On October 23, 2003 03:28 am, HaywireMac wrote: > http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5094279.html > > "Ballmer also disputed the notion that open-source code is more secure > than Windows. "The data doesn't jibe with that. In the first 150 days > after the release of Windows 2000, there were 17 critical > vulnerabilities. For Windows Server 2003 there were four. For Red Hat > (Linux) 6, they were five to ten times higher," he said." > > Red Hat 6 ?! *This* is his example for Linux security? > > ROTFLMAO! > > Ok, now I'm really not sure whether he is just pure evil, stupid, combo > of both, what the hell is this guy popping? > > Where's his e-mail, I just gotta ask...
Well, we also have to ignore that Winblows Server 2003 was cracked within minutes of it's first appearance. And we have to ignore the fact that what Microsoft calls critical vulnerabilities these days is in such a narrow band as to be statistically invalid. Now..onto Linux. Whatever number of vulnerabilities are reported and patched the fact remains that these are often discovered by the development team and patched BEFORE any reported attempt to exploit the vulnerability. Further, the peer review that Linux goes through ensures that the millions of eyes looking at a package will find it double quick and again the patch is released BEFORE any reported exploits. Not so with Windows and I need not explain that one further. What M$ and it's apologists do is count up the number of patches irregardless of severity on competing OSs and then compare it to thier number of patches. As thier patches attempt to solve numerous vulnerabilities all at once Linux patches come through one package at a time. In short the numbers are meaningless. Let's also remember that it's a boringly regular occurence that a M$ patch will break more than it fixes. In Linux it's the other way around even though it does happen about once in a blue moon. There's an old saying about numbers...figures can't lie but liars can figure. Ballmer is in the latter category. Another nice one, courtesy of Mark Twain is "there are lies, damned lies and statistics" ttfn John
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