Switch to Linux now or Die.

**Lucian** · February 13th, 2004, 02:43 AM

Microsofts source code has been leaked http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-5158...?tag=nefd_lede

Currently I'm betting thousands of hackers if not millions are reading it, and writing hundreds of trojans, viruses, expoits, works.

I've been running Windows on a partition alongside Linux, but now that the whole world knows every single bug and flaw in Windows, any hacker can log into your machine just as if its their own.

I suggest everyone here to switch to Linux now, and do not wait until your machine is hacked. If this news story is true, well everyones machine will be hacked pretty soon.

**matrix2003** · February 13th, 2004, 02:49 AM

A part from News.com

"A spokesman said late Thursday that incomplete portions of Windows 2000 and Windows NT were illegally posted to the Internet."

I'm not on Windows 2000 or NT, so why worry?

**Lucian** · February 13th, 2004, 02:54 AM

because our friends and family members are, and by the way windows XP is based on 2000.

**eivioolla** · February 13th, 2004, 03:11 AM

If you worry about the whole world knowing the source code of your OS, then isn't switching to Linux the last thing you should do? ;)

Avoiding viruses is easy, worms are a bit more difficult because you need to be a little active yourself to secure your computer from them. I'm not worried though.

**beardedwonder** · February 13th, 2004, 03:18 AM

oh no.... run to the hills. I must install a distro of Linux now.......NOT!

**aboi** · February 13th, 2004, 03:28 AM

what if i dont wanna switch to linux. what if i like mac better huh ?
nah i wouldn't switch. i think you are over reacting

**ducttapeBigSexy** · February 13th, 2004, 04:13 AM

So, let's see - Linux's source is opening available, and that means more security. Microsoft's source is now available, and that means more security holes. Hmmm... which is the stronger OS?

**stewiegriffin** · February 13th, 2004, 04:31 AM

The entire windows source code would have to be around 40 gigs in size. All that's leaked is around 700mb (i certainly haven't seen anything bigger), just a fraction of the total source. It's still not good news, but its not as big a deal as everyone's making it out to be.

It'll probably just mean a couple of hundred patches :;)

**isus** · February 13th, 2004, 04:39 AM

Originally Posted by Lucian

Microsofts source code has been leaked http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-5158...?tag=nefd_lede

Currently I'm betting thousands of hackers if not millions are reading it, and writing hundreds of trojans, viruses, expoits, works.

I've been running Windows on a partition alongside Linux, but now that the whole world knows every single bug and flaw in Windows, any hacker can log into your machine just as if its their own.

I suggest everyone here to switch to Linux now, and do not wait until your machine is hacked. If this news story is true, well everyones machine will be hacked pretty soon.

wow... you're a moron.
1: millions of hackers? i doubt it.
2: how is this different from any other day when a new flaw is found?
3: everyone's machine will be hacked? hmm, no.
4: stfu with the "switch to linux or your computer will be haxored"

**shawners** · February 13th, 2004, 05:11 AM

arent the hackers mostly LINUX users.. ?

**muffenme** · February 13th, 2004, 05:24 AM

:fire

I use Windows 98 so I just get the normal older Windows garbage. Windows 2000, I never was into the NT line including XP. Linux is to hard to use or to hard to install and I have install many OS.

:hole

XtraNtnse · February 13th, 2004, 06:06 AM

I would hope he was only being sarcastic, because surely no one here is that ignorant. :;)

**Lucian** · February 13th, 2004, 06:12 AM

Well you all were warned.

Oh and yes Linux is open source, but theres a difference. Because I only can get part of the Windows sourcecode and not 100% of it, its not enough to actually write a patch but its just enough to spot bugs.

Linux because we have all the source code and by design allows anyone to write a patch for it. Not to mention by design Linux cant get viruses, worms, or easily be hacked even if there is a bug.

