Today, in the New York Times, there is an article (reg. required), that talks about how people are throwing away their old PCs, in an effort to rid themselves of spyware, viruses and the like. "throwing out a computer ‘is a rational response,’said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project…"
A rational response?? Rational would be to wipe Windows and replace Linux. Rational might be, like the woman pictured, throw away the box, and get a Mac (or, for the brave, you can wipe windows and put Mac OS on the same box). I can’t quite believe we have gotten to the point where people are not only willing to put up with the viruses and spyware, but are willing to go out and buy another Windows machine! Microsoft, who makes a decent amount on each purchase of a Windows machine, must be jumping for joy. They are entering the anti-spyware business, and, of course, they will "not [be] providing protection for people who have earlier versions of the company’s operating system."
First off, MS entering the anti-spyware business is kind of like a vendor who sold you locks that are incredibly easy to pick, coming in and saying they’ll clean up after the mess created by a break in (for a fee, of course). And, if the mess is too much, they’ll sell you more locks!
How long are people going to put up with this nonsense? And how long are nonprofits, where every dollar spent on new PCs means a dollar that doesn’t feed someone, or give someone services, or pays for medicine, or an activist on the hill, going to put up with this?
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