I'd thank malware authors and virus writers only if i was a platform vendor trying to find a scapegoat for why i "have" to take away control from users. Thankf

I'd thank malware authors and virus writers only if i was a platform vendor trying to find a scapegoat for why i "have" to take away control from users. Thankfully i'm not one. But that doesn't make me blind on such schemes. Also that background application you mention, even though it isn't necessarily needed in all cases, it is still a better solution than a locked down system since it is under the user's control.