The only truly "safe" computer is the one that has been dismantled and had it's individual components each hidden in a separate dark closet with no possibility of power ever being connected... And even then it's only about 50%...

OTOH, the biggest problem with linux is the lack of standardisation. It will never be mainstream the way windoze is until it can be used in the same way. I.E. off the shelf software just works. If you need to be a geek to use it, it won't reach ubiquity. Windoze is like any white good, take it home, plug it in, it works. Maybe not very well, but it works. For linux to truly make it, it needs to be a white good.

--=-- My credo: If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing - just ask my missus, she'll tell ya laugh --=--
You're only paranoid if you're wrong!