Because Shiny Things Are Fun - The New New Windows v Linux Thread

Originally Posted by Kenny_Strawn And when it does get corrupted, there's no other way to restore it but to reinstall Windows.

Plain wrong, Windows keeps backup copies of the registry.

But Windows's highly centralized configuration system causes your system to not boot when even the slightest thing goes wrong with the goddang Registry.

Boot the last known good configuration, if you made mistakes when editing the registry. Or use the Windows Restore system and create a snapshot before editing.

Originally Posted by TobiSGD Plain wrong, Windows keeps backup copies of the registry. Boot the last known good configuration, if you made mistakes when editing the registry. Or use the Windows Restore system and create a snapshot before editing.

1. You have to back up the Registry manually every time you edit it; it is not automatically backed up.
2. Sure, you can use System Restore, but having a highly centralized Registry also makes the Registry prone to viruses.

Originally Posted by TobiSGD Boot the last known good configuration, if you made mistakes when editing the registry. Or use the Windows Restore system and create a snapshot before editing.

But human-readable text files are still so much better!

Originally Posted by Kenny_Strawn You have to back up the Registry manually every time you edit it; it is not automatically backed up. Sure, you can use System Restore, but having a highly centralized Registry also makes the Registry prone to viruses.

1. My Windows installations did that automatically every day, out of the box.
2. In which way is a centralized file more prone to viruses than any other file?

Originally Posted by MTK358 But human-readable text files are still so much better!

Of course, but Windows is not Linux, so you have to get used to it, if you really have to edit the registry.

1. Yes, but they don't do that by default.
2. Because there's only one file to infect, versus hundreds. That means that malware can infect the file once and automatically the system is dead.

It may be just because I don't boot into it very often anymore, but I haven't really had any noticeable problems with the registry on my desktop with Windows XP. But again, that's probably because I've never bothered with messing with it, and so I don't know whether or not it's a complete and total mess.

Windows seems to boot up and run just fine, though...I'd say that the time it takes to boot XP (up to reaching the login screen) is about the same as it takes Arch to boot on the same machine (again, up to reaching a login prompt), and I boot Arch into runlevel 3!

@Kenny_Strawn:

1. As I stated, they do it out of the box. I would say, that it can't be more default.
2. The registry is not an executable file. So to infect a PC using the registry you will use the registry to start the malware at boot. This can be done in Linux, too. If you configure your system properly and don't run your Windows as administrator, the malware should not able to alter the registry. But if it happens, just restore your latest backup of the registry (see 1.) in such a case.

Agreed with Tobi. And even if your registry gets out of whack and for SOME reason you can't boot using a previous version or by booting into safe mode, then you can pop in the Windows install disk and do it all from there. I see no issue here. And the registry is a big mess to begin with. You'd have to find certain strings in the registry in order for a virus to be really effective and they can be different for different people. The simplest way is to delete the keys. This is A LOT easier on Linux because all you have to do is delete certain text files that are needed for the boot early on and since 90% (only like 5 are really revolutionary) of the distros out there are the same, they're pretty much located in the same place. So it would be easier to remove these on Linux that Windows.

Here's the acronym that really sums up Microsoft's evil deeds:

Radix
Omnium
Malorum
Avaritia

(The root of all evil is avarice [greed])

I really don't understand how you view Microsoft as evil. Sure, their products aren't absolutely amazing, but they set the industry standard and push computing to the next gen. Without them, we'd still be using terminals (exaggeration, I know. Laugh it off.). All of their "7 deadly sins" aren't 100% true and were made by uneducated fanboys.

Originally Posted by soppy Without them, we'd still be using terminals (exaggeration, I know. Laugh it off.)

X11 existed before Windows.

Originally Posted by MTK358 X11 existed before Windows.

Chimps came before humans. Your point?

Originally Posted by Kenny_Strawn Here's the acronym that really sums up Microsoft's evil deeds: Radix Omnium Malorum Avaritia (The root of all evil is avarice [greed])

Then to you would fit:
Radix
Omnium
Malorum
Ira

(The root of all evil is choler [wrath])

What is the point in blaming someone for a capital sin if you yourself are a committing a capital sin with your behaviour?

Originally Posted by TobiSGD Then to you would fit: Radix Omnium Malorum Ira (The root of all evil is choler [wrath]) What is the point in blaming someone for a capital sin if you yourself are a committing a capital sin with your behaviour?

How am I committing that sin? Just what am I doing to murder or physically attack anyone? Just how am I any different than Jesus (depicted in the Seven Deadly Sins TV program on the History Channel showing a fist) with his actions towards the greedy tax collectors and sacrificial animal scalpers at the Temple?

How does a Linux forum get to comparing religion and Jesus. lol

Kenny, I must admit you do post strongly against Microsoft (from what I've seen), which of course your entitled too. However, imo, it does make you come across as a little arrogant and immature. Either way, it makes for good debate.