Vulnerability in BIND not Linux: I think its fair enough to count only stuff that is typically installed by default. I guess Ramen just gets in but even that affteced only one distro and (AFAIK) only if FTP was installed.
Even if viruses existed in line with market share you would expect 100s or thousands of linus viruses.
Also the linked article does explain why Linux is an attractive target for virus writers: which supports point - that Windows viruses are not more prevelant purely, or even mainly, because it is more widely used.
The reason most (or all) viruses are written for Windows is because that's where they'll do the most damage, since most people use Windows.
So IIS has had more security issues than Apache and SQL server more than Oracle becuase they are more widely used right? Oh...
There has not been ONE single Linux virus that has propagted in the wild: given the huge nubmer of viruses out there I would have thought someone* would have written and released one for Linux just to show it can be done.
* probably one of those fanatical Windows apologists who think that Linux users are communists** or worse
** despite the fact that it is MS that advocates central planning.
Quite right, what you are missing is that most people who say Linux is not user fiendly enough tried and early version of Red Hat and assume that anything that was not in it is not in "Linux"
I have got really sick of comments that say Linux needs x to work to be userfriendly when x does work.
It may have started that way but its a whole lot more: Redhat, IBM etc. are not in the Linux busienss as a hobby. I would say something like "co-operatively developed by lots of businesses, individuals, universities etc." is a better description.
As far as I am concerned security is the killer, especially as regards viruses.
MS has no manufacturing costs. They do have R & D costs.
Their R & D costs should not be any higher than that of any other OS vendor (leave open source out of it for the moment), but their OS revenues are higher than most unix vendors or Apple et for their hardware and software combined, their revenues are huge compared to what Be would have needed to be a viable business etc.
The end result is huge margins - as you can see from their results. Margins that big are definitely monopoly profits.
and by mainstream I mean you no longer have to compile things to guarantee compatibility with your system
Lots of non-geek Linux users (like me) do not compile things, ever. We just install RPMs.
this virus could easily spread through it instead
This is the old "Windows security vulnerabilites get exposed becuase it is popular" saw. By that logic Apache should have more security issues than IIS and Oracle more than SQLServer.
The GPL clearly states that redistirubtion of the software or derivative works has to be under the GPL
SCO are trying the re-license Linux so they have broken the GPL as far as Linux goes so they can not redistribute Linux.
As long as they redistribute nmap under the GPL, with source avaiable etc, then they have not violated the GPL as regarding nmap, so their license to use and distribute nmap still seems to be valid.
most them still don't know how to hack an ini file.
Do they have to edit config files to get these tasks done? Not for items 1,2 and 6 in the list (at least not with mandrake which is what I use). I have never had to do the other three so I can not comment.
Enlightenment does enlarge the preview. I have not used Enlightenment for a few months but as far as I remember it enlarges when you place the mouse pinter over the preview.
Or does the average user simply not know any better.
In any case the main buyers of Windows are not end users but PC manufacturers. They can buy a stripped down version and distribute in installed on PCs together with whatever web browsers, media players etc they want. What has happened in the past is that those who did so faced reprisals from MS.
As for getting things in a convenient package, most Linux distros include a lot more in the package than Windows (e.g. office suites, a decent image manipulation software).
The main reason the average user sticks with windows is becuase 1) they know what it is, 2) they do not know that enything else exists, 3) Its what they use at the office
He did say capitalist in the first part of his statement, but then he mentioned free market, and the two are not synonyms.
Very true, I wish more people would realise this.
He also claims to be a capitalist (an owner of capital), not just a supporter of capitalism (favouring the economic system). Yes, OK, I am being a bit pedantic.
In fact a lot of capitalists tend to be rather lukewarm supporters of the free market - regarding it as a good idea for everyone else, but their own industry is always a special case. Adam Smith talked about this, can not remember the quote.
Windows users are addicted to downloading every piece of crapware that comes down the tubes
Firstly, there is plenty of Linux software avaialbe for download. Secondly Linux distros come with a LOT of software - there is less need to download things to try them out, you have them on CD. Thirdly, Linux software tends to be a lot safer to try out: free (as in beer) stuff is largely open source and not goign to be spyware/adware/otherwise obnoxious.
they can't do this on Linux without some command line mucking about, compilation,
I have been using only Linux at home for the last two years (bar some software I needed for a course that I ran on my old windows PC), I ahve tried out plenty of software and I have never compiled anything, not once.
1) No brighter than the pople I meet elsewhere 2) Rather boring
If I was still a member I would not mention it, unless under a "hobbies and interests" heading of a CV (resume) , and that only if I was involved in organising things.
I do mention my GMAT score next to my MBA becuase it was unusually high (top fraction of a percent rather than top 2% which is all Mensa reuqires), and it specifically tests aptitudes that are relevant to jobs I apply for.
What an employer needs to know about your apititudes can be measured much better by your achievements. Employers who want a quantitive measurement will give you there own test. IQ is not a complete measure of what they are looking for.
I find that Konqueror is one of the things I really miss when i move from my Linux machine at home to the Windows one at work.
Not only do I find Konqueror easeir to use, my completely non-techy wife does as well.
Finally what do you find half backed in Konqueror. Of your list previews and sort work faultlessly and, in the case of previews, for a wider variety of file types than on windows. I find split windows makes file management a lot easier other than that funtionality is similar.
Lots of people in the US saying that open source is a threat to the US's dominance of software and national security is only going to make open source more attractive to governments elsewhere - especially places like China and India.
Slashdot Mirror
Vulnerability in BIND not Linux: I think its fair enough to count only stuff that is typically installed by default. I guess Ramen just gets in but even that affteced only one distro and (AFAIK) only if FTP was installed.
