Richard,
While hackers can get every program available to you or I, this doesn't mean they are all just as insecure. I also agree that more popular programs/operating systems are also more tempting targets as well. These shouldn't be excuses though for allowing the many types of exploits that Microsoft has.
Older versions of Outlook and Outlook Express are perfect examples of this. They are the only email programs that allowed a hacker to take over your system without any user intervention beyond viewing an email. The newest versions of Outlook are far better finally (I actually do like using Outlook 2003). I can't recall any other email programs allowing anything close to this though. The hackers would have to get creative and use social engineering tricks to get people to run attachments if they want to exploit any other email programs.
The combination of IE, ActiveX and system wide integration is another example of something that is totally unnecessary. Both Linux and Macs can surf the net just fine without system integration of the web browser. Firefox on Windows does quite well too.
To me Microsoft hasn't paid nearly enough attention to security as it should have. Being the largest target just amplifies this. They are waking up to this (finally), but it will be a huge undertaking to change their habits, and those of every Windows software developer who has taken full advantage of this lack of security in Windows.
I am not trying to say that Macs, Linux or *BSD are 100% virus/malware/hacker proof, only that they actually make an effort to minimize these threats as far as possible. This is where I see Linux getting a foothold on user desktops and the Mac market growing, as people will get fed up with having to worry about so many different viruses, malware, hacker attacks and the associated tools to prevent and clean them up.
It's not like we allow Ford or GM to build cars that blow up or fall apart when some kid throws a pebble at one. Boeing and Airbus make best efforts to build aircraft that will survive hitting birds. Yes, there are limits to the size of rock that a car will withstand and the size and numbers of birds an airplane will withstand, but they reduce the risk to an acceptable level. So why should we let Microsoft get away with anything less? It may not directly affect people's lives in the same way, but our economy is becoming far too reliant on an unsecure system. I'm almost a little surprised that someone hasn't tried to use this to attack the West yet.
goates