Fred Langa contends that some Linux proponents harm their cause by hiding from the facts--it's just as buggy as Windows XP.
"I made a private bet with myself when I ran an item in my newsletter called Linux Hacks On The Rise. It cited a study of software problems reported by CERT--the Computer Emergency Response Team that impartially tracks computing security threats. (CERT is part of a federally funded research and development center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.)
Among other things, the article said: "...more than 50% of all [CERT] security advisories ... in the first 10 months of 2002 were for Linux and other open-source software solutions."
My only point in bringing up this issue was to show that no operating system is immune to bugs and security issues: As Linux grows in popularity, it will have its own full share of problems.
It's hard to imagine a less inflammatory or more obvious assertion--that all operating systems have bugs and security issues--but I won my bet: Linux and open-source fans thought I was attacking them or their preferred operating system. They deluged me with E-mails, many irate, claiming that CERT (and I) were dead wrong...."
I believe that the more widely used or "mainstream" an OS becomes, the more buggy an OS is proven to be. Some years ago, Linux was mostly just a geeks toy. These days its fast becoming a serious contender for a place on your desktop. It is only natural, that now, with more public acceptance, that these "bugs" will get noticed. - Ed
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News source: InfoWeek
