Peter G. Viscarola wrote: >> Unix was *always* secure and Linux flowed out of Unix as did BSD. >> Unix is very old. >> > > I don't know what you're background in the computer field is, and I > don't mean to turn this into a resume review, but I've been writing > operating systems and OS-level components since, oh, 1978. Your > statement that "Unix was *always* secure" is *entirely* inaccurate.
OK, post-stone age Unix was written with meaningful user-level security years before MS even comprehended the concept of security and long before MS was forced by users to begin the implementation of semi-meaningful security. When common-use folks discuss security it is relative to the ease of access to data without the need for a password, the ease of access to someone else's computer bypassing their security, and ease with which crackers access and sabotage someone else's computer. MS has *always* lagged behind Unix, Linux, BSD, and Apple in this area. Always. MS propaganda aside. It is one thing to claim to have a secure OS, it is another thing entirely to produce one that works. NT/2000 was a desperate attempt by MS to stem the bleeding because everyone else's OS's were less vulnerable and it was at-best embarassing, at worse was harming them at server level sales. My first use of computers was at Northeastern University in the late 70's. I have worked with Apple, DEC MicroVax, Linux, MS, and Wang. MS was always been functionally the most poorly secured. I am shocked that anyone is surprised, it has been common knowledge for years, even MS has been caught using Linux for the online distribution of their security updates. A very quick search via http://clusty.com found the discussion below, it is one of hundreds that document the reality of UNix/Linux security vs MS's chronically weak security: http://www.celestial.com/Members/bill/Presentations/unix_osx/x65.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Since many people used each machine, security was an issue in Unix from its very beginnings as the work of each person had to be protected, and, being the phone company, they were often the targets of early crackers (aka Phone Phreaks). Thus Unix was designed to operate in a hostile network environment, and has had a strong security model designed in from the beginning. This may be compared to Microsoft DOS and Windows which are based on a primitive program loader, designed to allow hobbyists to use their new microcomputers in a single-user, non-networked environment. There was only one user on the system, and no notion of user ownership or security. Any user on the system can read, write, or delete anything on the machine. Programmers who wrote Unix, have always had to deal with multiple users, and multi-tasking systems so (with some exceptions) build systems with security and sharing constantly in mind. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Thanks! & 73, doc, KD4E ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Projects: http://ham-macguyver.bibleseven.com Personal: http://bibleseven.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
