Second the Linux Transition. I moved 20+ years ago! If you want to try Linux, you could download & load a distribution such as PCLinuxOS: it can boot & run from a usb stick without modifying your system (except for enabling the boot). In my opinion (without starting a flame war), Windoze is now too restrictive, & perhaps is more interested in gaining value from the customers than supplying a service that is really in the customers interest. Linux is totally different to this model although some distributions can be a little bit this way.
With Linux, there are usually equivalent o/s programs that replace the windoze alternatives: a quick google will tell the options & issues one may face. When I moved 20 years ago, I dual booted Linux & Windows but after 6 months I found I never booted Windoze, so eventually deleted it. Now, I feel Windoze safe boot is there to restrict access to non-commercial programs, more than the perceived additional security. One thing: it is easy to use a modern Linux distro: My wife used M$ at work, & Linux at home & did not notice the difference (I had to show her how to save LibreOffice files in M$ format for compatibility, but otherwise no problems!) regards, Doug On Sun, 18 Jan 2026 16:04:23 -0500 (EST) Robert Heller <[email protected]> wrote: > You might be supprised as to how easy the transition might be to a modern > (recent) Linux distribution. > > At Sun, 18 Jan 2026 20:10:58 +0000 Deb Boyce <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I've considered going over to Linux for many reasons, but I haven't touched > > that O/S in thirty years and about the only command I remember is "kill" > > and the fact that slashes go the other way in the file paths. After fifty > > years working in a DOS/Wintel environment, I'm afraid my brain may be too > > old to make the switch at this point. ð > > > > Deb > > > > Sent from Outlook for Android<https://aka.ms/AAb9ysg> > > ________________________________ > > From: Stephen Wiley <[email protected]> > > Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2026 12:05:22 PM > > To: Deb B <[email protected]> > > Cc: Stan Brown (using GC 4.14) <[email protected]>; > > [email protected] <[email protected]>; Deb Boyce > > <[email protected]> > > Subject: Re: [Spam] Re: [GNC] Possible malware in GnuCash 3.14 for Windows > > > > You are, at the end of the day, trusting these antivirus vendors to come > > up with *patterns* to identify binary artifacts as clean or malicious. > > > > If your system is so important that you need this the appropriate thing > > to do is to have people read *the source* and build the binaries from > > that. This is how Linux distributions work. If your standards are low > > enough that you're unwilling to demand that level of scrutiny then the > > practical path forward is to disable your antivirus software which is > > almost certainly going to get hung up on particulars output from > > compilers and not intent. > > > > --Stephen > > > > On Sun, Jan 18, 2026 at 06:59:23PM +0000, Deb B wrote: > > > So it does make sense to depend on Windows Defender, but I'm still left > > > with Android and iOs devices to protect. > > > > > > Deb > > > > > > Sent from Outlook for > > > Android<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Faka.ms%2FAAb9ysg&data%7C02%7C%7Cc14ced37c9564d7eaaf808de56cceb34%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639043635270304890%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=LG%2B16Bnwitlp0Dir9S32wyR318Nz%2FSMajI%2FPxPc01j0%3D&reserved=0<https://aka.ms/AAb9ysg>> > > > ________________________________ > > > From: gnucash-user <[email protected]> > > > on behalf of Stan Brown (using GC 4.14) <[email protected]> > > > Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2026 10:50:26 AM > > > To: [email protected] <[email protected]> > > > Cc: Deb Boyce <[email protected]> > > > Subject: Re: [GNC] Possible malware in GnuCash 3.14 for Windows > > > > > > > > > Stan Brown > > > Tehachapi, CA, USA > > > https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbrownmath.com%2F&data%7C02%7C%7Cc14ced37c9564d7eaaf808de56cceb34%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639043635270322806%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=R%2BTtX%2Bw%2FQb7scWzuilrgkNYzuuwu2Dkcvj%2FY1O6d5bI%3D&reserved=0<https://brownmath.com/> > > > > > > On 2026-01-18 09:47, Robert Heller wrote: > > > > I don't (and never have) used MS-Windows, but videos I've seen on > > > > YouTube > > > > suggest that most add-on antivirus software for *recent* versions of > > > > MS-Windows are a waste of money. "Windows Defender" (which is build in > > > > to > > > > revent versions of MS-Windows) does everything any MS-Windows user > > > > needs. > > > > Almost all malware these days are phishing E-Mail and depend