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workerbee · Dec 3, 2004, 08:06 AM

(I'm sorry if this relates only indirectly to OS X, and maybe should be in the lounge).

An article in a local newspaper cought my eye this morning. Here's a rough and lazy translation of the first two paragraphs (emphasis added):

As an expert for computer security in the service of Microsoft, one is accustomed to much. However, what Roger Halbheer, safety expert at Microsoft Switzerland, experienced this week, still had him shaken: Together with Swiss television DRS and supported by partners, Microsoft organized a "Security CHECK in" at zurich airport.
From Monday to Friday between 16 and 21 o'clock, PC users could bring their PC or laptop and have it checked for security by specialists, free of charge.
By mid-week Mr. Halbheer reported that approximately 100 people made use of this offer daily. While the average repair would take the experts about two hours, in individual cases the repair work took up to six hours. On one PC the specialists did find no fewer than 4900 different viruses.

Also the number of the discovered Spyware programs was "gigantic". Some PCs would have had several hundreds of these small programs, which spy the activities of the users, removed.
More than half of the devices were equipped with the newest Windows XP operating system, which has a Firewall software, to block unauthorized access. However, in many cases this software was not activated or had been configured falsely, according to Mr. Hausheer.

A colleague told me that there also was a short TV documentation about this, and that the makers of the movie felt this was all a bit too one-sided -- being all about M$ wonderful OS -- and therefore asked Apple Switzerland if they were interested in participating or commenting. Which Apple declined, citing that they saw no reason to participate in this.

This actually reminds me that there must be a copy of Virex somewhere on my disk. I double-clicked it once, to see what a anti-virus software looks like

theolein · Dec 3, 2004, 05:14 PM

That 4900 virus one sounds like my buddy in Sackzelgstrasse in Albisrieden, whose computer is always infested with some sh�t or another.

ManOfSteal · Dec 3, 2004, 05:21 PM

ManOfSteal likes OS X.

ManOfSteal does not like Windows.

typoon · Dec 3, 2004, 05:31 PM

What is this Windows you speak of?

msuper69 · Dec 3, 2004, 06:04 PM

Old news.

Just shows how ignorant many PC users are. If they aren't intelligent enough to keep that crap off their systems, they sure aren't smart enough to consider dumping that mess and gee...maybe switching to an architechture that isn't a house of cards with a foundation based in 80's technology.

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Dec 3, 2004, 06:43 PM

Originally posted by ManOfSteal:
ManOfSteal likes OS X.

ManOfSteal does not like Windows.

Are you like tarzan or something?

ManOfSteal · Dec 3, 2004, 07:01 PM

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
Are you like tarzan or something?

More like Jane. Why do you ask?

pliny · Dec 3, 2004, 07:25 PM

There's lots of people who don't know how to set up antivirus software or firewalls or how to get rid of stuff ,etc. And if they do, other people using their computers--i mean their Windows PCs!-- can muck it up for them.

romeosc · Dec 3, 2004, 07:48 PM

Somewhat off subject, I turned my Powerbook on at a Mariott and connected to wireless network and was astonished how many PC users hard drives showed up and were accessable. I put a small picture of a PC with a big red x across and titled Picture Beware!

If I was evil, just think how many Hard drives could have been erased!

CharlesS · Dec 3, 2004, 08:10 PM

http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail118.html

Rev-O · Dec 3, 2004, 09:16 PM

Originally posted by CharlesS:
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail118.html

hadn't been there in a while!

brapper · Dec 3, 2004, 11:27 PM

hahahaha "computer = over, virus = very yes"

Timo · Dec 3, 2004, 11:47 PM

Originally posted by theolein:
That 4900 virus one sounds like my buddy in Sackzelgstrasse in Albisrieden, whose computer is always infested with some sh�t or another.

Or another guy I know:
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail118.html

edit: check it out, I'm late!

CharlesS · Dec 4, 2004, 05:04 AM

Originally posted by Timo:
Or another guy I know:
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail118.html

Wow, I've never seen that one before! Thanks!

Madrag · Dec 4, 2004, 09:35 AM

very funny!

I'm also very glad to use a mac!

gheff · Dec 4, 2004, 11:44 AM

Originally posted by CharlesS:
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail118.html

Oh. Thanks a lot, Charles. Now I'm busily wasting large portions of my life watching these things.

Not sure how I missed them before.

Catfish_Man · Dec 4, 2004, 02:52 PM

Originally posted by gheff:
Oh. Thanks a lot, Charles. Now I'm busily wasting large portions of my life watching these things.

Not sure how I missed them before.

