RE: You'll never get fired for recommending IBM - sorry - Microsoft

[MHawkins () TULLIB COM]

What do you call a monolithic representation of a predominantly identical
membership within a group?

Mike H

-----Original Message-----
From: firewall-wizards-admin () honor icsalabs com
[mailto:firewall-wizards-admin () honor icsalabs com]On Behalf Of Marcus J.
Ranum
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 7:58 PM
To: Breno Jacinto; Hawkins, Michael
Cc: firewall-wizards () honor icsalabs com
Subject: Re: [fw-wiz] You'll never get fired for recommending IBM -
sorry - Microsoft



> > Regarding monoculture, let me use a common analogy. My car is no more or
> > less secure than any other 

Hang on a second!! "Monoculture" in *computing* is an analogy already!!
Don't use one analogy to try to bolster another one!!

Arguing by analogy is deceptive, since the choice of analogy can
conceal or distort information. Generally analogies are used to
illustrate - but they're only really useful if you're dealing with
concepts that nobody has established referents for. That's not
the case when computer security practitioners are talking with
other computer security practitioners.

I wrote a brief rant that explains some of my objections to the use
of "monoculture" analogy in computer security. See:
http://www.ranum.com/security/computer_security/rants/monoculture.html

Anyhow, I think "monoculture" is a flawed analogy. Trying to use
an automotive analogy to explain away flaws is a flawed analogy
is too many levels of indirection for my taste! Why can't we just
talk about computer security when we're trying to talk about
computer security? ;)

mjr. 

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