What OS is the most secure?

[LewisM]

I was talking to a friend the other day and the topic of OS's came up.
I told her I was running Windows 7 and she all but laughed in my face

Apparently (according to her) there's a whole host of backdoor entrances to Windows which, amoung other things, makes it very insecure.

I have no idea whether or not this is true, but I'd love to hear what everyone here thinks.
Is Windows really that bad? If so what is the most secure OS?

Thanks!

-- Oh and I don't mind doing some gentle coding work to get a more secure OS running if need be

[skypeia]

You should find a compromise between security and functionalities. Today you cannot run only one OS on your computer, because you need the plethora of supported drivers, hardware and software of windows and the security of linux and company.

Currently windows is the less secure, because it has architectural flaws but much more because it has a big market share. Macos is currently facing a growing interest by cybercrooks. Linux is more secure because it is built upon a solid base and because it is not attractive for cybercrooks. Then we have freebsd, openbsd, haiku, qnx and other. But all these have practically no hardware support or software.

[aljibouriali]

I heard that MAC has the best OS out there. Basically you can't get viruses.

[paypalvcc]

Use CestOS Its great With highest Security.

[landratte]

Yeah, I heard Mac is the safest OS to use, because all the hackers are focusing on windows! But I actually do not know if Mac has higher saftey standards and less loopholes than windows.

[STRSPEED]

Mac is a small market for hackers, they are far too costly, But because advancements in installing the Mac OS on any computer they are growing.
Mac would be best for the basic user
Linux (Ubuntu) is Gold for a programmer and he can keep himself safe.
Windows is for everyone else(Like me). If you know what your doing and how it all works you will be fine otherwise your taking a risk.
I personally Duel Boot Ubuntu and Windows 7

[dude111]

Originally Posted by LewisM

Apparently (according to her) there's a whole host of backdoor entrances to Windows which, amoung other things, makes it very insecure.

I have heard this also....

I wouldnt trust or recommend ANYTHING NEW from microsoft (They have become QUITE INTRUSIVE into people's lives)

[peterkelly03]

considering security, Mac OS is a way to go..

[PhD]

I'm using Windows XP, Win 7 and few versions of Linux and it's nice combination

Win 7 is huge but it can be minimized to 1.5 Gb of HDD space
this is important because you need to scan your OS regularly with antivirus software and if you have 10-16 Gb it's much bigger than 1.5 Gb of HDD space

Maybe it's best option to use combination of OSs and to lower the risk of damage

You can use Windows live disk and thats also important if you need to clean your PC from viruses and spyware

[rickenjohny]

By far linux is the most secure os in th e world with regard security concerns as well as i think.Though window 7 is there but in the security concern with internet i think linux has still got edge over it.