From a security standpoint, the better part of the decade has proven disastrous for Microsoft . A multitude of viruses, exploits, back-doors, trojans, worms and malware have not only marred Microsoft's image as a creator and innovator, but Microsoft's apparent lack of regard and innovation vis-a-vis security and privacy is responsible for introducing a whole host of headaches for the home user.
"IT Guys" around the world have bemoaned Microsoft's woeful attitude towards security. Thousands upon thousands of websites exist for the sole purpose of introducing, infecting and propagating malware under the Windows software environment. Being a geek in the world of Windows is not an easy job, especially when you're not getting paid for it...
Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that I eschew the use of Windows. Just the opposite, I use Windows on a daily basis. Besides, no operating system, no software company is beyond reproach. No, my short introduction illustrates, in very broad strokes, a problem of mine as of late. I'd like to offer you, the non-existent reader (my blog hasn't been doing too well lately), my thoughts on going rogue on Windows. This sad tale has a banal enough beginning.
A few weeks ago I decided to boot my mother's Windows 7 based machine during a visit. I typically boot her machine, check out the software environment and see whats lurking around in her memory and hard drive. Usually, without fail, her machine is infected with malware. I've accepted the fact that she will probably never be able to implement a security conscious computer lifestyle. During my most recent visit though, I was shocked at the sheer number of malicious programs, posing as legitimate software, plaguing her computer. So much so, in fact, that her machine refused to operate for more than five minutes before BSOD'ing. It was bad; very, very bad...
I decided right then and there that I was going to introduce my mother to the virtues of open source. I was going to convert my mother to Ubuntu!
I've fallen in love with Ubuntu over the years and I have watched, with great interest, Ubuntu's maturation into an honest-to-goodness alternative to the ubiquitous Windows operating system. I will freely admit, that in the beginning, Ubuntu was not a very good operating system. Bugs and lack of support really plagued Ubuntu's early distros and to be perfectly honest, they were fun to experiment with (i.e. load on one of your crappy computers and listen to it groan back into un-life like a zombie), but certainly not ready for "prime-time" in any and every conceivable sense of the word.
Fast forward roughly six years to Ubuntu's 10.10 release. I can't say enough about this distro. It's a joy to use. It's fast, smooth, polished and efficient. It is, most of all, exactly what you want in an operating system: secure! Ubuntu takes advantage of clearly defined administrator/user dynamics of the Unix based operating system. It also capitalizes off a large community of highly knowledgable users and developers. The Ubuntu community might be the most hyper-vigilant bunch on earth; actively debugging source code, culling Ubuntu's apps for problems and distributing patches via the built-in GUI based update utility.
The biggest knock on Ubuntu is it's steep learning curve. Many users accustomed to a Windows environment might find Ubuntu's stark GNOME visual interface intimidating. Ubuntu is still Linux and Linux is still, in a very vague sense, Unix. It is what it is and the whole idea of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) is an after thought in the Unix world of yore. I tried to visualize the system shock that would, perhaps, come to define my mom's first interaction with an Ubuntu/Linux based system.
Could she adjust? Would she adjust? Was the learning curve just too damned steep? Were the potential hours spent helping her around he new O/S going to be worth the investment? Could she interact with Ubuntu in a meaningful way; a way that wouldn't frustrate or discourage her from using her machine? All of these questions came up in the course of my contemplation.
Since then I've decided on a course of action. My plan still involves Windows and a small, controlled step into the world of Ubuntu. The first phase of my plan involves using a live instance of Ubuntu to scan her current FUBAR'd install of Windows for viruses. Once that scan is complete and hopefully, after all of the offending malware has been removed I plan on a basic introduction to the Ubuntu platform. In other words, I plan on giving her a very short, very focused tour of her future Ubuntu operating system.
I'll give her three months to change her attitude towards Windows. I will make this gesture knowing full well that she will not change, not blossom into the type of user that is cognizant of something as ephemeral as "computer security". I will arm her with the knowledge to alt+f4 her way out of trouble. I will arm her with Microsoft Security Essentials. I will attempt to lockdown her system and I will fail.
However my approach isn't as defeatist as it sounds. No, my stratagem is two-fold in that I will severely restrict her interactions with her machine by restricting her user rights and removing her ability to install/uninstall devices and software on her Windows system. Its my belief that Windows, despite it's best intentions, does not adequately address the idea of user rights and thus puts its users at unnecessary risk.. It's approach seems very casual when compared to the very strict enforcement of user rights under an Linux/Unix based system.
Hopefully my approach proves successful, but something tells me that my mission to convert a hardcore Windows junkie has just begun...
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