Re: [OT] Anti-Virus Software Suggestions

Ron Hunter <rphunter@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

>In general, Unix systems are used differently from Windows systems. I
>am the only person who normally uses this computer, so I always run with
>an administrator signon. Doing anything else just doesn't make sense.

It would if the system was set up to make it convenient to run as a
normal user. I run Linux on one machine, and nobody else ever uses that
machine. Yet I log in as my normal user ID and run that way virtually
all the time, switching to super-user (which doesn't require logging out
and in) only when performing some administrative task. All the software
I run operates properly without being super-users, since it's designed
to. But I, and programs I run (including scripts on web pages) cannot
alter or delete system configuration files.

Furthermore, other programs that run in the background have only the
priviledges they need to do their job. If one of them fails (or is
somehow commandeered by a virus), they can't change arbitrary parts of
the system either.

It doesn't make sense for all programs to operate with administrator
privileges all the time.

Remember the bad old days when personal computers had no memory
management, and any program could crash the machine or tamper with the
memory of other programs and crash them? Doesn't it seem better now
that (for the most part) buggy programs can only affect themselves?
Giving programs only limited authority to change things is just good
practice.

>If someone else is using my computer, as happened a couple of days ago,
>I am always present. Just like anything else, one must apply rules of
>reason to how a computer is used, and operate it for maximum efficiency.
> I am sure that in an office environment, I might choose to operate
>differently.

I'm not worried about other people, since I control physical access to
the machine. Program and file permissions still provide useful
protection against accidental and deliberate modification of the system.

Dave
.

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