[wvenable]

No matter how small of a Linux (or other kernel) you compile, as long as it's runnable on a modern system, it's vastly more complicated that almost any other human machine. A minimal kernel is still more complicated than your car, a jumbo jet, etc. Usually well beyond the ability to be certain it has no security flaws.

Elements of your userland might be easy to understand but combine them and you have yet another highly complex machine.

Programmers 30 years ago would be totally amazed at the size of your "small" software.

As for wasteful, I have vastly more computing power than I need -- data is huge but most software, even Windows, is comparatively small. You can run versions Windows on machines that cost just a few dollars. I can virtualize and run multiple operating systems at once on a single machine without breaking a sweat. I also have 2 high resolution 24" monitors which I'm not going to waste on VGA text mode.

[loginusername]

Maybe you have a very poor understanding of your systems, or you have given up trying to understand them.

Or maybe you think that because any attempts at understanding systems are in your opinion "difficult", other users should "give up" and leave everything to some company like Microsoft.

Or maybe there is some other explanation. I don't know.

I am not sure why it matters to you how someone else chooses to use their own hardware, or what software they choose to use.

Not sure I really want to know. But I think you are wasting your time.

Your systems are larger and more complicated than they have to be. You have admitted it. You also admit your systems are full of flaws, and it does not sound like you are expending any effort to find and fix them.

Now you are telling me the size of your monitors. Who cares? If you see all software as "large" and "complex", then that is how you see it. So what? What does this have to do with anything?

I started these threads because Microsoft ran an article in the NYT about greater "security". But it's still closed source. Microsoft does not let users unconditionally review nor trim the size of the code.

If you think Windows is the best option for you, then go right ahead and keep using it to the exclusion of anything else. I'm not trying to persuade you to do anything. Do whatever you want. I wish you all the best.

But spare me the comments. I do not follow your reasoning, or whatever point you are trying to make, and I'm not interested.