It's time for me to fess up. The answer to a persistent and troubling problem discussed recently in the Times is hidden in plain sight. But first some history.
I have been working with computers since 1968. I have owned my own home workstation since the 1970s. I have dealt with with the most popular desktop operating system, Microsoft Windows, since Windows 3, but it has not been my everyday operating system in nearly two decades, ever since I discovered what for me is a better solution.
My computer stays online 24/7. And I have never, not once, fallen victim to a virus, a Trojan horse or malware of any kind. And I have never spent a penny on protective software.
Indeed I seldom spend money on software of any kind.
The secret is an operating system called Linux. I use a programmer's version called Slackware, but that is because I used to earn my bread as a programmer. My wife uses a version called Knoppix on her laptop. Knoppix can be put on a DVD disk and booted from that disk. You don't even have to install it on your computer's hard disk. But you can.
Now why are Linux systems so invulnerable? Well the bad guys concentrate on Windows-equipped computers because they are so popular. And Windows has plenty of what programmers call "back doors," so that Microsoft can keep track of what you are doing.
Big brother is indeed watching you, but it isn't just the NSA. It is Microsoft Corporation. As for malware, the bad guys ultimately want to execute an ".exe" file on your computer. But those programs don't run on Linux. You are home free, even if you open an attachment you should have left alone.
Linux is free of course, and so are all the neat software programs I use. Instead of Microsoft Office I use Libre Office.
The files are interchangeable and the programs work pretty much the same. I edit text (like this column) with a plain text editor called Gvim. I typeset and index books with a sophisticated set of programs called collectively TeX. I design book covers using another desktop publishing program called Scribus. I have two spreadsheet programs that can interchange files with the popular Excel program. I can design web pages in programs like Bluefish, and vector graphics in the sophisticated program Inkscape. I fiddle with photos in Gimp. I handle mail with Claws_mail or Kmail. I go online with Firefox or one of its many variants.
Instead of Quickbooks I use GnuCash.
I don't have to key-in those pesky product keys. I don't have to pay extra for upgrades and updates.
What about support? Typically it is via a mailing list, where both users and often the actual developers of the software hang out. Often the advice comes from Europe, where the free software movement has taken hold big time. But the developers read and write excellent English. You don't have to deal with a foreign accent in an email. And you don't have to pay for support.
Open Source (freeware) is a win-win-win-win solution. You are for the foreseeable future free from viruses and other malware. You pay no money for either the operating system or your application programs. You don't have to pay a specialist $300 periodically to clean up your system. And your family photos, invoices and so on are with reasonable care safe from destruction and secure from prying eyes.
Yes, there is a learning process. But everything in life requires some education. Start off with a Knoppix disk costing about five bucks from a vendor like on-disk.com. Or if you know how to burn a disk, then download a CD or DVD image for free from knoppix.org.
For the cost of a burger with fries you could be free from viruses forever. It is worth a try.
