You FEEL safer using Linux than Windows, but you're not and that's the problem.

The incidence (as percentage of installed base) of successful intrusion attempts against Linux boxes is far higher than that of successful intrusion attempts against Windows boxes.
That's because most Linux boxes are installed wide open by default, and are running a lot of unneeded and potentially dangerous applications like SendMail and Apache without their owners even knowing it.
They think there's nothing to fear because they're not using Windows (they're believing the hype/hoax/lies), and often don't keep up with security and other updates (which is why Windows now comes with automatic updates turned on by default).
As Sendmail especially (but Apache in many versions as well, and X too) is as leaky as a sieve, these systems are easy prey for crackers.
The reasons you don't hear a lot of outcry is because many of the low overall volume, and because a lot of those machines are run by companies who don't want the negative publicity.

I do agree that MS make a good effort with patches, and I don't really understand the problem people have, along lines of "Microsoft just released a new patch, that means their software sucks", or even "Microsoft have stopped support for Windows 3, what swines" it's natural development to keep 'adding' to a system when things don't go quite as planned, and re-releases are better than endless patches in the long run.

With regard to feeling safe. My computer doesn't function as a webserver, (but I use Apache locally and bring it up and down when I need it), and my computer gets its Internet connection through a (firewalled) Windows laptop connected peer-to-peer with this one, which makes it somewhat difficult to address this one directly. I feel safe because I know how difficult it would be for anyone to A. attack this PC, or B. get anything useful from it.

On Windows using IE 6 though, it doesn't matter what firewall you have if you hit a browser-object-gone-mad. I got a virus delivered by a script executed in a WMF file in Internet Explorer, and that was with AV and a firewall active.

I'm usually more worried about virus damage than cracker damage to be honest. There's always a question about the goodness of human nature in their immediate present, there's no question with a bit of mad script they wrote while in a in a bad mood and left all over the web.

Worms don't care what they have. They just want another member for their zombie horde.

Leave everything and live in a cave. Much safer except if it's a bear dwelling. :eek: