[SGVLUG] How to argue that Open Source software is secure

[Miguel Hernandez]

>From the very interesting /. article:
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/02/11/007216It seems that
Microsoft, their MCPs & CMPs have fallen to a new low. Seems they're
rightfully worried about less expensive alternatives to their bloated,
buggy, vendor locked-in software.

This is something that comes up all the time when debating Linux vs.
Windows. My Windows-loyal counterparts always toss out a bunch of non-facts
re: Linux's security, or lack thereof, due it being open source.
It bugs me because all they're doing, like in the story, is just spreading
fear to the (non-technical) consumers.

I read all the comments in this story & there are some really great
suggestions. Here are a few links from that article that I thought extremely
relevant for the defense of Linux:
The need to take a look at open source in this recession:
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/01/02/2330237
If Linux is good enough for the NSA, it's good enough for me:
http://www.nsa.gov/research/selinux/
A gentleman by the name of Bruce Perens has been making these arguments for
a very long time: http://perens.com/about/bio/

Some netcraft searches:
http://searchdns.netcraft.com/?position=limited&host=dhs.gov
http://searchdns.netcraft.com/?restriction=site+contains&host=fbi.gov&lookup=wait..&position=limited
http://searchdns.netcraft.com/?restriction=site+contains&host=navy.mil&lookup=wait..&position=limited
http://searchdns.netcraft.com/?restriction=site+contains&host=airforce.com&lookup=wait..&position=limited

The latest victim, the French Navy:
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/020909-conficker-worm-sinks-french-navy.html

Additionally, which is the world's #1 website today & what OS do they use
for their tens of thousands of servers around the world? A: Google &
Linux....'nuff said.
=====

All of this 'spreading fear' stuff reminds me of why the Open Document
Format was shot down for use in state governments a couple years back:
http://techivist.blogspot.com/2007/06/microsoft-still-trying-to-monopolize.html

It's from my blog but that video from the Calif. State Assembly is quite
chilling.


Hope this helps with your arguments as well,
--miguel
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