Even if viruses existed in line with market share you would expect 100s or thousands of linus viruses.
Also the linked article does explain why Linux is an attractive target for virus writers: which supports point - that Windows viruses are not more prevelant purely, or even mainly, because it is more widely used.
So IIS has had more security issues than Apache and SQL server more than Oracle becuase they are more widely used right? Oh...
There has not been ONE single Linux virus that has propagted in the wild: given the huge nubmer of viruses out there I would have thought someone* would have written and released one for Linux just to show it can be done.
* probably one of those fanatical Windows apologists who think that Linux users are communists** or worse
** despite the fact that it is MS that advocates central planning.
I have got really sick of comments that say Linux needs x to work to be userfriendly when x does work.
It may have started that way but its a whole lot more: Redhat, IBM etc. are not in the Linux busienss as a hobby. I would say something like "co-operatively developed by lots of businesses, individuals, universities etc." is a better description.
As far as I am concerned security is the killer, especially as regards viruses.
A much more comforting name for corporate mangement. They know what IBM are, and they know they can take on liabilities if things go wrong.
MS has no manufacturing costs. They do have R & D costs.
Their R & D costs should not be any higher than that of any other OS vendor (leave open source out of it for the moment), but their OS revenues are higher than most unix vendors or Apple et for their hardware and software combined, their revenues are huge compared to what Be would have needed to be a viable business etc.
The end result is huge margins - as you can see from their results. Margins that big are definitely monopoly profits.
Lots of non-geek Linux users (like me) do not compile things, ever. We just install RPMs.
this virus could easily spread through it instead
This is the old "Windows security vulnerabilites get exposed becuase it is popular" saw. By that logic Apache should have more security issues than IIS and Oracle more than SQLServer.
If you had actually followed the link you would know that the whole OS is not written in ruby. It is Linux with a ruby installer and package system.
They could then show an infinite amount of revenue but show the cost as a capital expense and therefore make an infinite profit.
The GPL clearly states that redistirubtion of the software or derivative works has to be under the GPL
SCO are trying the re-license Linux so they have broken the GPL as far as Linux goes so they can not redistribute Linux.
As long as they redistribute nmap under the GPL, with source avaiable etc, then they have not violated the GPL as regarding nmap, so their license to use and distribute nmap still seems to be valid.
Once they ahve figured out how to start up their web browser, mail client and office suite they have learnt to use the software.
Do they have to edit config files to get these tasks done? Not for items 1,2 and 6 in the list (at least not with mandrake which is what I use). I have never had to do the other three so I can not comment.
I do not agree that XP more user friendly than Mandrake: may be I just to not like XP.
.... said it was a supercomputer
Partly because it had effective anti-trust laws that ensured effective competition and hence free markets lead to economic efficiency
Enlightenment does enlarge the preview. I have not used Enlightenment for a few months but as far as I remember it enlarges when you place the mouse pinter over the preview.
In any case the main buyers of Windows are not end users but PC manufacturers. They can buy a stripped down version and distribute in installed on PCs together with whatever web browsers, media players etc they want. What has happened in the past is that those who did so faced reprisals from MS.
As for getting things in a convenient package, most Linux distros include a lot more in the package than Windows (e.g. office suites, a decent image manipulation software).
The main reason the average user sticks with windows is becuase 1) they know what it is, 2) they do not know that enything else exists, 3) Its what they use at the office
Very true, I wish more people would realise this.
He also claims to be a capitalist (an owner of capital), not just a supporter of capitalism (favouring the economic system). Yes, OK, I am being a bit pedantic.
In fact a lot of capitalists tend to be rather lukewarm supporters of the free market - regarding it as a good idea for everyone else, but their own industry is always a special case. Adam Smith talked about this, can not remember the quote.
Firstly, there is plenty of Linux software avaialbe for download. Secondly Linux distros come with a LOT of software - there is less need to download things to try them out, you have them on CD. Thirdly, Linux software tends to be a lot safer to try out: free (as in beer) stuff is largely open source and not goign to be spyware/adware/otherwise obnoxious.
they can't do this on Linux without some command line mucking about, compilation,
I have been using only Linux at home for the last two years (bar some software I needed for a course that I ran on my old windows PC), I ahve tried out plenty of software and I have never compiled anything, not once.
I think you have cause and effect mixed up here.
I agree,
The people I met through Mensa were:
1) No brighter than the pople I meet elsewhere
2) Rather boring
If I was still a member I would not mention it, unless under a "hobbies and interests" heading of a CV (resume) , and that only if I was involved in organising things.
I do mention my GMAT score next to my MBA becuase it was unusually high (top fraction of a percent rather than top 2% which is all Mensa reuqires), and it specifically tests aptitudes that are relevant to jobs I apply for.
What an employer needs to know about your apititudes can be measured much better by your achievements. Employers who want a quantitive measurement will give you there own test. IQ is not a complete measure of what they are looking for.
I find that Konqueror is one of the things I really miss when i move from my Linux machine at home to the Windows one at work.
Not only do I find Konqueror easeir to use, my completely non-techy wife does as well.
Finally what do you find half backed in Konqueror. Of your list previews and sort work faultlessly and, in the case of previews, for a wider variety of file types than on windows. I find split windows makes file management a lot easier other than that funtionality is similar.
There are companies that do this sort of stuff but I suspect your volumes are way below what they handle.
Lots of people in the US saying that open source is a threat to the US's dominance of software and national security is only going to make open source more attractive to governments elsewhere - especially places like China and India.