When somebody named Winn can't stick win Windows, that says it all!

Sadly I could not understand exactly what "security expert" meant in the post. For a sec or two I believed we were dealing with a digital security expert but then I thought the statements would go against any professional interest of this guy. So I guess it must be in another area of 'security.

actually, he's talking about just getting work done. nothing against his career. people, millions of them, still need added security for their machines, macs included. it just means he'll get more done now than before.

reading's not hard. i promise.

It's about time Windows' incompetent software engineering, abysmal security, and instability came back to bite Microsoft square in the ass.

People are wising up and realizing there are better alternatives to Windows, and that Microsoft's promises of a better operating system are empty because they simply don't have what it takes to make one. Windows has begun its decline, and ironically it's not because of the competition, its all thanks to Microsofts inability to improve it.

MS's problem is that they always thought it was all about features... so they crammed every single one they could find into their OS, seemingly unaware as to how bad that would swiss-cheese their security.

Now they're reaping the downside. Oh well, can't say I feel sorry for 'em.

Did anybody bother to check out what this guy does before they said "security expert". Give me a break. This guy runs a web based bullshit fatory teaching people how to be "cyber safe". His motto..."We focus on the people not the hardware". Could be because he doesn't understand the hardware. He is bitching because his hardrive doesn't work or he can't understand the BIOS or other meaningless crap. If you were running a large Wintel system, would you hire a guy who can't even keep his own machine running? Can't the editors find a better source or was it a slow day?

...and the Intel CEO, Mr. Otellini, spends one hour EACH WEEK getting spyware off his daughter's machine. I would think he knows what he's doing, and even he has to do too much. So....your point is?

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Guest wrote:
Did anybody bother to check out what this guy does before they said "security expert". Give me a break. This guy runs a web based bullshit fatory teaching people how to be "cyber safe". His motto..."We focus on the people not the hardware". Could be because he doesn't understand the hardware. He is bitching because his hardrive doesn't work or he can't understand the BIOS or other meaningless crap. If you were running a large Wintel system, would you hire a guy who can't even keep his own machine running? Can't the editors find a better source or was it a slow day?

Winn Schwartau wrote this in 1997. I've kept it because it made sense then and makes sense now.

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"In cyberspace, you are guilty until proven innocent." Our collective digital faces are rubbed into that unfortunate truism every day as decisions that affect each of our lives are made without our knowledge or consent.

As individuals we are known by our digital essence - embodied as bits and bytes and distributed among 50,000-plus anonymous databases to which we have no access or recourse to amend, edit or correct. To prove this, I hired my cyber-PI neighbor for $100 to assemble the medical, financial and legal records, and whatever else he could find, on a local TV news reporter (with his consent). The results? Seventeen pounds of records, 14.5 inches high. I went to the Internet and, using my Visa card, paid for on-line research in the hopes of further violating my victim's privacy. When all was said and done, I spent less than $1,000 and knew more about the TV personality than he knew about himself.

This is morally and ethically wrong. The 200-year-old concept of public records did not envision Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp. or the Internet. The Constitution did not envision the records of 265 million Americans being sold on a CD for $29.95.

The solution is a simple yet bold one requiring political strength, vision and the love of one's constituency more than oneself. The answer is a six-point Electronic Bill of Rights that takes into account the realities of modern technology:

I own my name. My name is mine to do with as I please. Not yours.

You, as a business, may use my name for the purpose of our transaction only. You may not sell, barter or otherwise market my name, or any information about me, without my explicit permission.

If you need to keep my name in files for the purpose of ongoing business, you will protect it from abuse, illicit access or accidental release.

If you have any files containing my name, you must notify me of the existence of those files, send me copies upon request and provide a reasonable means to add, delete or correct information.

The government will create a new data classification called "personal but unclassified" and set standards for its protection in the private and public sectors.

I will have civil and criminal recourse against persons and organizations, public and private, who either violate my electronic rights or permit them to be violated.

These simple principles will bring back much of the privacy that has been eroding since the dawn of the computer age. It places a common-sense limit to how my name may be used, and it will add credibility and accuracy to existing databases. These simple principles also will cause a backlash by those organizations who do not believe in the privacy rights of the individual and who make their living by twisting the concepts of public records and unregulated databases for their personal profit.

But more importantly, these simple principles will help us find the leaders in Congress who understand how critical and fundamental these rights are and should be. These new leaders will find the political courage to finally make cyberspace a much safer place to play, live and do business.

I would keep track of his progress and not make Winn a Mac hero until he concludes his experiment. So far he's complained a little about Dell and Sony support but not much about Win XP.

He's worked-up a frenzy of support from Mac fans, but would he conclude that the Mac is great or that it's $#!%? Will his conclusions be drawn from real experiences or does he have some other agenda?

… seems to me the main agenda is getting work done to amortize …

He is a cyber security expert. Back in 1996, he published a book called: "Information Warfare: Cyberterrorism : Protecting Your Personal Security in the Electronic Age"

So I think he knows what he is talking about.

RC, where are you? Have you read Winn's article? Seems pretty useful for your switching process, don't ya think?

He wrote a book called CyberShock that I based my senior research paper on a few years ago. I definately enjoyed his book, and he is without a doubt knowledgeable in the computer industry.

Re-read my post - I never said Schwartau wasn't an expert. In fact I was rebutting comments in the post previous to mine.

RTFA before jumping to conclusions