>> 7. While Microsoft made a passing attempt at retrofitting security >> into its early operating systems, they didn't get any money for this. >> So, we should be extremely grateful that they actually fixed security >> problems for 8 years for Windows 98. Other companies would not >> support any software for that length of time. > > Thanks Jim for what is, to me, the most intelligent post related to > operating systems that I've seen on this list.
Except that it is not entirely accurate. Unix was *always* secure and Linux flowed out of Unix as did BSD. Unix is very old. MS *chose* to not implement security due to profit considerations and the impossbility of security because of the wide-open-everything-executes-in-root structure. It was a marketing and technological nightmare -- I remember it well as a systems manager and consultant. "extremely grateful"? You have to be kidding! Bill Gates marketed and promoted secure and stable and while he raked in billions he shipped insecure and unstable. How soon we forget. It would be enlightening to read a list of what is worth doing, for 99% of average users, that is not available free under Linux. OS = Free Office apps = Free Internet apps = Free Music processing = Free Video processing = Free Games = Free And to get this back on topic ... Ham digital apps = Free Ham antenna calculators = Free Ham logging = Free Ham DX spotting = Free Ham HT programming apps = Free Now I donate to many Linux developers because I want to support them. It is not about Free to me, it is about choice and integrity and freedom from abusive OS contracts and limitations. Back to digital radio. -- Thanks! & 73, doc, KD4E ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Projects: http://ham-macguyver.bibleseven.com Personal: http://bibleseven.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
