckily the fake ones try to download .exe's.
 
Ethan Thane Athen said:
I'll give you Linux having more savvy users but there's a reason Macs were described as 'Fisher-Price toys for people who can't handle real computers' ;). The main selling feature* of Macs is that they're more intuitive and less techie than other computers (see also iOS versus Android) and suit 'creative' types.
Click to expand...

While that's quite true, it's also true that switching to a BSD Unix base in Mac OSX has made Macs far more appealing to savvy users. A whole lot of old Unix gurus have switched from Linux to Mac because they're both *NIX, and Mac has (if nothing else) better warranties on the software. Jamie ZawinskiWP, who helped create Netscape and XEmacs, runs Macs these days, and he's far from alone.

Me, I have little or no interest in any non-Free/non-Open Source OSes, but I have to give Apple their due for creating a decent OS. I avoid iOS devices like the plague, but OSX seems perfectly nice.

Almo said:
The real issue is the vast install-base of Windows means these malfeasants target Windows with their efforts, making the minefield of dangerous software that much more dense.
Click to expand...

[citation needed]

It's probably true that the vast install base is a factor, but the fact that Windows has to maintain backwards-compatibility with its vastly-less-secure predecessors is also a major factor. If popularity alone could explain such things, then the Apache web server (which dominates the industry) would be hacked far more often than Microsoft's web server, but, in fact, the reverse is true.

Linux (and now, OSX), are created on a far more secure base, and are inherently safer*, even ignoring popularity. (On the other hand, MS has really stepped up its game with respect to security, so the inherent advantage isn't as great as it once was.)

* Or "less unsafe" if you really want to be picky, since nothing has a perfect record or offers perfect security. Even OpenBSD, which is probably the most secure OS ever, has had a couple of holes over the decades.
 
Blue Mountain said:
Yesterday I assisted a friend clean up yet another infestation of malware / adware on her computer. Somehow--she has no idea how--within the space of a few minutes the following software installed itself on her computer:

  • McAfee Security Scan Plus (probably via Adobe Reader update)
Click to expand...

This one probably came with a Java upgrade.
 
My guess is that Windows users put up with it (and I use Windows) is because we've been trained to do so. This didn't start up overnight, it's been a gradual process. One might as well ask why I put up with commercials on YouTube videos or having to enter email account information to comment on something I've read on a site I'll never visit again: we've been taught that these things are the norm, part of the background.
 
xtifr said:
It's probably true that the vast install base is a factor, but the fact that Windows has to maintain backwards-compatibility with its vastly-less-secure predecessors is also a major factor. If popularity alone could explain such things, then the Apache web server (which dominates the industry) would be hacked far more often than Microsoft's web server, but, in fact, the reverse is true.
Click to expand...

That's actually really interesting.
 
Ethan Thane Athen said:
Ha! ha! Ha!:D

I'll give you Linux having more savvy users but there's a reason Macs were described as 'Fisher-Price toys for people who can't handle real computers' ;). The main selling feature* of Macs is that they're more intuitive and less techie than other computers (see also iOS versus Android) and suit 'creative' types. Apple kit and OS are specifically locked down to prevent fiddling, with all software tightly controlled by a central point and are the polar opposite of Linux, with Windows somewhere between (and trying to move closer to Apple).

*ETA - actually the main selling feature now is that 'everyone' has them and 'aren't they lovely!'
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Oh good! Another Mac vs Windows contest. I primarily use and enjoy Mac; you primarily use and enjoy Windows. We each probably have used both. Okay, let's leave it at that.
 
I actually pay attention.

On my 'good' PC I don't click sketchy links. If in doubt, a mouseover will show the URL, telling where the link is really going, because sometimes it's not obvious. On another PC I have no personal info, and use that whenever I want to visit interesting places, for example Tor and .onion sites. On that one I reinstall the OS every few months. I like to see what I can get on it.

I read what I'm installing, especially when check boxes are involved, rather than blindly clicking 'accept'.

I use Firefox, and have Adblock Plus, NoSript, and Ghostery. Granted, NoScript can be a bit annoying at times, but if I visit a site and there's a huge amount of scripts running, I figure it's not somewhere I want to be.

On the phone side, I have an Android that I've rooted. I've an app that allows me to turn individual permissions on and off for each app. For example, Angry Birds doesn't get access to the internet or my location.

In short, a bit of knowledge and not being a foolish.
 
rustypouch said:
I actually pay attention.

On my 'good' PC I don't click sketchy links. If in doubt, a mouseover will show the URL, telling where the link is really going, because sometimes it's not obvious. On another PC I have no personal info, and use that whenever I want to visit interesting places, for example Tor and .onion sites. On that one I reinstall the OS every few months. I like to see what I can get on it.

I read what I'm installing, especially when check boxes are involved, rather than blindly clicking 'accept'.

I use Firefox, and have Adblock Plus, NoSript, and Ghostery. Granted, NoScript can be a bit annoying at times, but if I visit a site and there's a huge amount of scripts running, I figure it's not somewhere I want to be.

On the phone side, I have an Android that I've rooted. I've an app that allows me to turn individual permissions on and off for each app. For example, Angry Birds doesn't get access to the internet or my location.

In short, a bit of knowledge and not being a foolish.
Click to expand...

That is way more than "a bit" for the majority of users, and you are hurting the pages you use by blocking ads.
 
rustypouch said:
I use Firefox, and have Adblock Plus, NoSript, and Ghostery. Granted, NoScript can be a bit annoying at times, but if I visit a site and there's a huge amount of scripts running, I figure it's not somewhere I want to be.
Click to expand...

The funny thing is, though, that it's usually not the dodgy sites that have the most scripts running. It's sites like newspapers and magazines where you need to have 20 different sets of scripts running just to read an article.
 
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