__/ [ [H]omer ] on Monday 08 January 2007 03:50 \__
> Even the New York times advises against Microsoft software:
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | Tips for Protecting the Home Computer
> |
> | By JOHN MARKOFF
> | Published: January 7, 2007
> |
> | Botnet programs and other malicious software largely take aim at PCs
> | running the Microsoft Windows operating system, because Windows?
> | ubiquity makes it fertile ground for network-based attacks.
> |
> | Using a non-Windows-based PC may be one defense against these
> | ^^^^^ ^ ^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^
> | programs, known as malware
> |
> | [...]
> |
> | Like Windows, Microsoft?s Internet Explorer browser is also a
> | large, convenient target for code-writing vandals. Alternative
> | browsers, like Firefox and Opera, may insulate users.
> | ^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^
> | [...]
> |
> | Adding software to your browser like Noscript, a plug-in utility,
> | can limit the ability of remote programs to run potentially damaging
> | programs on your PC.
> `----
>
> - http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/technology/07tips.html
>
> However, the author uses "ubiquity" as an excuse, rather than
> admitting the possibility of sloppy code.
Security due to obscurity in the context of Windows is a myth that was long
ago debunked.
Linux Security: A Big Edge Over Windows
,----[ Quote ]
| Linux is better at locking down a computer than Windows. The Linux OS
| uses configuration settings and user permissions to a much more
| efficient degree than the Windows administrator account. To do
| this, non-enterprise users should seek help from third-party
| security suites that serve as configuration managers, James
| Bottomley, chief technology officer of SteelEye Technology said.
`----
http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/54742.html
Security Report: Windows vs Linux
,----[Executive summary ]
| Finally, we also include a brief overview of relevant conceptual
| differences between Windows and Linux, to offer an insight into why
| Windows tends to be more vulnerable to attacks at both server and desktop,
| and why Linux is inherently more secure
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/security/security_report_windows_vs_linux/
Microsoft Windows: Insecure by Design
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A34978-2003Aug23?language=printer
If Only We Knew Then What We Know Now About Windows XP
,----[ Quote ]
| You can think of Windows XP as a house with a second floor built of
| spackle, wood filler and duct tape.
`----
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/23/AR2006092300510.html?nav=rss_technology
Why Windows is a security nightmare.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/21/1085120110704.html
The Structural Failures of Windows
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=15305
Among many more you could find... even Borg Gates was envious of the UNIX
structure and tried to imitate it.
NT influenced by Unix
,----[ Quote ]
| (Gates:) "And through Windows NT, you can see it throughout the design.
| In a weak sense, it is a form of Unix. There are so many of the
| design decisions that have been influenced by that environment. And
| that's no accident."
|
| In light of the recent saber rattling about Linux and patents, the "There
| are so many of the design decisions that have been influenced by that
| environment" sentence is particularly interesting if these patent
| threats include things that are prior Unix art. "In a weak sense, it
| is a form of Unix" is also telling. I said before that I don't think
| that's the case; I think the patent stuff is talking about things like
| Samba and Mono, but even there the "influenced by that environment"
| could be important in the court of public opinion if not in actual
| law.
`----
http://aplawrence.com/Unixart/gates_quote.html
--
~~ Best wishes for the new year!
Roy S. Schestowitz | if ("if"=inv("fi")) print("foo/bar")
http://Schestowitz.com | Free as in Free Beer ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
Cpu(s): 21.6% user, 3.0% system, 1.0% nice, 74.3% idle
http://iuron.com - semantic engine to gather information
|
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