Daring Fireball: Broken Windows

Broken Windows
Friday, 4 June 2004
http://daringfireball.net/2004/06/broken_windows

Here’s a billion-dollar question: Why are Windows users besieged by security exploits, but Mac users are not?

For the sake of this discussion, let’s consider the realm of “security” to encompass any sort of software running on your computer, which software you wish weren’t there. So we’re not just talking about viruses/worms/Trojan horses — we’re talking about crapware of any sort, including adware and spyware.

Adware is software that displays advertisements, typically in pop-up windows. Web surfers have been cursed by pop-up ads for years, but it’s common knowledge that they’re pretty much just a problem for Windows users these days, because every modern browser other than Internet Explorer has a pop-up blocking feature. If you have adware installed on your computer, however, even switching to a pop-up-blocking browser won’t make them stop — the ads are coming from hidden applications running on your computer.

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I do like this article, great writing. And good point.