from the that's-a-big-oops dept.

Y'know, there are times when not being on Windows can be a pain. Like, you miss all the fun of Microsoft being so, er, Microsofty. I present to you, Gentle Reader, this story which Slashdot has generously alerted me to:

An anonymous reader writes "According to a story over at Washingtonpost.com, the latest definitions file for Microsoft's Anti-Spyware beta flags Symantec's Norton Antivirus products as a password-stealing trojan and prompts users to delete portions of the program. Users who follow the instructions hose their installation of Norton, requiring delicate Windows registry edits and a complete removal/reinstall of Norton. Microsoft's support forum is quickly filling up with complaints about this problem, many from businesses that have been pretty hard hit. This should be a cautionary tale about deploying beta products in production environments."

See what I mean? Linux doesn't even HAVE antispyware or antivirus software (at least, anti-Linux-virus antivirus) for everyone to get their knickers in a knot about, because they don't get autoinstalled viruses and adware. Linux is going to have to really pull up its socks to get to be as user-friendly as Windows is. And seeing as Penguins don't even WEAR socks, that'll be tough to do.