Why Switching OS Platforms Is Not a Security Fix – Computerworld

[Rob]

The mantra has traditionally been embraced by both Mac and Linux users, but as Mac OS X users deal with the fallout from the Flashback malware attack, some Linux supporters are turning the tired attack even against the Apple OS. Admittedly ...Full story here.

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[KenJackson]

From the article:

Switching operating systems is not the answer, though.

Granted, Linux is much less likely to be attacked by malware. But, that reality is as much or more a function of the relative obscurity of Linux as it is a function of the Linux OS itself.

That's a tired argument.
Windows has two big, big problems that Linux does not: Legacy and Drivers.

There are lots of Windows applications that have have been released over the years that intentionally or not relied on Windows bugs and undocumented features. Microsoft isn't willing to just abandon paying customers that use those applications, so they maintain legacy bugs and features to support old apps. Malware authors love this.

Second, Microsoft redistributes third-party proprietary drivers that it did not write and does not have the source code for. It can't fix problems that it has no source code for.

Linux doesn't suffer either of these. Everything line of code is available for inspection and recompiled every release. There's no need to maintain legacy bugs, because the apps can just be recompiled.