I very politely disagree. I am running WinXP build 2600 and have not patched, ever. I do not have any spyware detection applications or anti-viral software. As far as I know, I do not have any spyware, and it's been well over a year since I last reformatted. I do not have any problems other than one relating to my video card. I feel that this is simply due to smart surfing. However I am on dialup at home and this may be a factor.
At my previous employer, we had a seven computer network on DSL with only Norton Antivirus running. We never had problems with spyware and trust me, I spent a lot of time surfing the net. This was a Win2k/Win98 network, however.
Everytime I talk to someone who has problems with spyware, they either are using freeware like Comet cursor (which may or may not contain spyware, I don't really know), downloading a lot of "free" screensavers, using Kazaa or similar bloated file-sharing applications, or browing a lot of warez or porn sites that they find on Google by typing in "hot girls" or something similar. I get this a lot at my current employer.
This is not valid research but I think my anecdotal evidence disputes yours significantly. I would of course be very interested in knowing more precisely the true source of spyware for the average computer user.
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-Quinn
Man, n. ...His chief occupation is extermination of other animals and his own species, which, however, multiplies with such insistent rapidity as to infest the whole habitable earth, and Canada. - A. Bierce, Devil's Dictionary, 1906
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