Difference between revisions of "272: Linux User at Best Buy"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
Jump to: navigation, search
Line 41: Line 41:
  
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 +
[[Category:Linux]]

Revision as of 16:42, 13 September 2012

Linux User at Best Buy
We actually stand around the antivirus displays with the Mac users just waiting for someone to ask.
Title text: We actually stand around the antivirus displays with the Mac users just waiting for someone to ask.

Explanation

Best Buy is an American chain of electronics and media shops. As many such shops, they only sell boxed software and boxed hardware - where the computers are either Macs or PCs pre-installed with Windows.

This salesman is trying to sell antivirus software, but Cueball claims he doesn't need it: he runs Linux, an open source operating system. Back in 2007, many Linux users believed that Linux would wipe out Windows as the operating system of choice for PCs. Five years later, at least that hasn't happened. (Note nearly all modern television sets, (wifi-)routers and all Android devices are running the Linux kernel, so in a way it has happened).

The rest of the comic is essentially proving how much cooler Linux users are: the user performs a few amazing tricks, like flipping over on a motorbike, doing a wheely and throwing dirt in the face of the salesman. One reason why Linux users claim that Linux is faster is the actual absence of the antivirus software: no need to scan all files - which allows faster operation.

The title text confirms the above. Mostly like Linux, the software design of Macs also lessens the need for antivirus software. Apparently, Mac and Linux users flock together just waiting for the Best Buy salesmen to ask if anyone needs it - so they can laugh them in the face.


Transcript

Salesman: Interested in updating your antivirus software?
Customer: Oh, I wouldn't need any of that.
{In a spiky speech bubble}
I RUN LINUX.
<<Flip>>
{Customer does a backflip onto a motorcycle}
{Customer performs a wheelie on the motorcycle}
{Customer does a hard, donut turn on the motorcycle, kicking up dirt into the salesman's face}
{Customer speeds off on the motorcycle, leaving the salesman in a cloud of black exhaust}


comment.png add a comment! ⋅ comment.png add a topic (use sparingly)! ⋅ Icons-mini-action refresh blue.gif refresh comments!

Discussion

Not that Macs or Linux are invulnerable to malware. (Anyone else remember the Internet Worm, which would surely have ripped through Linux machines if not encountered on Unix, already, in pre-Linux days. Other exploits have been discovered, and had to be fixed.) Having said that, both types of machine tend to be safer from an OS security model point of view, from being a minority target that is largely overlooked and from the end-users being generally more savvy against liveware component attacks. However with the targetted growing flood of new users, that may well be changing. The latter two points, at least, although I'm sure some of the distros "boot as root" as well.

The speed of Linux also tends to be more from being more finely-honed by the last generation or two of geeks. Less clutter (at least with the distros I like, YMMV with some of the more "user friendly" ones) and the somewhat intimate knowledge of the system that the user tends to get and is able to act upon if anything displeases them (although, again, that may be changing). These days (and those days, I'm pretty sure) you can get mainstream AV programs for Linux (and Mac) and while I'm not going to say they're necessary for Linux, they're available and primed to help you out of various messes you could encounter. 178.98.31.27 08:07, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Approximately 15 ago I did deactivate the firewall at my main (Linux) internet gateway for some tests only for a few minutes. I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN! I only remember the root access was done by a user name r00t and my log files at "/var/log" had been deleted. When I did figure out that attack I immediately disconnected it from the internet, but I also had to do a complete new install to that system. Linux is only secure when you know how to secure it.--Dgbrt (talk) 22:01, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

Most linux virus scanners are to scan e-mails for windoze viruses. 184.66.160.91 04:09, 27 August 2013 (UTC)

Is the motorbike backflip and speedaway a reference to something? 141.101.98.133 14:03, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

What Linux distros do you guys use (if you do use one)? #ubuntuforlife #makingalinuxOSmyself  :D --JayRulesXKCD (talk) 16:36, 14 September 2016 (UTC)

Arch Linux. Although I'm new to Linux, I already love it!--162.158.69.39 19:07, 5 December 2016 (UTC)
You use colons to indent replies. 162.158.78.160 05:08, 27 July 2020 (UTC)
Arch Linux here as well. 162.158.222.123 11:41, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I’d like to point out the oft overlooked fact that the majority of malware targets Windows based PCs not exclusively because *NIX systems are so Uber secure, but rather simply because historically Windows is the dominant OS for consumer grade computers. Malware and Adware have a financial motive and so it makes the most sense to write for an OS that holds more than 85% market share. This isn’t an excuse for Windows systems historically being underwhelming secure to put it mildly, but it is something of note.

Whooooo! good job, Randall!108.162.246.108 21:12, 18 October 2016 (UTC)

Haha i use linux... on a VM---- 108.162.237.64 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

I have a Raspberry Pi that filled up its SD card, as well as WSL. 162.158.78.160 05:08, 27 July 2020 (UTC)