France Challenges Microsoft with Open Source Competition

Your Comments (required):Open source doesn't mean insecure. Microsoft has tons of security issues, even though the code is not out there.

Plus, with tons of programmers looking at open source, security holes are typically plugged a lot faster. In addition, there are tons of viruses for Windows systems but very few for Unix/Linux systems.

Also, it's well known that hackers aren't the biggest security problem. Dissatisfied employees are, and no computer system is going to stop dissatisfied employees from hijacking info.

Sanel, were you serious when you wrote, "Microsoft holes are exploited, but only on the computers of users that don't run windows updates."?

Tell that to Paul Thurrott, who recently wrote: "...the notebook I had planned to bring was suddenly struck by the most malicious software (malware) I've ever encountered. This Trojan horse got through my defenses despite the fact that I was running the Release Candidate 1 (RC1) version of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) with the firewall turned on." Seems even the experts get burned by exploits. Even the smart ones like Mr. Thurrott. ( http://www.winnetmag.com/Article/ArticleID/42787/42787.html )

Editor's note: To be fair, I did do something idiotic to allow that to happen. But it's a good example of why SP2 won't solve all security problems. --Paul

It is my understanding that Open Source is open source, meaning that the code that the software is built upon is free and available to the public. If so, why the hell would you want to store extremely senistive governemtn and personal, financial data on it. Since anybody in the world would know about the holes that could quite easily be exploited. Microsoft holes are exploited, but only on the computers of users that don't run windows updates. What about updates for Linux, wont you have to buy a new version in order to get the updates, or do they have a centralized system like Windowsupdate.com? So you have a cost of upgrading to the new OS again. With Windows, you can still get updates even if you are running Windows 95, which, I dont know why you would want to, but you can.

Then again, I'm not the one to bitch since I get my Windows software free from Microsoft by working at Best Buy ;)

"It is very expensive because it shifts the cost to maintenance, services, integration and training."

As does any software product, including Microsoft offerings.

What ever happend to purchasing software base on needs? You pick the application that best accoplishes your task, you pick the os that runs the application. You pick the hardware that runs the os? There seems to be a lot of noise about huge carts with confused horses tangled up in the reigns behind them.