on > > > > esentially > > > > socially engineering to get the user to visit some website to trick the > > > > user > > > > into revealing login credintials. Malware writers generally don't > > > > bother much > > > > with the clasic forms of malware these days. And yes, Windows Defender > > > > will > > > > probably flag legit versions of GnuCash, since GnuCash is not "signed" > > > > by a > > > > Microsoft supplied certificate. You will have to "whitelist" (whatever > > > > that > > > > entails) GnuCash. > > > > > > Both in Windows 10 and Windows 11 on my machines, the popup complaint > > > about "unknown publisher" or similar has a "More info" link which is, > > > let's say, quite poorly named. Actually, "More info" is what you must > > > select to get to the "run anyway" or "install anyway" option. > > > > > > Here's how I know. The email program Betterbird, a fork of Mozilla > > > Thunderbird, has much more frequent updates than GnuCash. As with > > > GnuCash, it has no signing certificate. Every time, I get the prompt, > > > click "More info" and then "install anyway," and I have no issues. > > > > > > I second what Robert Heller says about third-party antimalware being a > > > waste of money on Windows 10 and 11 systems.(*) (Malwarebytes is an > > > exception, but the free version is sufficient; you just have to remember > > > to run it manually.) Windows Defender seems to do a fine job. We have > > > had extensions about malware protection on the Windows 10 and Windows 11 > > > Usenet newsgroups, and the consensus matches what Robert said. At this > > > point, I agree, social engineering is a bigger threat than traditional > > > malware, at least for people who stay away from sketchy websites and use > > > common sense with email. Never open an attachment you weren't > > > expecting, even if it purports to come from someone you know. > > > > > > (*) Avast is arguably malware, in a small way, since it inserts an > > > advertisement for itself in the emails you send. This happens without > > > your permission, and to stop it you must follow a procedure that is far > > > from obvious. > > > > > > Stan Brown > > > Tehachapi, CA, USA > > > https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbrownmath.com%2F&data%7C02%7C%7Cc14ced37c9564d7eaaf808de56cceb34%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639043635270332805%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=t6qv6B4D%2F38b4suBcQ1uYnTWrBBWaq23PCAooosOTrI%3D&reserved=0<https://brownmath.com/> > > > _______________________________________________ > > > gnucash-user mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: > > > https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flists.gnucash.org%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fgnucash-user&data%7C02%7C%7Cc14ced37c9564d7eaaf808de56cceb34%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639043635270342345%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=6X9aSU5Ha1%2BlbOZ7sWRuT6LUmtCF7hUTw3IrucIUylo%3D&reserved=0<https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user> > > > ----- > > > Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. > > > You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. > > > _______________________________________________ > > > gnucash-user mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: > > > https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flists.gnucash.org%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fgnucash-user&data%7C02%7C%7Cc14ced37c9564d7eaaf808de56cceb34%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639043635270352101%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=X9zLD8gO1CC0yidrWWNYMGFceZ69HDtd%2F5AIBvGwBMQ%3D&reserved=0<https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user> > > > ----- > > > Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. > > > You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. > > > > _______________________________________________ > > gnucash-user mailing list > > [email protected] > > To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: > > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user > > ----- > > Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. > > You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. > > > > > > -- > Robert Heller -- Cell: 413-658-7953 GV: 978-633-5364 > Deepwoods Software -- Custom Software Services > http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Linux Administration Services > [email protected] -- Webhosting Services > _______________________________________________ gnucash-user mailing list [email protected] To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user ----- Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. 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