JWL.Freakwitch.net

Someone else says now is the time to switch to Linux

Yeah, I know. Yawn. I've been saying "switch to Linux" for probably 2 years now. But now, with all the security issues surrounding Microsoft products lately, eWeek is asking whether Isn't Now the Time to Try a Linux Desktop?.

Well, yeah. Duhhhh....

Anyone who reads this website(or my old one) knows that I have been a free software activist for several years. The points I have been making for a long time are just starting to reach public awareness. It's to the point where I just can't abide working on Windows, like I have to do when I'm at work.

The author of the article does make some good points in regard to how IE bugs and Mozilla bugs are fixed. First, he looks at Microsoft's policy:

Let's look at the latest security news about Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Microsoft's fix for one of the latest Internet Explorer holes was to deactivate the broken part, ADODB.Stream. Some fix.

The folks in Redmond still don't have solutions to IE's other problems, and they can't even give users a straight answer on when you can expect a fix.

Yes, it appears that XP SP2 will take care of this set of problems, but what about people using other versions of Windows? Will there be a similar broad-ranging patch for them? They sure won't be getting an updated version of Internet Explorer, since Microsoft has made it clear that there will no future standalone versions of IE because IE is now part of the operating system.

Now, he compares this to Mozilla's response to similar bugs in their browser:

Now, let's look at the latest Mozilla bug. This bug affects the Mozilla suite, the Firefox browser and the Thunderbird e-mail client. Just like the IE ones, it enabled crackers to run remote programs on Windows computers—no others—and it had been described in theory long before anyone demonstrated an exploit for it.

In early July, a way was shown on how to exploit the problem. By July 7, it was fixed. IE bugs? Still unfixed.

You know there might be something to this whole notion that open source speeds up security development.

Gee. Maybe. He. Has. A. Point.

Sorry, I can't help but be self-righteous and indignant on this issue. :-)

posted by JWL at 8:56 PM |