Sabrina has bought a new Amiga!

[Psy]

I was under the impression that the system files weren't as important as your work files, because at least the system can be restored.

Yes but data is easy to backup yet without the system protected it could go offline and most servers run 24/7 and if they go down then testing and upgrading can't be scheduled for their mirror and what if the mirror crashes before you can get the main server backup?  

System drives are more important as the system being online depends on them, the user can always backup data and should religiously.  If the files are important make redundant copies and keep all of them updated.

 

 OS3 also has no native network support, no native web browser, no native e-mail, no native chat... you don't have to worry about security if you don't do anything that involves tranmitting information to and from unknown systems. What if you want to let familiy members use your computer? Do you want them to poke around your bookmarks, or do you expect each application to handle security on its own, and do so inconsistently? Sounds like a lot of work for the developers because the OS guys didn't spend some time working on a proper quarantine system. Just like Windows.

I agree, MorphOS and AOS4 is great for running old amiga code but so is UAE.  Neither has given me any reason not to just stick BeOS, QNX or even RiscOS.  

Of course I do hope they will evolve into a real OS.  

[Psy]

What I mean is, most people who praise UNIX/Linux security fail to mention that only the system is safe. If you get a rouge program on your system (through an ActiveX control, a bug in JavaVM, or a virus through an e-mail client), than you can kiss all your personal files goodbye. The system files are secured, nothing in your user account is.

You know that if a hacker gains access to system files they can do far more damage then if they get access to data files.  I know of some Windows users that due to the weakness of Windows security of devices they got huge longdistance bills via hackers taking control of their regular modem via their hispeed internet connection.

System Restore, backups, and journaled filesystems can only be so effective.

Backups are 100% effective they just take time to restore the system but if you regularly backup you'll always be fine.  

My Dad use to work for AT&T and their solution was automated daily backup and these protected aginst system&hardware failure plus hacker attacks. Even when a employee silinced a alarm to a bad rectifier that caused the entire AT&T network to come crashing down, the backups where there to bring the system back.  The only time I heard AT&T backup system failed was when a harddrive went through a security xray machine when it was UPSed to the site with the down eqipment.  

No offense, but I wish people would stop thinking in terms of servers. Servers are still very much purpose-built machines made and maintained by people who know what they are doing, and where most tools and apps are designed for throughput, and thus must be installed at a low level and trusted to not do stupid things to the system. Home users are in a situation where they often have to install software they can't fully trust, they can sacrifice a lot of performance for ease of use, apps and tools rarely need low-level access (except maybe for games), and the machines are not really designed to work 24/7, either for technical or economical reasons.

Yes but most home users don't think about security until it is too late.  Most home users don't even backup and until users learn the basics of being sys admins there is no point kicking them into *nix as even if today you got more people to use *nix odds are most users will only run under root and leave *nix open for all kinds of attacks.