Re: [SLUG] OT: M$ deals the final blow

From: Bryan J. Smith (b.j.smith@ieee.org)
Date: Wed Sep 08 2004 - 19:18:31 EDT


On Wed, 2004-09-08 at 16:57, chris lee wrote:
> windows XP users no longer have any control over what they do or do
> not want on their computers.

The problem with NT/Win is the level of integration. That is mutually
exclusive with security. You change one thing and there is an unforseen
impact on another. Piecemeal services and subsystems, with _strict_
kernel separation, is why non-Windows systems are far more manageable.

That's the #1 the SQL Slammer worm hit a lot of companies. They patched
SQL Server _after_ the patch that would have prevented the SQL Slammer
worm, and there were 2 later patches that _uninstalled_ the previous
patch. You had to read the docs to find this out, and most didn't.

With an automatic/required update, this is going to _force_ you.

Furthermore, I can't trust if a patchset for NT/Win is going to prevent
me from booting, affecting other systems. With UNIX/Linux, unless it's
the kernel, I can stop, update and start the service -- reverting back
painlessly and easily. That's why the TCO of Linux is far lower for me.

With XP SP2, there are _new_ bugs introduced. I just hit one today.
And sure enough, it was in the ultra-crappy spooler (print) service.
That is tied directly into the NT kernel still, and pretty freak'n
stupid if you ask me. They also screwed up stuff that they should _not_
have had to mess with.

And that's the problem with the NT/Win codebase.

> 216 days to learn more linux and counting....

August 1999 was the date that I started running Linux 100%
_everywhere_. I had supported Linux on corporate networks as late as
late '94, but '99 is when various things "all came together."

-- 
Bryan J. Smith                                  b.j.smith@ieee.org 
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