[Tfug] FWD: RUSSELL PAVLICEK: "The Open Source"

[Anthony Hess]

Lets be honest - as a former military member I can assure you that most
people in military IT don't know much about computing beyond their time
monkeying with the latest version of Windows ..

Wait, how is that different from IT everywhere else?

At least with Linux there is some validity based on past security issues.
However in the last couple of years I think Linux has done pretty well from
a security standpoint.  But no other Oses besides Windows?  Please.
OpenBSD, to bring up an obvious example, obliterates Windows from a security
perspective and always has.  Hopefully over time grassroots pressure can
change the anti Linux attitudes in areas of government and the military.

Remember though, it won't be easy.  There are an awful lot of people in this
country whose livelihoods depend on the crappy MS empire (software that
breaks a lot makes the fixers more money) - they won't quit easily.  Not
only that but the kind of money machine that Microsoft has created tends to
influence votes.   

Tony

On 9/18/02 12:53 PM, "Jim Secan" <jim@nwra-az.com> wrote:

> This is a very serious problem, and it reaches even deeper than he
> describes.  I do some work for the DoD on data-collection systems, and
> we've been told by the USAF Network Nazis that Linux/OS solutions were
> unacceptable on USAF networks because of security worries.  The only
> acceptable solutions were (you guessed it) Microsoft Windows.  The lobbying
> reaches down to the worker-bee level with FUD and everything else MS and
> their friends can bring to bear.
> 
> Jim