Thought I would pass along the "news". JM
> -----Original Message----- > From: JM [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2002 2:39 PM > To: Tomcat Developers List > Subject: RE: keep up the great work! > > > I never believe news that people put in e-mails. > So I had to find it myself.....and here it is... > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60050-2002May22.html > > > I found this beauty also.... > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-02/13/090r-021300-idx.html > > and this > http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&co > ntentId=A4 > 988-2002Apr6 > > > JM > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Takaoglu, Uzay [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2002 10:03 AM > > To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' > > Subject: keep up the great work! > > > > > > Hi All, > > > > Below is an article I got from Washington Post. Interesting > > enough microsoft > > is lobbying all the government agencies to quit using open source > > S/W. Guess > > what the government agencies said. > > > > Simply the translation is "f.. off" :). > > > > Keep up the great work people! > > > > Thank you all, > > > > Article is below: > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > > ---------- > > - > > Microsoft Corp. is aggressively lobbying the Pentagon to squelch > > its growing > > use of freely distributed computer software and switch to proprietary > > systems such as those sold by the software giant, according to officials > > familiar with the campaign. > > > > In what one military source called a "barrage" of contacts > with officials > > at the Defense Information Systems Agency and the office of Defense > > Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld over the past few months, the company said > > "open source" software threatens security and its intellectual > property. > > > > But the effort may have backfired. A May 10 report prepared for > > the Defense > > Department concluded that open source often results in more secure, less > > expensive applications and that, if anything, its use should be > expanded. > > > > "Banning open source would have immediate, broad, and strongly negative > > impacts on the ability of many sensitive and security-focused DOD > > groups to > > protect themselves against cyberattacks," said the report, by > Mitre Corp. > > > > A Microsoft Corp. spokesman acknowledged discussions between > the company > > and the Pentagon but denied urging a ban on open-source > software. He also > > said Microsoft did not focus on potential security flaws. > > > > Spokesman Jon Murchinson said Microsoft has been talking about > > how to allow > > open-source and proprietary software to coexist. "Our goal is to resolve > > difficult issues that are driving a wedge between the > commercial and free > > software models," he said. > > > > John Stenbit, an assistant secretary of defense and the Defense > > Department's chief information officer, said Microsoft has said > using free > > software with commercial software might violate the > intellectual-property > > rights of companies such as Microsoft. Stenbit said the issue is legally > > "murky." > > > > The company also complained that the Pentagon is funding > > research on making > > free software more secure, which in effect subsidizes Microsoft's > > open-source competitors, Stenbit said. > > > > Microsoft's push is a new front in a long-running company > assault on the > > open-source movement, which company officials have called "a cancer" and > > un-American. > > > > Software is designated open source when its underlying computer code is > > available for anyone to license, enhance or customize, often at > > no cost. The > > theory is that by putting source code in the public domain, programmers > > worldwide can improve software by sharing one another's work. > > > > Vendors of the proprietary systems, such as Microsoft and Oracle Corp., > > keep their source codes secret, control changes to programs and > > collect all > > licensing fees for their use. > > > > Government agencies use a patchwork of systems and software, and > > proprietary software is still the most widely used. But open source has > > become more popular with businesses and government. > > > > The Mitre Corp. report said open-source software "plays a more critical > > role in the DOD than has been generally recognized." > > > > The report identified 249 uses of open-source systems and tools, > > including > > running a Web portal for the Defense Intelligence Agency, > running network > > security for the Army command in Europe and support for > numerous Air Force > > Computer Network Defense tools. > > > > Among the most high-profile efforts is research funded by the National > > Security Agency to develop a more secure version of the > open-source Linux > > operating system, which competes with Microsoft's Windows. > > > > The report said banning open-source software would drive up > costs, though > > it offered no specifics. Some government agencies have saved > significantly > > by using open source. > > > > At the Census Bureau, programmers used open-source software to > launch a > > Web site for obtaining federal statistics for $47,000, bureau officials > > said. It would have cost $358,000 if proprietary software were > used, they > > said. > > > > Microsoft has argued that some free-licensing regimes are > antithetical to > > the government's stated policy that moneymaking applications > > should develop > > from government-funded research, and that intellectual property > should be > > protected. > > > > Microsoft also said open-source software is inherently less > > secure because > > the code is available for the world to examine for flaws, making > > it possible > > for hackers or criminals to exploit them. Proprietary software, > > the company > > argued, is more secure because of its closed nature. > > > > "I've never seen a systematic study that showed open source to be more > > secure," said Dorothy Denning, a professor of computer science at > > Georgetown > > University who specializes in information warfare. > > > > Others argue that the flexibility provided by open-source software is > > essential, enabling users to respond quickly to flaws that are found. > > > > "With open source, there is no need to wait for a large > software firm to > > decide if a set of changes is in its best interests," said Eugene > > Spafford, > > a computer-science professor at Purdue University who specializes in > > security. > > > > Jonathan Shapiro, who teaches computer science at Johns Hopkins > > University, > > said: "There is data that when the customer can inspect the code > > the vendor > > is more responsive. . . . Microsoft is in a very weak position to > > make this > > argument. Whose software is the largest, most consistent source > > of security > > flaws? It's Microsoft." > > > > Stenbit said the debate is academic and that what matters is > how secure a > > given piece of software is. To that end, the Defense Department is now > > prohibited from purchasing any software that has not undergone security > > testing by the NSA. Stenbit said he is unaware of any > open-source software > > that has been tested. > > > > > > > > > > > -- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For additional commands, e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For additional commands, e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
