07-28-2003, 08:29 AM
Quote:Analyst Meeting: Microsoft, Linux, and Security
 One topic Ballmer had no problem broaching is security and the company's arch-foe, Linux. Ballmer cited the CERT Coordination Center's (CERT/CC's) 2002 OS advisories, noting that Sun Microsystems' Solaris and Red Hat Linux both garnered 12 advisories, whereas Microsoft received 5 across all Windows versions. He also noted that Linux vulnerabilities were growing 21 percent faster than those from Microsoft, with the open-source solution suffering 485 vulnerabilities in 2002 compared with 202 for Microsoft. Jumping to an oft-cited "advantage" of Linux, Ballmer then provided evidence that major open-source vendors usually deliver important security patches for Linux far later than Microsoft does for Windows. From January 2002 to October 15, 2002, for example, Red Hat released nine security patches one or more months after other vendors; those Red Hat systems, he said, remained vulnerable while customers waited for the patches. "Can IBM give you a product roadmap for Linux?" Ballmer asked. "Can they deliver new features and fixes to Linux? Does it indemnify the intellectual property in Linux? No, no, and no." Go, Ballmer. Go, go, go.
And there were those people who didn't believe me when I was saying that Linux had experienced far more security flaws than Windows. Especially when you consider the distribution.:)