Full Disclosure mailing list archives
Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly
From: Fabio Gomes de Souza <bugtraq () gs2 com br>
Date: Sun, 28 Sep 2003 21:10:07 -0300
Peter Busser escreveu:
Hi!Destroying the monopoly also lets the World get rid of (Anti)Virus companies, since they are protected by Microsoft Virus Support(TM).The fact that writing virusses and worms is easier and more rewarding on MS-Windows systems, that doesn't mean that they are impossible on free software systems. Free software desktops are complex beasts too and they are bound to be loaded with bugs too, many of them with security implications.
Read my post again. I didn't even mention that it is easier to write viruses for Microsoft systems. I told that vulnerabilities exploited by viruses are fixed faster and efficiently in free software because there is no concern about avoiding destruction of industries. Free software is not market-oriented. It's USER-oriented.
Viruses are a threat which has been intentionally neglected by Microsoft since the AntiVirus thing became a business. A BIG business. Imagine if Microsoft removed the Virus Support. Billions of dollars would stop being moved from people's pockets to the software giants. Mega companies would simply disappear from the Market. Hundreds of people would be unemployed. Given the facts, Microsoft is simply UNABLE to fix such vulnerabilities.That is not really a good argument, because most people are full of unfulfilled dreams. So if they have money in their pockets, then that money is going to roll. In other words, if it isn't spent on anti-virus stuff, then it will be spent on something else.
This is EXACTLY the point. People would spend their money with things more pleasant than MANDATORY antivirus packages. If you have an unfulfilled dream of buying an antivirus package, then you are insane.
It is better to spend money, for example, in a useless neon light to put inside the computer case than in an antivirus because you WANT to buy the light. You are not being forced to do that.
What I want to say here is that antivirus packages are a dependency of the Microsoft operating systems. And free software does not have such dependency.
Virues have never been a threat for Open Source systems, since they (viruses) use vulnerabilities that get fixed by users *regardless* of some company liking or not.
This reminds me of the story about the three pigglets. Where Microsoft lives in the house made of straw. And the free software people live in the house made of wood... Yeah, we free software people are REALLY safe from the wolf! I mean, have you ever seen a wolf breaking into a house made of wood? No? See, that's my point, no wolf has ever done that. And therefore we're perfectly safe.
The difference is that free software will move to the brick house once the wolf arrives. And Microsoft will stay in the straw house, because otherwise the wolf-killing industry would disappear.
Regards, Fábio Gomes de Souza _______________________________________________ Full-Disclosure - We believe in it. Charter: http://lists.netsys.com/full-disclosure-charter.html
Current thread:
- Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly, (continued)
- Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Matthew Murphy (Sep 27)
- Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Rodrigo Barbosa (Sep 27)
- RE: [inbox] Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Curt Purdy (Sep 28)
- Re: [inbox] Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Kristian Hermansen (Sep 28)
- Re: [inbox] Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Gregory A. Gilliss (Sep 29)
- Re: [inbox] Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Valdis . Kletnieks (Sep 30)
- Re: [inbox] Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Rodrigo Barbosa (Sep 29)
- Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Gregory A. Gilliss (Sep 26)
- RE: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Rick Kingslan (Sep 27)
- Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Fabio Gomes de Souza (Sep 28)
- RE: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Rick Kingslan (Sep 27)
- RE: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Curt Purdy (Sep 27)
- Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Florian Weimer (Sep 28)
- Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Karl DeBisschop (Sep 28)
- Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Paul Schmehl (Sep 28)
- Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Michal Zalewski (Sep 28)
- Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Florian Weimer (Sep 28)
- Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Monopoly Frank Knobbe (Sep 28)