Can someone tell me for a layman's point of view why linux is safe?

[adamm]

i ended up in a debate with a programmer today who happens to be winblows advocate, i couldn't convince him properly since my knowledge on the subject is very vague.

[Buzz_Bumble]

The main reason is simply because hackers simply can't be bothered targetting a minority of users, so that makes Linux and Mac OS a less enticing target than the 95% or so of computers that use Windoze. Windoze is also an much easier target since it's chock full of bugs and security holes, and used by more novices who don't know what they're doing.

Linux (and Mac OS X which is based on it) is also a more secure operating system. It has a set system of privileges that are difficult to override. Mac OS X, for example, will always ask the user if they want to install any software AND require the user to enter an Administrator password before installing it. There are still problems with some third-party extra software like Java and Flash, which is one reason why Apple no longer ships Flash on any computers and won't allow it on iOS devices.

Newer versions of Mac OS have even tighter control and can be set to ONLY allow the installation of software from the Apple App Store.