free software: the best defense
Spyware and malware survive and thrive on ...
(This post has been reworded and updated here)
(This post has been reworded and updated here)
Labels: free software, malware, spyware
posted by Gnuosphere at 4:33 PM
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4 Comments:
Sorry it took me so long to reply to your post - especially after you even went to my blog and left a message there - what can I say? busy week!
Yeah I get what you mean now re free software being A solution to spyware and would agree to a point, but I don't think its THE solution
Basically I just don't see enough software being made open source anytime soon for this to have a noticeable dent in the amount of spyware
There's always going to be enough programmers out there who write stuff that is individual enough to survive despite similar free software and enough of them are going to use exploitation of malware as their business model (let's face it that's what a lot of malware is these days - a highly evolved albeit risky and often illegal business model)
Fair point in general though - I can't actually remember a genuinely open source piece of software which was spyware packaged, probably for this exact reason
Enrico says:
"Basically I just don't see enough software being made open source anytime soon for this to have a noticeable dent in the amount of spyware"
Actually, if you use a free operating system (e.g. GNU/Linux), then the mass majority of spyware is thwarted as the foundation of one's computing experience becomes virtually impenetrable. As well, there are plenty of free software applications to meet the basic needs of your average user. It's quite possible for the average user to compute in a 100% free environment.
i don't get it.. in a "proprietary" apartment building there are people who are home and not home. Somebosy is going to find out so i don't get why a "free" building is any better
Anonymous says:
"in a "proprietary" apartment building there are people who are home and not home."
But those who choose to live in a proprietary complex signed away their right to be informed when they moved in. In a proprietary building, there is no public knock on the doors. Therefore, the fact that some people are home in a proprietary building is meaningless.
When you install proprietary software you are forfeiting your rights.
I feel bad for those who have spyware on their system though it's no fluke. The installation of proprietary software is a choice. Clicking "I agree" has consequences - both personally and socially. It is important to read, understand and make informed decisions regarding EULAs.
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