TROGDOR! RAR!

hanzo · Dec 4, 2004, 07:56 PM

on the flip-side. has anyone seen any virus results after running virex on their mac?

workerbee · Dec 4, 2004, 08:57 PM

Originally posted by hanzo:
on the flip-side. has anyone seen any virus results after running virex on their mac?

Why? How? Do you actually run virex?

jasong · Dec 5, 2004, 01:46 PM

Strong Bad actually has a long history of PC troubles
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail9.html
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail33.html
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail35.html
"The 386. A Spectacle of Graphics and Sound" http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail41.html (be sure to wait 10 seconds after it's over and click on the logo of the 286 monitor to see more messages).

Strong Bad uses a Mac "Your computer has too much computer in it, and not enough typewriter . . ."

http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail34.html

Wow, this is the most off topic I have ever been

-- Jason

bradoesch · Dec 5, 2004, 03:06 PM

Originally posted by jasong:

Strong Bad uses a Mac "Your computer has too much computer in it, and not enough typewriter . . ."

http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail34.html

Wow, this is the most off topic I have ever been

-- Jason

Under-drawers!!

mAxximo · Dec 6, 2004, 02:01 PM

Originally posted by msuper69:
shows how ignorant many PC users are. If they aren't intelligent enough to keep that crap off their systems, they sure aren't smart enough to consider dumping that mess and gee...maybe switching to an architechture that isn't a house of cards with a foundation based in 80's technology.

You mean switching to an architechture intended for things other than personal computers with a foundation based in 60's technology?

olePigeon · Dec 6, 2004, 11:44 PM

Originally posted by ManOfSteal:
More like Jane. Why do you ask?

One of your boobs deflated.

Jasoco · Dec 7, 2004, 12:40 AM

I love how this thread turned into a HomeStarRunner thread. That site rocks.

BTW, if you like the Virus email, check out the related "Menu page"

http://www.homestarrunner.com/main22.html

Tips:
- Mousing over "Games" toggles the Virus.
- Hold mouse over "Downloads" for a few seconds for the full effect of that one.
- "Characters" cycles between all the computers StrongBad has used (Oldest computer, oldest after it got broken, the iMac he used, the PDA he used, the 386 he had until last time and the new Lappy 486.
- Every time you mouseover "Store", the button gets longer.
- Hold mouse over "Email" for funky StrongBad and exploding duck.

Also, tips for newbies to HSR.com, remember to tab through emails the second viewing to catch all the hidden "clickables". Every email has them, some are really good. (Flash places a yellow box around clickable portions when you TAB. In most browsers and versions.)

A while back, the site went down for a while. When it came back up, they temporarily showed this message:
http://www.homestarrunner.com/systemisdown.html

The Toons section says there's more to the site than just StrongBad Emails:
http://www.homestarrunner.com/toons.html

The site has a lot of culture hidden all over the site. It's really kick ass. Explore, I did when I discovered it, it's really cool stuff.

Link · Dec 7, 2004, 04:24 AM

Originally posted by CharlesS:
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail118.html

OMG Lappy 486! That was what my first laptop was!

Xtraz · Dec 7, 2004, 06:01 AM

Just to veer this back to the original topic...

I'd say this proves Windows is more human of an OS. I mean, we do have millions of microbes and foreign entities in our bodies.

Chuckit · Dec 7, 2004, 06:07 AM

Originally posted by mAxximo:
You mean switching to an architechture intended for things other than personal computers with a foundation based in 60's technology?

The PowerPC architecture wasn't intended for personal computers?

Zadian · Dec 7, 2004, 06:25 AM

Originally posted by mAxximo:
You mean switching to an architechture intended for things other than personal computers with a foundation based in 60's technology?

You are talking about Windows NT?

The mach micro kernel is technology from the late 80-ties and early 90-ties. Mac OS X is at it's core the most modern operating system on the market.

Windows NT (and 2000 and XP) uses concepts first developed for main frames in the 60-ties.

diamondsw · Dec 7, 2004, 02:03 PM

Originally posted by Zadian:
You are talking about Windows NT?

The mach micro kernel is technology from the late 80-ties and early 90-ties. Mac OS X is at it's core the most modern operating system on the market.

Windows NT (and 2000 and XP) uses concepts first developed for main frames in the 60-ties.

Um, the obvious point is OS X is UNIX based, which is based on concepts from the 60's. And 70's. And 80's. Shoot, and the 90's. And we seem to have come up with some new stuff the last couple of years as well.

UNIX and most of computer science owes its roots and "big" ideas to the 60's and such - we're just now getting to implement a lot of it on the desktop. The concept of a huge hyperlinked database was even earlier than the 60's if I recall correctly. However, these ideas have evolved greatly since their inception.