> The security model might be theoretically better but since most applications force you to run as administrator anyway I don't think it's currently buying you that much.
1. The security model isn't just theoretically better -- OS X still doesn't randomize heap and stack addresses properly, for example. As Dion Blazakis points out in http://www.semantiscope.com/research/BHDC2010/BHDC-2010-Slid... slide 30, NX + ASLR makes "[h]ackers everywhere shed a tear."
2. Most Windows applications do not force you to run as administrator. Vista provided the push necessary for most applications to not require admin privs (source: http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2008/10/08/user-account-con... -- the "Impact on Software Ecosystem" section).
3. Frankly, an ordinary consumer should be a lot more concerned about his data than about the computer itself -- whether a program runs with admin privileges or not is mostly irrelevant in this case.
1. The security model isn't just theoretically better -- OS X still doesn't randomize heap and stack addresses properly, for example. As Dion Blazakis points out in http://www.semantiscope.com/research/BHDC2010/BHDC-2010-Slid... slide 30, NX + ASLR makes "[h]ackers everywhere shed a tear."
2. Most Windows applications do not force you to run as administrator. Vista provided the push necessary for most applications to not require admin privs (source: http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2008/10/08/user-account-con... -- the "Impact on Software Ecosystem" section).
3. Frankly, an ordinary consumer should be a lot more concerned about his data than about the computer itself -- whether a program runs with admin privileges or not is mostly irrelevant in this case.