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Again, what's the downside to using IE for me? I don't need to maintain it. I don't have any spyware on my box at all. It can't get any easier.

But, I think you probably have your stuff pretty tight and down to an efficient maintenance schedule. It's more the average Joe, Jane or Grandma Sue user who sucks wind on security.

Then there's the business user - usually an exec or laptop user - who seems to find a way to get infected every month or two. There's quite a bit of overhead in corp technology spent on keeping it as productive as it is, still stuff gets through and even if it doesn't that's money that could be spent on better things..

It's more the Windows overhead that could be little easier anyway: no antivirus or spysweepers to buy, install or manage, or worry about conflicts, or setting up a secure Windows install, and then those occassions where you have to reinstall..

I didn't pay for any of this software. It's all free. Similarly, I installed it once. No maintenance involved. It updates and runs in the middle of the night, when I'm not using the machine. So where's the downside for me?

But, I think you probably have your stuff pretty tight and down to an efficient maintenance schedule. It's more the average Joe, Jane or Grandma Sue user who sucks wind on security.

The average Joe should check out the Microsoft Anti-Spyware Beta, SpyBot Search & Destroy, and LavaSoft Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition. All free. The MS tool is completely automated.

Then there's the business user - usually an exec or laptop user - who seems to find a way to get infected every month or two. There's quite a bit of overhead in corp technology spent on keeping it as productive as it is, still stuff gets through and even if it doesn't that's money that could be spent on better things..

There's literally no distinction between these sets of users, given the sophistication of the available tools.

I will grant you that, regardless of what MS is currently doing, the existence and utilization of virus and spyware scanners is an unnecessary and counterproductive thing. I'll make the prediction right now: Combined with restricted user accounts and other sorts of security policy limitations that will be introduced over the next few years, we will see a much safer Windows. Now, of course, that won't help people that are currently using Win9x or WinXP. But vastly better security is a compelling reason to upgrade -- and MS apparently realizes this.