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Decatur Jones' Cornett: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw)
Groklaw reprints a report by Decatur Jones analyst Dion Cornett, who was struck by what he saw at LinuxWorld.
"More importantly, corporations are looking to switch from Microsoft, not so much to save on licensing fees, but to potentially enhance the security of their IT infrastructures. This week’s MyDoom virus only serves to reinforce such thinking."
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Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 29, 2004 8:01 UTC (Thu) by dve (guest, #15903) [Link] We began our conversion to Linux desktop systems after a successful trial over a year ago. Presently, the only desktop systems deployed that way are in our head office and - due to life's twists and turns, because there is always too much to do in too little time - we've got about a 30% deployment. With luck, in a week or two, that number should hit about 50%, and probably stay there. Too many companies that we have no option but to deal with are still providing win32 applications that don't run under Wine (though terminal services is proving a bit of a help there). So we're stuck with that, but I don't mind too much. The mixed network is less prone to a single common flaw. Later we're planning to expand our deployment to other branch offices.MyDoom (Worm.sco.a, novarg, what-have-you) has, however, made management a bit nervous. Ordinary people have all sorts of bizarre opinions on what a 'member of the linux community' must be like. People who _like_ working with computers (the horror!). Ultimately, we're pretty well protected here. We were among the very first hit by the worm, and have had no infections. Either way, though, the impact has been much the same as it would have been with no linux desktops. Slow network response, and thousands of unwanted emails to pay for. However, the fear is there. What if one of those linux people did this? What else might they do? Can they be trusted? Can _it_ be trusted? To be fair, management doesn't trust Microsoft or it's products, as each release brings repeats of the same old same old press releases, and increased nuisance value and user-unfriendliness (in their eyes). But it's a concern, and the bosses are nervous. And nervous people tend to go with The Devil You Know, right? (Sorry if I'm a little disjointed. Phone calls from my users)
Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 29, 2004 8:40 UTC (Thu) by ekj (subscriber, #1524) [Link] Yeah rigth. Fear of viruses and worms is a reason to be nervous of *Linux* now ? What planet does your management live on ?Last I checked there was still 5 orders of magnitude more viruses, worms, trojans, spyware and malware in general for Windows than for all other computing-platforms combined.
Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 29, 2004 8:58 UTC (Thu) by dve (guest, #15903) [Link] I think you passed over the point (try reading it again). Publicity has it (hopefully wrongly) that this worm is the work of one or more members of the linux community. It's not the malware they fear. It's what they believe the dark side of the community might be, and what that dark side might do in future.As for what planet they live on, alas, it is the same bizarre world most other management spawns in from.
Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 29, 2004 21:15 UTC (Thu) by mmarq (guest, #2332) [Link] 5 times !!... whaoo!, you are being nice to them.I'm shure there are around the worl many magazines, that load virus in their magazines CDs by the dozens, because of the deep tech focus of some of their articles and the learning factor that makes it essencial that availability,..., yes, for the learning factor is essencial for you to *poke in* to understand,..., like is impossible to have a good surgeon that has never seen a human body interior... here a small example of a editor(http://www.digerati.com.br/geek/) The worst, is not the "subversive kind of *KIDs*" (and others) that may take advantage of that opportunitys and knowledge to make unlawfull acts and get excitement,adventure, and some forms of activism and expression... "THE REALLY BAD" is the marketing hype, specially of M$ that have made those administrators so comfortables, thinking that the Wintel PC was like a TV set, or a toaster or a radio set,..., never wanting to know about the complexity...; you can go to any Big Store arround the world a buy 1kg of beef 2Kg of potatos, all the cosmetics, detergents your house needs, and you can see the BULLS??? PROPAGANDA in action, by buing a PC to a know nothing, that dont have the slightist idea how it works and how much more complex than a car it can be... and that is when there is one arround to *help* you... So, lets not invent another kind of false terrotists,... like the 17 years old kid that bought a package of VIAGRA to Mr Gates, with the stolen credit card number of Mr Gates himself (naeve, no??)... lets talk about BLIND IT LEADERS.
Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 29, 2004 21:56 UTC (Thu) by hingo (subscriber, #14792) [Link] 5 times !!... whaoo!, you are being nice to them. "5 orders of magnitude" is not the same as "5 times". "Orders of magnitude" is geek talk for number of zeros in a number. So he's saying "ten thousand times" more, not five times. henrik
Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 29, 2004 22:55 UTC (Thu) by fhathead (guest, #19057) [Link] Actually, he's saying "one hundred thousand times" more. ;-)
Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 30, 2004 9:01 UTC (Fri) by hingo (subscriber, #14792) [Link] Let's see... one two three... (have to use my fingers here, good thing it wasn't 6 orders ofmagnitude :-) Yes! It seems you're right, five fingers, five zeros :-) henrik
Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 30, 2004 1:21 UTC (Fri) by groverson (guest, #19061) [Link] At my last count at work, Sophos had protection for 85,000 + Virus's for Windows. I readand article a while back and Linux really only has 2 Virus ever really made for it and the Mac is only at about 60. Correct me if I am wrong, but the order of magnitude is way greater than 5 no matter which way you look at it. You do the math. I would rather run Linux than Windows... wait.... I am using Linux right now... well there you go...
Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 30, 2004 12:07 UTC (Fri) by Wol (guest, #4433) [Link] Okay. I've done the math.The difference in magnitude between 2 and 85,000 is about 4.99. If you want to know how to do the math, it's simple ... magnitude_difference = log10(85e3) / log10(2) So no, it's not "way over five" :-) Cheers,
Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 30, 2004 12:13 UTC (Fri) by Wol (guest, #4433) [Link] Oops ...I think it's a minus sign, not a divide. So magnitude_difference = log10(85e3) - log10(2) That gives a more sensible answer - but either way the correct answer comes to a bit under 5. Cheers,
Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 30, 2004 18:39 UTC (Fri) by cpm (subscriber, #3554) [Link] What's two times 10 to the fifth?, isn't that 5 orders of magnitude up from2?
Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 30, 2004 18:50 UTC (Fri) by cpm (subscriber, #3554) [Link] I wish I hadn't said that.
Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 29, 2004 13:37 UTC (Thu) by jdesbonnet (guest, #2771) [Link] I don't see the connection. A virus writer, who appears to be working for spammers slips in a SCO DOS attack as part of the payload. This could have been part of the commercial payload. We don't know.What has this to do with the Linux development community? A *Windows* programmer working for spammers? It does not sound like any Linux developer I know. But even if he/she was a Linux user or developer it doesn't prove a thing. In any community this size (one million+ ?) you are bound to get a few odd balls, the odd wife beater and maybe even an axe murderer. It's simple population statistics. I'm sure if you examine the history of everyone that has worked for Microsoft (a pretty large sample) your bound to turn up a few scary individuals... so what.
Decatur Jones' Cornet: Desktop Linux Will Affect Microsoft Faster Than Expected. (Groklaw) Posted Jan 29, 2004 20:59 UTC (Thu) by dve (guest, #15903) [Link] I'm sure you are, but that's not the story that people are hearing."A virus writer, who appears to be working for spammers slips in a SCO DOS attack as part of the payload. This could have been part of the commercial payload. We don't know." The media thinks they know. And they're telling people. Listening to the radio this-morning. Watching the evening news last night, browsing the local newspapers. They all (vaguely) sort of agree on two things (just the one, though, since none of them understand - or attempt to understand what is going on). The media is saying: 2) This is the Linux Community's revenge against SCO. (Some of them are kind enough to insert 'believed to be' or 'allegedly', but not many.) You and I might be pretty sure that is not the case. " a few odd balls, the odd wife beater and maybe even an axe murderer. It's simple population statistics." Absolutely, and most geeks are quite social. Think of your national stereotypes, though...american, canadian, australian. Don't people tend to think of those nasty, outrageous caricatures? Many people are already inclined to think we're untrustworthy. The majority of staff in all of the last 5 companies I worked for (except for the geeks) had about the average literacy level of 13 year olds, and instinctively distrusted the techies because of their alien ways: they could read and write well, and _enjoyed_ it. Techies enjoyed their work, and kept at it for long hours (and not just from poorly set deadlines). I was approached (cautiously) once by one of the drones on the other side of the office. He fancied himself a bit of a techie, since he knew which bit his mouse was. "What exactly are you guys up to?" "What do you mean?" (Not wishing to have to try to explain the project (the company's core business) to someone who's not going to get it) "Late nights, long hours, and you're enjoying yourselves. Are you writing viruses? You are, aren't you?" "...the hell did you get that idea?" (I think I offended him at this point by ... err being shocked and offended) "C'mon! How could you _possibly_ enjoy working with computers. You're doing something wrong that nobody else understands, aren't you?" ... and so on ... People really think that sort of thing, and as fair as the mainstream media goes, nobody's telling them any different. All they 'know' is that the Linux Community is responsible for the Worst Virus Ever(tm). 'It is believed that the worm's tastes are related to SCO's unpopular move to start charging for the Linux operating system, and launch legal threats on those who don't comply.' http://www.itnews.com.au/storycontent.asp?ID=9&Art_ID=18087 I think that's the nicest thing that anyone's saying out here, and easily misunderstood.
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