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Windows wasn't unsafe to use, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express were unsafe to use. It had nothing to do with a lack of app stores, and more to do with the

Windows wasn't unsafe to use, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express were unsafe to use. It had nothing to do with a lack of app stores, and more to do with the fact that ActiveX controls were allowed to run rampant on a machine, and that they could install themselves with a single dialog box that nobody ever paid attention to, and sometimes even bypass that. I mean, even with an App Store, IE would have been pushed hard, just like Edge is now. And it still would have been a buggy mess, and people would have still been infected... I can't believe I just defended Windows here... I fixed hundreds, maybe thousands of machines infected with malware back in those days. Switching users to Firefox and a safe e-mail client nearly eliminated all of their issues.

DanBC 7y ago
But IE was baked into the system (eg Active Desktop) which is why Windows was insecure.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
ChrisLomont 7y ago
>Windows wasn't unsafe to use, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express were unsafe to use. Here's [1] over 1000 CVEs in Windows 10 alone, many of quite critical nature and not related to IE or OE. Here's [2] another 1200+ for Windows 7. Here's [3] 741 for the "back in the day" Windows XP. [1] https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/product_id-32238/Microsoft-Windows-10.html https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/p... [2] https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/product_id-17153/Microsoft-Windows-7.html https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/p... [3] https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/product_id-739/Microsoft-Windows-Xp.html https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/p...
juliusmusseau 7y ago
I remember plugging my windows box directly into my internet cable modem around 1999. My printer started printing dick pics (that I had not asked it to print) -- I had not even clicked on Internet Explorer. I wasn't a computer person back then. But I quickly learned about SMB file and printer sharing being wide open.

DanBC 7y ago

But IE was baked into the system (eg Active Desktop) which is why Windows was insecure.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

ChrisLomont 7y ago

>Windows wasn't unsafe to use, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express were unsafe to use. Here's [1] over 1000 CVEs in Windows 10 alone, many of quite critical nature and not related to IE or OE. Here's [2] another 1200+ for Windows 7. Here's [3] 741 for the "back in the day" Windows XP. [1] https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/product_id-32238/Microsoft-Windows-10.html https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/p... [2] https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/product_id-17153/Microsoft-Windows-7.html https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/p... [3] https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/product_id-739/Microsoft-Windows-Xp.html https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-26/p...

juliusmusseau 7y ago

I remember plugging my windows box directly into my internet cable modem around 1999. My printer started printing dick pics (that I had not asked it to print) -- I had not even clicked on Internet Explorer. I wasn't a computer person back then. But I quickly learned about SMB file and printer sharing being wide open.