

Microsoft, FUD and the netbook market - intellectronica
http://blog.canonical.com/?p=151

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CWuestefeld
FUD? Ahem: "a safe, virus free environment without having to run expensive
anti-virus software that slows PCs down"

This is misleading. While Ubuntu-targeted _viruses_ are exceedingly rare,
there's far more to safety than this. There are plenty of vulnerabilities due
to the software running on the OS.

A cursory search turns up a list (<http://preview.tinyurl.com/dzaq6x> ),
including Firefox vulnerabilities like this:
<http://www.doecirc.energy.gov/ciac/bulletins/t-092.shtml>

It _may_ be that Ubuntu offers superior safety, but hyperbole like this
article presents is only going to turn off any skeptic that's not already in
the Linux camp.

~~~
intellectronica
In practice, this sentence is very correct. Windows installations become
infected with malware as soon as you connect them to the net. An Ubuntu
installation is usually safe, as long as you update it regularly. FUD is when
you announce false things or exaggerate negligible details in order to make
your competition look worse. I don't think that there's any user of windows
who wouldn't agree that combating malware is a core experience of running
windows.

