Get money for a lot of your old electronics

Get money for a lot of your old electronics.  Link

Tired of the Software and OS Debate – Updated

Windows vs. Linux vs. McIntosh – Firefox vs. Internet Explorer , blah vs. blah.

If you tell a Linux guy that Windows is targeted by hackers and viruses because they are the big guy or tell the Linux guys that the top and longest running computers have been the Microsoft guys, well you are in for a debate. 

I think true true IT guys can see the advantages of each of the operating systems.

I like Linux, I’m an old Unix guy.  There are things I would love to see like true installation pre-compiled installation packages with the source and I don’t have to run a billion terminal commands to compile code so I can install something.  And by the way Ubuntu is Linux (that was for the hardcore guys)…just because it becomes popular and more user friendly, don’t turn your back on it.  

With browsers..well I looked up on the National Vulnerability Database the number of vulnerabilities for Firefox and IE and yep, Firefox beat IE.  They had over 55 vulnerabilities (some with more than one) and Microsoft’s IE – 34.  (OK Microsoft had less.)  My browser of choice Firefox….and IE.  Why, web development and applications on the web.  I like ‘em all.

How about the commercials of the old plain clothes Microsoft vs. young yuppy Mac guy?  Just doesn’t make sense.  In a world of marketing and an economy, Microsoft fired back gently with the MS price of a laptop vs. Mac.  I liked it.  The ad campaign has been successful and just for the record Mac tried to have it stopped.  Funny.  Macs are awesome with video and YES they can get viruses and can be hacked easily.  Hackers hack based on if the target is worth hacking and the value of the hack. 

Again, I like all operating systems.  They all serve a purpose.  All browsers serve a purpose.  True Information Technology Professionals will be familiar with all of these OSs and browsers and will should be able to navigate and use these technologies.  It’s so funny to read all of the remarks that are soooo negative in today’s world.   Do true research on all of the products you use and use all of the technologies you can get your hands on.

Comment from Jon Ward a former student and now a respected peer.  Jon is a Certified Ethical Hacker, holds several respected Microsoft and Linux certifications and is an industry professional.

Let me add something to the argument… It is undeniable that Windows is targeted by malware writers far more than any UNIX based system, linux, bsd, osx, whatever. 

A closer examination of the Firefox vulnerabilities vs IE vulnerabilities will reveal that the rate of resolution of the vulnerabilities takes far less time than the rate of resolution for IE vulnerabilities and that says a lot.  Every peice of large, complicated software has security vulnerabilities.  What really matters is how fast those vulnerabilities are fixed and how fast they are distributed to users.  Mozilla follows no pattern as to when they release security updates.  Microsoft will wait up to 7 days (and on many occasions many months) to release security updates for IE.  Firefox normally gets fixes for severe vulnerabilities to its users within 3 days.  This is an important figure.  What really matters is the period of time a software is vulnerable to a specified attack.

I’m a Linux/FLOSS supporter, one of the most hardcore you’ll ever meet.  I’ll admit that free software has its fair share of vulnerabilities and if you add up all the vulnerabilities released under open source licenses to the vulnerabilities of commercial software, you’ll find that free software has an exponentially higher rate of vulnerability, but you’ll also find that it has an exponentially shorter rate of resolution.  The most important factor at play is how often the administrator of a specified software checks for product updates and security fixes.  The highest risk of having insecure software is the complacency of the people who maintain the software in a commercial environment.

Don’t forget that the software isn’t the only fault, or even the greatest fault.  The person maintaining the software for any given company is by far the weakest link.

Great Comment- Steve

Is Microsoft using Linux Servers for Bing?

Netcraft Internet Research indicates from their website that Microsoft is using Linux Servers.  With uptime reported back to Netcraft, it appears that Windows 2003 Servers are the top dog with uptime.  So what is truly going on?

Sometimes Netcraft returns unknown.  Is it, could it be?  Here’s another response from a different software.