> This URL was forwarded to me by a co-worker. This study was published by > Mitre in July of 2001. It spends some time looking at how Linux and Open > Source software fits in with the needs of the military, but the majority of > it covers the strengths and weaknesses of Linux versus Windows NT and > proprietary UNIX systems, as well as the use and growth of use of Linux in > commercial industries.
There's a fairly significant error on pages 7-8 (which are the 32nd&33rd pages!): 3.1.1.6 Maturity of Code The Linux code was created in 1991, and in 1998 it comprised 1.5 million lines of code. Windows 2000 has over 38 million lines of code. Frederick Brooks claims that "complexity is a function of the square of the number of lines of code" and, thus, Windows 2000 contains much more complexity than does Linux." Counting lines of code in Linux is a bit tricky, but to compare properly with Windows you really ought count one of the major GUIs. The trick part, of course, is counting relevant lines of source code. Arguably Smoothwall, that boots and runs off a floppy, is just as much Linux as what I run on my desktop, basically all the fruit I could find. I'd not be at all surprised of my selection compiles from more source code than W2K. > -----Original Message----- > > This seems to be the kind of serious study I sometimes lack to make a > point... > http://www.mitre.org/support/papers/tech_papers_01/kenwood_software/kenwood_ > software.pdf > -- Cheers John Summerfield Microsoft's most solid OS: http://www.geocities.com/rcwoolley/ Note: mail delivered to me is deemed to be intended for me, for my disposition. ============================== If you don't like being told you're wrong, be right!