I'd say Linux even being open source is safer than Windows, and if you people think I'm lying when I say people will write a worm which hacks every single one of you, just wait a few months. I know if theres even one buffer overflow in certain parts of the code, a worm can basically infect miillions of computers in a matter of seconds via Kazaa which I'm sure most of you people use, and all that would be needed is your IP address meaning you cant do a damn thing abouit it unless you buy a hardware firewall.

I know what I'm talking about, I was once one of these millions of people who run scripts, search for buffer overflows, etc. I know what comes next, I remember how winnuke made it so anyone could crash a Windows computer, I remember a time where I could hack any computer I wanted and no one knew anything about how to stop it. I don;t do that stuff anymore, I grew up but there are a lot of teenagers who hate their lives or who get bullied in school just waiting to fuck up your machines.

Enjoy your next set of hundreds of super viruses/worms, believe me they ARE coming. I'll be using Linux.

Oh and if you don't like Linux, go back to 98 like the other dude. Key is do not use Windows 2000/XP/NT

**RACKnRAIL** · February 13th, 2004, 06:20 AM

Originally Posted by shawners

arent the hackers mostly LINUX users.. ?

That is true from what I understand. I am new to Linux, but I do know it is the prefered OS of some very well known hackers. It is also known that Linux systems have just as many security flaws as windows. Even running Mandrake has it's security risks and they brag that distro to be the most secure of them all. Even just configuring a firewall for a linux machine is or can be a huge undergoing. I have found absolutely nothing easy about linux, nothing! The big switch-over as suggested in this thread is simply not feasible for the average windows user.

**Lucian** · February 13th, 2004, 06:32 AM

That is true from what I understand. I am new to Linux, but I do know it is the prefered OS of some very well known hackers. It is also known that Linux systems have just as many security flaws as windows. Even running Mandrake has it's security risks and they brag that distro to be the most secure of them all. Even just configuring a firewall for a linux machine is or can be a huge undergoing. I have found absolutely nothing easy about linux, nothing! The big switch-over as suggested in this thread is simply not feasible for the average windows user.

Ok Ill explain to you in detail why Linux is more secure even with its flaws. Windows is security by obscurity. This means they keep the source code closed, they try to keep the bugs secret and keep hackers from discovering them in mass.

Linux is secure for the exact opposite reason. All the hackers find the bugs immediately and a patch is usually released within a few hours, not 6 months later like on Windows.

Also the type of bugs which plague linux are different and less dangerous than the bugs which plague Windows. In Windows a hacker is capable of hiijacking your entire machine, via a trojan or buffer overflow exploit. In Linux by design this is impossibel Linux is designed for hackers by hackers. Linux cannot be infected by a virus because Linux works in layers.

Root is the most important layer. Then theres the user accounts. When you log into Linux you log in under your user account, your user account cannot control programs owned by other accounts on the same computer or the root programs without a password. This password protection prevents a virus from ever taking over an entire computer. The best a virus or worm can do is take over one user account on a computer.

So Linux is pretty damn secure out of the box if you actually USE THE SECURITY. Mandrake has a lot of bugs but these bugs mostly bother people who use Mandrake as a server. These bugs almost always only work on a user account.

So heres a tip, store all your important files under your root account. Store all your trivial files under your user account. When and if you ever do get hacked in Linux, the hacker will only be able to cause you to log out of that account, create a new account, and access your files on the root account from the newly created account.

This could be done from the commandline in a matter of seconds, so unlike Windows where a hacker can do real damage and delete all your important work, in Linux its something to joke about or laugh at. Same goes with OSX which being unix as well has the same type of security.

I laugh at hack attempts in Linux, in Windows I cry.

"I have found absolutely nothing easy about linux, nothing! The big switch-over as suggested in this thread is simply not feasible for the average windows user."

If you want the easy to use Linux, pay for Lindows. Linux Mandrake is hard to use because you didn't pay anything for it. Thats the Linux business model. The Linux companies make money by providing easy to use versions of Linux for people who want to switch. Linux Mandrake is not as easy as Lindows, but hey its free so you get what you pay for.