flatfish+++ wrote:
> On Mon, 06 Nov 2006 01:47:34 +0000, Rick wrote:
> > On Sun, 05 Nov 2006 19:37:39 +0100, Peter Köhlmann wrote:
> >> http://www.frsirt.com/english/advisories/2006/4334
> >> Microsoft XML Core Services XMLHTTP ActiveX Control Code Execution
> >> Vulnerability
> >> So how about the flatfish claim that linux users can't "access many sites"
> >> because they don't use IE?
> >> Isn't it more to the effect that windows users who want to have a (tiny)
> >> fighting chance to surf the web without being owned left and right cannot
> >> use IE?
> >
> > So what? ...
> > ... Beeg Deel...
If you lose your inheritance to some guy who tapped you parent's
computer and drained the thing clean in 30 minutes. - Beeg Deel
If your mom or dad loses their entire life savings due to an activeX
virus - Beeg Deel
If your 401k rollover account dissappears overnight - and you are
suddenly faced with the tax liability and the 10% penalty - Beeg Deel.
If your credit card is suddenly declined because you magically reached
your limit - because an ActiveX virus got hold of all of your Microsoft
money account settings - and cleaned out your checking, credit, and
savings accounts - Beeg Deel.
Or maybe it won't be your computer, it will be your broker's PC, your
banker's PC, or your accountant's PC. And all because some spambot is
sending malware infested e-mail from your boss's PC, or maybe even
yours. - Beeg Deel.
> Exactly....
>
> Look at it this way.
> Whenever Linux desktop share is mentioned to be low and web site counters
> are being used, the Linux pundits cry they are skewed because Linux users
> change their browser strings to mimic IE so they can view the sites.
There are so many different web counters, and web site counting
technologies.
Unfortunately the most popular are IP Address counters, which only
measure one OS or Browser per IP address and shut off all others. In
some cases, only the most frequently used OS is counted. But when the
IP Address is that of a NAT firewall, you don't know whether it's 1
machine, or 5000 machines. Most Linux machines access the web from NAT
firewalls. Many linux machines ARE NAT Firewalls.
Meanwhile, one machine could have 30 DHCP Addresses in one month.
And of course, most Linux machines don't sign themselve as "Linux" but
as more "generic" systems, since the same source code can be compiled
and run on any OS capable of running a GCC compiler and a glibc
library. Meanwhile browsers using Microsoft or Apple libraries are
REQUIRED to properly sign the operating system into their signature.
Careful study of actual HTTP logs quickly shows that most of the
"other" catagory as actually Linux browsers or the SQUID web caching
utility.
Depending on which survey you use, and how the counting is done, the
Linux+Other ranges between 7% and 15%.
When you factor Linux NAT and Windows DHCP into the equation, you can
muliply Linux by anything from 1.5 to 3, and divide Windows by anything
from 2 to 10.
You can come up with ranges from 19% Linux up to 70% Linux.
Somewhere in that broad range, lies the real number. Keep in mind that
these may not all be dedicated "Linux Only" users, but it's not that
improbable that with Virtualization, remote access, and multiboot
capabilities, that users switch between Windows and Linux - and about
45% are using some combination of Linux and Windows globally.
> But yet OTOH these same Linux users take exception when sites requiring IE
> are mentioned.
For example, if I'm on the road, and I want to check my travel
itinerary, I have to go to a web site that requires IE and ActiveX
controls. Their contract expires at the end of the year.
Once that site is replaced with a FireFox friendly site, I can switch
to Linux as my primary OS. At that point, I'd only need Windows VM to
look at Project and Visio files. Very occaisional use. And Project
could be replaced with one of the available Project management tools
for Linux. I wonder if there is a good PM tool for Eclipse?
Many of the diagrams are also better served by other tools as well.
For example, Visio has UML tools, but there are several Java and Linux
based UML viewing tools.
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