Symantec - Vista security 3 years behind

Symantec's communications director Chris Paden has said recently that Microsoft's own security package for Windows Vista will not be able to be removed from the operating system, even if a 3rd-party package is installed. Microsoft have reportedly ignored requests by security companies to allow the inbuilt package to be replaceable.

"It would be like trying to drive a car with two dashboards. This is going to cause a great deal of consumer confusion," said Mr Paden.

He also warned that Windows Vista had been engineered to resist the kinds of threats Windows was facing three years ago, much like how Windows XP was built against the short-lived Macro Virus threat.

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes has also expressed concern over the new security features, but in relation to possible breaches in competition law.

But I don't need to worry about it, as Linux distributions are built in a modular fashion that allows any part of the system to be replaced, including the built-in iptables firewall; and besides, anti-virus and anti-spyware software is not needed. Linux software is always built with security in mind, the kernel itself has always been built to resist threats from the Internet, and any new threats can be accounted for by any of the kernel developers at any time.