Digital BW, The Print

Bob Frost writes:

> You don't have to 'goof' around with them (whatever that might mean); it
> updates itself automatically without any operator hassle and the updater
> itself is better in SP2.

Same thing.

> Which world do you inhabit?

The part of the world that has seen the source code.

> Microsoft has issued hundreds of updates for XP
> mainly to block security loopholes that have been discovered.

Every system has security holes. In systems that are not widely used,
most holes are never discovered--but they are there.  In systems that
are used by hundreds of millions of people, new holes are discovered
every day.  This is all a function of how widespread the operating
system is, not how secure it is.

> Most spam these days emanates from the computers of people who live in
> 'Never, never land' and don't update their computers or use updated 
> viruscheckers because they think they don't need them and therefore get
> infected with trojans that send out the majority of spam without their
> knowing.

The spam still comes from specific individuals who know perfectly well
what is being sent.

> Security updates are not cures for problems that you have; they are
> 'vaccinations' against ever getting a problem.

You don't need vaccinations if you don't expose yourself to infectious
agents.

> I thank Microsoft for providing me with the means of protecting my
> computer from the nutters out there, and yours is the 'risk' is in not
> having that protection.

I haven't had a problem thus far.  The only time I've had problems with
my computers is when I attempt to "upgrade" anything, which almost
always means a few days of work lost, or more.