Got the joke :) but of course some computers do control mission critical systems or are life protecting systems ...

Computer users need to become much more aware of the problem and implement the necessary protections in order to avoid being part of the problem imho. Not installing AV because we know some company that had AV and still had a virus problem is like saying I will apply no security whatsoever because none is 100% effective.

>Except that no one's life is in danger if he fails to install antivirus software :o)
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>>>>>Just being careful and occasionally run an online virusscanner from www.trendmicro.com is enough for me.
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>>>>Walter, that is an assumption which can negatively affect you, your clients, and Internet users in general. Not running an AV program (which now usually also includes anti-trojan and anti-spyware facilities) is not a smart thing to do. There really is no excuse for it since many such tools are free and with todays cpu's and hdd sizes they are no longer a resource hog per se.
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>>>Jos, In what way have things been changed since 15 years ?? If any change, thing have become more secure as most ISPs now are actively scanning email and ports for malicious software. Also, windows has become more secure and working behind a NAT router (which holds off most attacks anyways), often is a hurdle too much for hackers anyways. And again, being carefull is your best protection against malware and virusses.
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>>>I just don't like virusscanners making HD access slowing down to a crawl. I'm also aware that AV only protects you to a certain extent and as proven in the past, it gives you a false sense of safety. Too many times I've seen virus disasters at sites which do have AV installed but were affected by new virusses of which a patch was not available yet.
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>>>I've choosen not to deal with all the frustration of AV (I've been a norton victim as well) and to deal with the risk of getting a virus. Also, I don't see how my clients are affected. I'd reccomend them to install AV for their business, because I do know that not everyone is like me.
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>>>Walter,
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>>Walter, your argument is tantamount to saying you will not use a condom with a stranger becuase it gives a false sense of security. Your partner may or may not have an infection but not wearing a condom with a stranger is irresponsible. AV software is the same. It will provide protection for a wide array of known malware and some unknown. Just becuase it is not 100% effective and cannot necessarily prevent unknown attack vectors does not mean that you should not use one. If you do not employ basic security measures then you become part of the problem instead of the solution.