________________________________ ... Message: 4 Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2014 21:43:10 +0200 From: Adam Back Subject: Re: [Bitcoin-development] Warning message when running wallet     in Windows XP (or drop support?) To: Wladimir Cc: Bitcoin Dev Message-ID: <20140416194310.GA11552@netbook.cypherspace.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed Not to get snarky or OS elitist but as I understand it windows security, even during its support period has been measured in low digit number of days in the year when is NOT an outstanding known remote root compromise or combination of remote user compromise + priviledge escalation.  Add in phishing, watering holes, malware and the average windows computer is probably compromised a dozen times over.  Apparently for sometime it was not easily possible to secure it install boot - install OS, connect to network to download security updates, IP range scanned and compromised faster than you can patch it. Adam ... ________________________________________________________________ Right. The trick was to install off line, add your own (free or commercial s/w firewall) then connect, behind a router that had no port forwarding, etc.  Hell before cheap routers I ran one Win95B as I remember, using ICS to a hub that feed my LAN and in front was a dialup and a cable modem.  Atguard was the S/W firewall, worked great and never was penetrated. And if one used IE for anything, or any form of Outlook one was and still is a fool. There are still fools who think that their Windows Vista, 7, 8 or 8.1 is safe because MS updates it days, weeks or longer after an exploit is found/exposed/known... And they feel that they can install and run anything anyone says is OK?  No firewall can protect against shall we say digital naivety. Ah what fools these mortals be.  Then there are others that have never used IE, never installed/enabled Outlook, never enabled UPNP &/or, DCOM; never executed "unknown" s/w, and always had their own s/w firewall on, long before MS even thought of "Windows Firewall".  Does anyone (other than zone alarm) check for data leaving one's computer "unexpectedely"?  Those machines could run Win95B, Win98SE, NT4, Win2K, XP pro long past MS's "cut off date" and barely notice anything. The show stopper is usually the browser (FF) or Adobe flash or pdf demanding more OS functions, usually so that they can perform more functions more poorly, I'm sorry to say. Check the live desktop OSs connected to the internet, by version at Market share for mobile, browsers, operating systems and search engines | NetMarketShare Market share for mobile, browsers, operating systems and search engines | NetMarketShare Market share for mobile, browsers, operating systems, search engines and social media. Mobile market share and desktop market share data. View on www.netmarketshare.com Preview by Yahoo   last I checked, XP was still ~29% and all Windows versions, ~90% Computer safety, like driver safety, has more to do with the knowledge and skill of the operator/driver, than the "newness" of the car/computer.  A good driver/computer user, never gets into a situation that he/she can't repair/reverse/prevent/recover from etc.  Drive/run a motorcycle/computer and you will learn defensive driving/computing really fast or be roadkill on the highway/digital highway. Ron