This is a good (general) piece about security and the role cryptography plays in it. I totally agree with you about how poor Windows security is. I explain the difference between the Linux security model and Windows' is that under Linux, everything is locked down and you must unlock things to provide access. In Windows everything is open and it must be locked down to secure it. Windows started under DOS which had ZERO security. Unix had security built in from the get go.

Nowadays Windows has important OS files protected and somewhat locked down, but it's a patchwork of security layers, not a well designed system, and loopholes and exceptions and different mechanisms used to protect different elements.

I would very much like to see a quality, comprehensive article on keyloggers and how to detect them. They can defeat the best security measures if one finds its' way onto your system. Linux/Max/Windows platforms are all vulnerable to keylogger exploits, which are usually invited onto your system through downloads, especially when you don't pay close attention to the options. Some companies like Oracle, go so far as to ignore users preferences and install bloatware / malware anyways, like the Ask toolbar. It's real easy to get infected by using Oracle's Java installer. Despicable practice, both by Oracle as well as the creators of the Ask toolbar.