I do some side work as a computer technician/consultant. But lately, with the massive proliferation of spyware and other malware for Windows, I’ve been turning down work, work for which I could be paid pretty well on an hourly basis but a fight that is, essentially, unwinnable. The spyware and adware is so malignant that it can infect a computer almost faster than it can be patched… so I can spend hours on a PC, trying to clean it off, only to have it remain infected.
It looks bad, even though I’m using all the skills I’ve learned over the years, to have the customer’s PC still get pop-up ads and have it’s home page set to porn. Lately when I’m asked, I give a couple of pointers on programs that will do a decent job of removing the spyware, and then tell them that Windows is rapidly becoming unusable because of spyware.
But now… because the Mac mini is so damned cheap… I’ve got a new recommendation.
Just buy a Mac if you want to surf in peace.
If you want to deal with Windows… then you’ll need to learn how to remove spyware on a regular basis.
Macs — easy to use, and now just as cheap (cheaper, even, if you consider all the excellent software it comes with)than a Dell. And a hell of a lot more stable and secure.
Yay, Apple! They’re gonna sell a freakin’ metric tonne of these…